Meet Mali & Tony

Mali

Mali Phonpadith  is an entrepreneur, author, poet, speaker, podcaster and CEO of the SOAR Community Network. She is also and the Producer/Host of Tea with Mali cable television show. Mali specializes in helping her corporate and individual clients SOAR (See, Own, Articulate, Release) with their unique messages and corporate mission. Her SOAR programs are offered as 1 hour seminars, 2 day retreats, and full day workshops to individuals, entrepreneurs, associations and corporate executives who want to uncover their gifts and talents and powerfully articulate their unique differentiators to their intended audience.

Mali is a well-known community champion and fundraiser for local non-profits. She is the co-founder of the Young Professional Leadership Group and the host Creative Entrepreneur Buzz Podcast.  A Million Fireflies, is Mali’s memoir about her voyage from war-torn Laos to America and she is also coauthor of Seen and Sustained: Best Practices in Communication that Increase the Visibility of Small and Diverse Businesses, a professional workbook written with Akia Garnett, Jane Lovas, and Tamecia Bradshaw. As a speaker, Mali has traveled throughout the United States to share her insights with corporations, associations, universities and government agencies including the Library of Congress, Smithsonian, SAIC, University of Maryland, and SWAMFest.

Tony Marciante (a.k.a. Chef Tony) is an award-winning Chef, Restaurateur and business owner in Maryland who, through his love of technology and entrepreneurship, has always carried extreme passion for marketing and creative grassroots efforts on brand building and business promotion. Tony’s 23 years of hands-on restaurant experience has allowed him to become the owner of 4 high quality restaurants at various times, Executive Chef of McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants and an entrepreneur since the age of 7 when he realized the massive power of buying at wholesale and selling at retail, even if it was just candy at the time!

Tony’s passion for marketing and technology has opened up a new career, working with clients on how to leverage social & new media, benefit from the exploding world of information on the internet and propel their businesses to new heights with a global audience. Tony believes that every business, from a one-person company to the largest corporation, can benefit from leveraging the tools available today to build a bulletproof brand, connect on new levels with your “tribe” and create long-tail sales and marketing efforts that will pay off for years to come.

Tony brings to the table a wealth of widespread tech knowledge, back-to-basics marketing and branding, and a sense of humor to show people that being transparent and sharing your unique selling perspective WILL take you and your business to unexpected levels!

Check out his restaurant: Chef Tony’s