Small Talks, Big Ideas LIVE at Queen Street Playhouse

Join us at the Queen Street Playhouse on Thursday, October 19th for a special LIVE OHM 96.3 FM Radio broadcast of the Lowcountry Local First podcast, Small Talks, Big Ideas with Steve, featuring in-depth panel discussions from local financial powerhouses. 

This event is part of a year-round educational institute partnership between Lowcountry Local First and the College of Charleston's MBA program.

Thursday, October 19, 2023
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Live recording begins promptly at 6 p.m.
Cell phones off or silenced during the show, please.

Queen Street Playhouse
20 Queen Street, Charleston, SC 29401

$5 for general admission
FREE for CofC MBA students and alumni
Cash bar available

Presented by the College of Charleston Master of Business Administration Program
Hosted by Queen Street Playhouse, home of the Footlight Players
Live broadcast produced by 96.3FM OHM Radio

Speakers include:

• Crystal Smalls, Business Analyst at Metanoia 

  Meet Crys Washington Smalls - a talented Business Analyst, Life Coach, and Girl Scout Troop Leader. Crys leverages her diverse experiences to assist companies in enhancing their organizational performance. Her dedication to making a positive difference in her workplace and community is evident in her approach. She utilizes her expertise and personal growth to ensure progress in her ongoing roles. 

  Crys pursued her Master of Business Administration at The Citadel upon realizing her talent for implementing transparent and efficient business systems. Following her graduation from college, she faced various challenges and uncertainties that inspired her to embark on a journey of healing that led her to become a life coach who could help others utilize their pain and strength to identify their skills, passions, and purpose just as she had. Despite having the necessary knowledge and skills, she struggled to balance her personal life and work. She lost her passion for her federal job as she could not see her unique role in helping others outside of the office. Seeking guidance from God and her husband, she took an opportunity at Metanoia. Metanoia’s purpose aligns with her passion and the job description embodied her skill set.  Crys says she knew instantly that her skills and purpose would collide with this opportunity and she could not let it pass. 

  At Metanoia, she utilizes her professional skills to enhance operational initiatives impacting financial reporting and projects requiring expertise across multiple programs and business reporting areas. In addition to her personal experience and history as a life coach and troop leader, she strives to amplify opportunities for a thriving community with families in Chicora and surrounding historically Black neighborhoods by honing the unique assets that exist there. Working alongside the community and immersing herself in the experience of guiding young minds to succeed in their individuality and achieve their aspirations, she has discovered her passion for promoting community excellence and growth through witnessing its impact on those communities, businesses around them, and the young professionals being honed within them. She is responsible for doing her part to ensure Metanoia’s continued success by developing and streamlining organizational performance reports, mitigating risk through established financial processes, and developing metrics to track progress. 

• Kevin Flounders, Chief Executive Officer, SIB

  Kevin Flounders joined SIB in 2018 to lead SIB’s technology and telecom practice and assumed the role of CEO in 2019. In early 2020, he led the transaction between SIB and O2 Investment Partners, a private equity firm, to facilitate the firm’s next stage of growth. He and the leadership team are driving an aggressive plan to expand SIB’s service offerings and sales capabilities through targeted M&A and investments in our team. He has led the organization through six acquisitions in the past two years with others on the horizon.                                                                                                                    
  As CEO, Kevin leverages his entrepreneurial spirit and decades of leadership success to drive SIB’s growth through organizational development, operational effectiveness, business development, and customer engagement. His focused expansion strategy positions SIB as a category leader in spend management services with the largest database of pricing benchmarks, deep analytics capabilities, specialized category expertise, disruptive technologies, and demonstrated savings in the industries we serve.                                                                                                                                                            
  Prior to joining SIB, Kevin was the founder and CEO of Comstar Technologies, a technology integration firm focused on VoIP,  data, and physical infrastructure, growing it to a $50 million technology platform.    

• Meaghan Frost, Lead Business Intelligence Agent at Interloop
  Meaghan Frost serves as the Lead Business Intelligence Analyst at Interloop, a Microsoft Certified Data & Analytics firm headquartered in Charleston, SC. At the heart of Interloop's mission is the drive to empower businesses to transform raw data into actionable insights swiftly and efficiently.
  
  A proud alumna of the University of Michigan, Meaghan commenced her professional journey in Detroit, diving into Performance Improvement at a notable construction materials enterprise. This position solidified her understanding of the crucial role data plays in strategic decision-making.
  
  Recognizing the need to augment her skills and deepen her business acumen, Meaghan relocated to the Lowcountry in 2021 for the College of Charletson MBA program. Upon graduation, she seamlessly integrated into Interloop's dynamic team, dedicating her expertise to enhance and diversify the firm's analytical capabilities.