Fireside Chat: PCG’s Entrepreneur Panel

The Atlanta Business League awarded Tharon Johnson of Paramount Consulting Group (PCG) their 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Read our coverage in the July 2024 issue: Intersection: Georgia Trend July 2024

Following the 45th annual Entrepreneur of the Year celebration on June 11, 2024, PCG hosted a fireside chat at The Gathering Spot. Moderated by the Latin American Association’s Veronica Maldonado-Torres, Tharon spoke on his entrepreneurial journey in Atlanta and invited his fellow entrepreneur friends to discuss how they found success. 

Established in 1990, this award “recognizes proven leadership as evidenced by financial success and commitment to community service.” Tharon’s leadership at Paramount Consulting Group has built up minority-owned businesses in the city and provides strategic resources through their influential partnerships. He comes with a notable track record of accolades. Read his bio here – About Us: ParamountConsulting.com

An evening “celebrating friendship and leadership.”

Tharon and Fireside Chat Moderator Veronica Maldonado Torres

Veronica: “When did you think it, and when did you believe you could?”

Tharon: “At 40, I wanted to own my own company and have a prominent role in the future of this state. [Starting PCG] was a natural transition after working in politics. My team knew it was time for me to take the leap. I saw the need for a bipartisan firm that had great local relationships and [relationships] with the state.”

“Everything is intentional. Don’t pigeon-hole yourself and explore across different sectors.”

Veronica: Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

Tharon: “Focusing on family. Being a present dad to my children. Right now the focus is the company, my radio show Political Breakfast and column. I want to do as much good as possible.” 

He confirms running for office may happen when his kids are older.

President of the Atlanta Business League, Leona Davenport, was given her flowers for her support. DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond’s mentorship was acknowledged as exemplifying “seamless leadership.” 

PCG is to make a $5,000 contribution to the Atlanta Business League, supporting student business mentorship and scholarship. 

Entrepreneurs and Friends

Panelists from left to right: Tope Awotona, Jenn Graham, April Sutton, Jon Birdsong

The evening’s panelists, invited and interviewed by Tharon, included:

Tope Awotona, Calendly

Tope Awotona is the Founder and CEO of Calendly, a software company that develops business communication platforms.

Jenn Graham, Inclusivv

Inclusivv is a community engagement platform offering resources in creating civil conversations.

April Sutton, Suttonstrong

April Sutton is fitness trainer, professional stunt woman and US amateur boxer. Suttonstrong is her personal training program. 

Jon Birdsong, South Downtown (SoDo Atlanta LLC)

Jon Birdsong is a partner in SoDo Atlanta LLC, the proprietor of 53 buildings, 10 city blocks and 15 acres in South Downtown Atlanta.

Is there something special about Atlanta?

Tharon: Tope, your headquarters are in Atlanta, Atlanta is your home, is there something special about it here that helps entrepreneurs – what is it?

Tope: “I moved from Nigeria when I was 15 in 1996 to Atlanta. The diversity was attractive, it’s a thriving metropolis, the commercial capital of the south, one of the biggest tech hubs in the entire world with a lot of great tech entrepreneurs that led the way. [Pardot, Mailchimp]. 

When you think of tech, you think of Silicon Valley that has capital, talent and big bold ideas. Atlanta forced me to be more creative, more in tune with the customers and use my own dollars to build something my customers would really like. Finding talent and retaining those employees, and finding all those things in Atlanta, really made a difference for Calendly.”

Tharon: April, tell us about your entrepreneur journey and your company. Why Atlanta? You’re from Chicago. 

April: “It [wasn’t] as glamorous as we see from the people we’re inspired from. I was always fit, always taking care of myself. I decided to pursue another passion – film. I was cast in a full-feature movie called Divergent out of nowhere during the perfect time when I was in the most need. The opportunity arose to use the money I made from the movie to invest in my personal training business. 

That’s when I started having a plan. Marketing, website, credentials, licensing. I got what I needed to move forward and build, build, build my business. That was 10 years ago and I’ve been in 80+ credits tv/film, utilizing that income to invest in my business. That’s how I came to Atlanta for the tv/film and I knew it was a mecca for entrepreneurship, especially for people of color. 

Tharon: Jenn, tell us about the framework, how do you leverage the power in your contacts? What are those questions on the hearts and minds of people when you bring them together and get them involved?

Jenn: The framework is simple – I’m a community organizer at heart. When you’re trying to empower people in any environment or neighborhood, you want to give them the tools to think creatively for themselves. This [framework] is used in politics as well, it’s about creating urgency to take action. We train people to receive ideas in a way that feels that we’re in this together.”

Tharon: Jon, what inspired you to invest millions of dollars into revitalizing downtown? 

Jon: Belief in the long-term. We’ve gotten really good at studying the history of why Atlanta is the way it is, built for the train tracks and commerce. Our vision for SoDo is to create the most safe, livable, walkable downtown in the country. 

Over the last 12 years at the Atlanta Tech Village (where he is a Venture Partner), we’ve created 10,000 jobs and $3.2B of investment –  from one 100,000-square-foot building. Now, we’re trying to do that on 10 city blocks, 53 buildings, and 15 acres. 

Tharon closed by thanking them for answering the call, for giving back, and for inspiring. He thanked his employees and clients, Ryan Wilson, CEO and Co-Founder of The Gathering Spot, and shouted out his alma mater Clark Atlanta University. 

Re more the Georgia Trend Columnist Recognized, Intersection: Georgia Trend July 2024