Management Team
The core of BusinessEarth is made up of CFOs, CPAs and MBAs; a team that understands the real-life issues you face running a business. We’re grounded in the realities of daily business, yet flexible enough to imagine new ways for your company to have an impact beyond the quarterly report.
Kurt founded BusinessEarth in 2009 with the goal of identifying entrepreneurial opportunities with products or services that have the potential to profitably make a significant positive impact on the world. Kurt passionately believes that long-term change will not happen until it makes sense financially, and he aims to prove it can be done. Previously, Kurt founded The Controller Group (TCG), a professional services firm focused on Accounting and Finance consulting and Recruiting. TCG was acquired by Tatum in July 2006 after growing to $18 million in revenues and over 100 professionals in 5 years.
Kurt began his career with Ernst & Young, where he focused on start-up and high-growth clients and later served middle market clients at management consulting firms Peterson Consulting and Montgomery Baggett and Drews. Kurt is an alumnus of University of Arkansas, a Certified Public Accountant and is an active member and officer of the Austin chapter of Young Presidents Organization (YPO).
Kurt is an active runner, avid outdoorsman and happily married; and can be found most days attempting to coach one or more of his three young sons, in sports … and life.
Melinda is Director of BusinessEarth’s Finance and Reporting practice. Certified in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework, Melinda helps companies understand the financial impact of sustainability projects and shows how to incorporate them into current operating budgets. Melinda’s background as an auditor in Big 4 public accounting with Deloitte and KPMG and as a Partner with Tatum, a national finance and accounting consulting firm provide her the expertise to help companies enact profitable Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.
Melinda is a CPA licensed in the states of Texas and Mississippi. She holds a Masters Degree in Accountancy and a Bachelors of Business Administration from Millsaps College with a minor in Art History.
Melinda has completed an Ironman Triathlon and 13 marathons, with a goal of running one in every state. She enjoys, reading, traveling and spending time with her husband and daughter.
Lacey Miller is an experienced marketing professional whose passions have lead her to BusinessEarth. Beginning in marketing and proposal production, her career has evolved to include business development, client management and social media consulting. She is an excellent networker, and excels at maintaining relationships and cultivating new ones. Core to the marketing team, Lacey attends networking and industry functions, as well as helping to build the company’s strategy.
Currently, Lacey is in the last semester of her MBA, with a concentration in Sustainability, through the San Francisco Institute of Architecture. Her passion for people and the environment is what interest her in working for a firm with a mission rooted in sustainability. She looks forward to using her experience to be an impactful member of the team and to be vital to the growth of BusinessEarth.
Lacey is active in her community and volunteers for the Austin non-profit I Live Here, I Give Here where she sits as the sponsorship co-chair for the charity’s major fundraising event, the BIG Give. Lacey enjoys the social and active scenes of Austin, Texas and spends most weekends enjoying it with her husband, Clint, and their stubborn bulldog, Mackey.
Bradley leads BusinessEarth’s sustainability discussion on social media and the BE blog. A naturally social person, he facilitates an online conversation where people from all over the world talk about how corporate social responsibility is good for businesses, consumers, and the world at large. He has experience with both start-ups and environmental organizations, and he has cultivated online communities within a number of different realms.
Bradley holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Oklahoma. There he studied Entrepreneurship and Venture Management and also minored in Marketing.
Bradley can often be found riding around town on his fixed-gear, seeking out the next big band, or playing some music of his own. He is a proud father of Edie, a very mischievous little labradoodle.