Founder & President

Chris Schroder

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

A fifth-generation Atlantan, Chris is a graduate of Westminster and the University of Virginia and the creator of Moments on SaportaReport.com where he was a founding member. He serves on various community boards and advisory committees when he’s not riding his bike, attending music festivals, traveling the country meeting potential PR firm members or visiting with children, his granddaughter, family and friends.

General Manager, VP of Sales

Ted Langford

As V.P., Director Sales at The 100 Companies, Ted Langford is responsible for leading the expansion of the digital content marketing initiative to major markets throughout the country.  He has been in the publishing business for the past 25 years and has extensive experience as a writer/editor, Sales Director and Vice President, working with some of the largest national brands, major retailers and ad agencies.

He started his career as a sports writer, business reporter and Sports Editor at the Anderson (SC) Independent-Mail and later at The Greenville (SC) News, where he won writing awards for his reporting on college athletics. He moved to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as Assistant Sports Editor before electing to switch to the Advertising/Marketing division at the AJC.

Ted worked at Cox Media Group for 20 years leading sales teams in Atlanta, West Palm Beach and Austin TX.  He was also involved in the startup of Cox Interactive Media, the company’s first digital division selling ad placements on all of Cox media properties. Ted attended the University of Georgia and majored in Speech Communication.

Editorial Director

Jan Schroder

As Editorial Director of The 100 Companies, Jan Schroder works with members on developing and producing digital marketing content for their eNewsletters and oversees the editorial and production process. She is an award-winning writer and editor, author of several books and has written more than 1,200 blog posts. She is also the Travel Editor for The Atlanta 100, a weekly publication with a circulation of 35,000.

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, national magazines, her Girl on the Go site and on “Belinda Skelton’s Atlanta Living” website for the nationally syndicated radio show, where Jan makes guest appearances as a travel expert. She is a native of Atlanta, a graduate of Westminster and the University of Virginia. Jan is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and the Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association.

Sales, Pacific Rim

Brian Zimmerman

Leading The 100 Companies’ sales efforts in the Pacific Rim, Brian Zimmerman is responsible for the expansion of the digital content marketing initiative to major markets throughout the U.S. West Coast, Polynesia and Eastern Asia. He has been in the publishing business for the past 30 years and has extensive experience in business development with major brand magazines, daily newspapers, and digital ad tech platforms.

Brian previously worked for Newsweek, Yahoo!, Knight-Ridder, Cox Media, Reuters and also worked with Chris and Jan Schroder at the Atlanta Intown Newspaper Group.

Brian graduated from the University of Missouri and currently lives in Hawaii on Kauai, where he supervises The 100 Companies expansion into Pacific Rim markets.

Managing Editor

Caroline Parsley

As The 100 Companies’ managing editor, Caroline writes, edits and assists in the production of the various eNewsletters. Before joining The 100 Companies in May 2015, Caroline completed a public relations and marketing internship with The Reynolds Group in Atlanta. In college, she gained writing and publishing experience through internships with Albemarle Magazine, The Scout Guide and Edible Blue Ridge Magazine.

A native of Tampa, Florida, Caroline graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.

Editor

Leah Steinberg

Leah Steinberg works as an editor for The 100 Companies, checking content for the various eNewsletters. Prior to joining The 100 Companies, Leah worked in higher education, non-profit fundraising, public relations and print media.

A Denver native, Leah graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Colorado. She also holds a master’s degree in Educational Psychology and Research from the University of Kansas. In her free time, Leah enjoys hiking, cooking and spending time with her family.

Editor

Sam Bojarski

As an editor, Sam does fact-checking and editing for The 100 Companies eNewsletters. Prior to joining the team, Sam worked at WordWrite Communications, a strategic marketing and communications firm based in his hometown of Pittsburgh.

Sam attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he wrote for both The Pitt News and Pitt Magazine. He also helped the university communications staff draft speeches for Chancellor Patrick Gallagher.

He currently resides in Pittsburgh’s East End.

Production 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, SC, a graduate of the Carolina Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is a resident of Gastonia, NC. 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.

Production Coordinator

Emily Tracy

Emily Tracy is a production coordinator with The 100 Companies where she produces newsletters on behalf of a number of markets. She also assists the editorial department with proofing content. Prior to production coordinator, she was the creator and writer of the Beer Babe column for The Atlanta 100.

Emily is a native of Raleigh, NC and a graduate of the University of North Carolina. She is currently based in Denver, CO where she spends her weekends camping and hiking.

Content & Distribution Coordinator

Savanna Sweeney

As Content and Distribution Coordinator for The 100 Companies, Savanna assists with editing, production, and distribution of the various eNewsletters. Prior to joining the team, Savanna worked in account management and logistics for an international contract manufacturer. She also previously worked part-time for Schroder Public Relations after completing an internship with the firm a couple years earlier.

Savanna received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Georgia State University. She gained writing and editing experience interning for Gov. Nathan Deal’s communications office, as well as through her contributions to the shopping portion of The Atlanta 100 in its early stages.

Savanna was born and raised in Atlanta, where she currently resides. In her free time, she enjoys planning trips, cooking and exploring new restaurants in Atlanta.

Engagement Coordinator

Whitney Osei-Akintaju

As Engagement Coordinator for The 100 Companies, Whitney is responsible for onboarding members, web development, and web support. Before joining The 100 Companies in March 2017, Whitney obtained over nine years of knowledge and experience in retail banking, sales, front-end web development and customer service working with companies such as Bank of America, Guaranty Bank, Sage Software, Dolsh Radio, Fuxon Atl TV and Apple.

As Miss Ghana Tourism USA 2015, she served as the spokesperson for Ghanaian tourism in the United States and collaborated on tourism development initiatives with Ghana Tourist Coach and the Ghana Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Whitney studied Interactive Design at The Creative Circus.

In her free time, she enjoys running Ethnic District, her global online marketplace for African products, and organizing technological and economic advancement in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Member Relationship Manager

Alisha McKinney

As Member Relationship Manager, Alisha works on member retention and business development. Prior to joining The 100 Companies, Alisha owned her own marketing consulting business and worked on local marketing teams at Whole Foods Market, GoGo squeeZ and Lyft. She also taught college courses in public speaking, marketing and career management.

Alisha holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communication from Emerson College.

Alisha resides in Atlanta with her husband and 2 beautiful daughters. In her free time, she enjoys writing, testing recipes and spending time with her family.

Training Consultant

Chris Butsch

Chris Butsch is an author, speaker, meditation instructor and “Millennial Happiness Expert.” In 2015, Chris left a career in IT project management to study happiness full time. He has written three books: The Millennial’s Guide to Making Happiness Volumes I & II and ASAP Happiness: 25 Ways to Build a Happier Life (in the Next 5 Minutes). He also writes the Happiness Hacks and Cars columns for The Atlanta 100 and Georgia Followers.

A native of Atlanta, Chris graduated from Westminster in 2009 and Vanderbilt in 2012 with a degree he designed in Engineering Management and Entrepreneurship. In college, he hosted a heavy metal radio show under the now-ironic moniker DJ RAGE.

Social Media & Content Strategist

Bailee Ivey

Bailee Bowman Ivey is a social media and content strategist. Bailee’s social media experience hails from traditional advertising agency roles working with Fortune 500s in Atlanta. Now, she works with small and medium-sized businesses to apply proven social media strategies at scale.

Bailee is a native of Memphis, TN, a graduate of Mississippi State University, and is a resident of Atlanta, GA. On the weekends, you can find Bailee planning and coordinating weddings with Atlanta’s top wedding planners, baking a new recipe in the kitchen, or setting out on a road trip.