Founder & CEO

Chris Schroder

Founder & CEO of The 100 Companies and The Atlanta 100, Chris previously founded PR firm SPR Atlanta in 2002, selling it in November 2017. He established and served as publisher of his own chain of Atlanta neighborhood newspapers in 1994, selling them to real estate developer Tom Cousins in 2002. Prior to that, he worked for six Southeastern daily newspapers, serving as advertising director, creative director, promotions director, editor and reporter – winning awards in several states for his reporting and print advertisement design.

A fifth-generation Atlantan, Chris is a graduate of Westminster and the University of Virginia and the creator and producer of Moments on SaportaReport.com where he was a founding member. He continues to serve clients through Schroder PR, when he’s not riding his bike, traveling the country attending music festivals, meeting potential members of The 100 Companies or visiting with his children, his granddaughters and grandson, family and friends.

Vice President, Operations & Editorial

Margaret Willard

As Vice President of Operations and Editorial, Margaret oversees the editing and production of the 100 newsletters. She is also the primary contact for client onboarding and assists with business development.

A North Carolina native and graduate of the University of Georgia, Margaret has more than 10 years of experience in public relations, marketing and strategic communications. She started her professional career with Schroder PR in Atlanta, and went on to work for upscale lifestyle and restaurant agencies before transitioning to music and entertainment publicity. Margaret calls Nashville, TN home and is a proud dog mom to a four-year-old husky named Kobe.

Distribution Manager

Sally Schroder

Sally Schroder manages distribution services for The 100 Companies, working with members to develop recipients for the eNewsletters, monitoring reader participation and working to increase engagement with The 100 platform in all markets. She also assists with production and proofing of The 100 eNewsletters.

Sally is a native of Greenville, South Carolina, a graduate of the Carolina Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is a resident of Gastonia, North Carolina. In her spare time, Sally manages an eBay store, Newish, and also has designed a software platform for other eBay store owners to help improve their productivity when listing items for sale called Efficilist.

Business Development

Melvin Buchanan

Melvin Buchanan helps identify potential partners of The 100 Companies, developing opportunities for organizations and businesses to increase their growth, market position and awareness by establishing their own custom media channel. 

Melvin learned the value of hard work, growing up as the seventh of nine siblings on a small crop and dairy farm in North Mississippi. He earned a Geology degree from Mississippi State University, later becoming a regional vice president and top producer in the Tupelo office for the financial services firm, A.L. Williams. He later developed business for testing, customer service, insurance and architecture firms in Jacksonville and Atlanta. He met The 100’s founder, Chris Schroder, at a networking meeting more than a dozen years ago before they quickly discovered they had crossed paths decades earlier in Mississippi, where Chris was a rookie newspaper reporter.

Email: melvin@the100companies.com

Editor-in-Chief of The Travel 100

Jan Schroder

As editor-in-chief of The Travel 100, Jan Schroder develops and produces content for The Travel 100 monthly eNewsletter, which features stories and videos on destinations near and far. She is an award-winning writer and editor, and the author of several books.

She has several years of editorial and social media experience at magazines and newspapers and was formerly managing editor at Travelgirl magazine. Her corporate work includes the writing and editing of columns, eNewsletters, magazines, blogs and books for a variety of clients.

Her travel writing also appears in Fodor’s Travel, Orbitz, ShermansTravel, Global Traveler and other national magazines as well as on her Girl on the Go site. Jan appears on nationally syndicated radio shows as a travel expert. She is a native of Atlanta, a graduate of Westminster and the University of Virginia and is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers.

Lead Researcher & Data Analyst

Carlisle Willard

As lead researcher and data analyst, Carlisle Willard helps The 100 Companies discern and analyze potential business leads with in-depth market research. He also offers comprehensive data analysis of the 100 newsletters and websites to outline engagement trends and potential strategies that will optimize performance for members across all markets.

A native of Durham, North Carolina, Carlisle is a born-and-raised Duke fan. He attended the University of Virginia with a focus on systems engineering, holds certificates in Google Analytics and other IT support systems and volunteers with the Progressive Democrats political party.

Market Development

Sarah Stephens

As Market Developer, Sarah researches and contacts our next best publishing partners in U.S. markets to expand The 100 Companies network.

A resident of Spokane, WA, Sarah has worked previously as an advertising executive for local publications in Spokane and Colfax and and as a features writer in Cheney, Washington. She also has been an event marketer, an ESL teacher, a senior business consultant, field interviewer, political assistant, merchandising agent, newspaper carrier, as well as a news writer at WVUP at her alma mater, West Virginia University. She also has a Masters of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University.

Publishing Specialist

Kate Mendoza

As Publishing Specialist, Kate works with our proprietary editorial engine and other software platforms to write, edit, design and deliver our newsletters around the nation.

A native of Orange County, CA, Kate has extensive experience as a K-12 educator, editor and proofreader. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Anthropology, and has applied her editing skills to a variety of businesses from Microsoft Research to real estate. In her free time, Kate loves to go camping and travel to new places far and wide.