TELLING OUR STORY Atlanta Business League Podcasts
Successful African American business and professional people in Atlanta, GA share stories about their lives and explain how their careers evolved based on the choices they made. Two different podcast series are part of this broadcast. LESSONS from LEADERS allows individuals to talk about their achievements. ABL DUOs interviews two professionals about one topic. This series started in 2023 as part of the Atlanta Business League's official 90th anniversary celebration. The new season began in 2025.
TELLING OUR STORY Atlanta Business League Podcasts
ABL DUOs: Shelly and Mark Wilson
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BETTER TOGETHER
The husband and wife team of Shelly and Mark Wilson have created more than one company that reached elevated levels of success. Two of their businesses employed several thousand people and had offices from California to Alabama.
However, running a successful enterprise wasn’t the main objective in their lives. Both describe their roles as husband and wife as being more important than any of the titles assigned to them. Shelly’s degree in microbiology brought a level of organization and analytical skills to the enterprises while Mark contributed a level-headed approach to being a CEO. He pulled skills he developed after working as an executive for Dun and Bradstreet for more than 17 years. His industry reputation was so strong that, when he and Shelly branched off to start their own company, they immediately attracted a dream list of Fortune 10 and 15 companies - without a sales team. Global brand names such as Verizon Wireless, Google, Apple, Bank of America, Visa and AT&T were all clients.
The Wilsons operated two main companies during their time as entrepreneurs. RyLa Teleservices operated for approximately ten years. Chime Solutions, their second call service company, ran for eight years. Their home offices were in several metro Atlanta locations. They started in Woodstock, GA and moved to Kennesaw. Chime was headquartered on the south side of town in Morrow. It actually evolved from a venture capital purchase of a company called E-Verifle which Mark and Shelly closed to found Chime Solutions.
The success of their endeavors isn't the only reason to listen to this podcast. Mark and Shelly's motivations for going into business are also interesting. Neither had a business background. Mark’s first job was shining shoes in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Shelly is the daughter of an AME, African Methodist Episcopal, minister from Dayton, Ohio, who had planned to be a scientist.
The information Shelly and Mark Wilson share actually could provide the outline of a master class in how people can use the tools given to them through the experiences of their lives. What you'll learn from this podcast is that Shelly and Mark took their tools and built something much bigger than anyone would have thought possible. The bonus is their accomplishments also influenced the business achievements of the second generation of their family.