EXECUTIVES
CEO — James PriceMr. Price himself is perhaps best described as a true entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in multiple industries including the financial services industry. After attending college at Eastern Washington University, Mr. Price served 3 years in the U.S. Army. Upon his honorable discharge he moved to Maryland and began his career as a successful stockbroker. Over a 10-year span as a broker and office Principal, he worked at JW Gant, Cohig and Associates, AG Edwards and Sons and Global Financial. Licenses held; series 7, 63, 24 life and health.
Over his extensive management career, Mr. Price has either formed, been President, CEO and/or interim CEO’s of several public and private companies including: JP Anderson, Greenzone Ventures, Papa Bello Enterprises, Benacquista Galleries, Columbia Financial Group, UC Hub, Leone Asset Management, Global Brands International, Global Mobile Technologies, Trunk Health and others.
Mr. Price founded the Children of God Orphanage to assist with the crisis in Sierra Leone and has formerly sat on the board of directors for the YMCA, was the Chairman of the I AM Foundation and currently is the Chairman and co-founder of the Leone Asset Foundation and is the Founder and Chairman of The Children of God Orphanage.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chairman — James Price
Board Member — Ron AdamsRon Adams was born in rural Jefferson County Alabama, November 5th, 1962 to humble beginnings. He quickly learned hard work and persistence pays off after buying an investment mobile home and renting it out at a profit. Ron moved onto buying, remodeling, leasing, and eventually selling shopping centers like the Landmark Plaza in Fort Walton Beach Florid and the Doolittle Plaza 1 and 2 in Mary Esther Florida. He was also partners in the Gemini Town Center in Oviedo, Florida and Hotel Indigo in Atlanta, Georgia.
Beyond real estate, Ron has started several successful businesses like Touch of Class Limousine and Transport INC in Montgomery, Alabama, Shooter’s Western Wear Outlet in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, the online magazine Advanced Health and Fitness covering the latest medical technology, and Audio Video Automation LLC which he and his partner started in January 2017.
Ron has owned and flown 17 different airplanes over his business career, including twin engine turboprops like the King Air 200 and Citation jets, allowing him to quickly get to his many properties. Ron has both a commercial license and an airline transport pilot’s license.
Ron currently resides in Destin, Florida.
Board Member — Ben BatesBen Bates, Jr. is a 1967 graduate of Valdosta State College and came to Palatka in 1967 as a high school teacher and coach at Palatka High School. After three years of teaching and coaching he was drafted and served his country in the U.S. Army for two years, receiving an honorable discharge in 1973.
Upon his discharge he came back to teach and coach at Palatka High School from 1973 to June of 1975.
In 1975 Ben formed a real estate agency, Caldwell Banker Ben Bates and an insurance agency Bates Hewett & Floyd Insurance. In 1984 Ben became affiliated with Caldwell Banker and presently operates two real estate offices with over forty agents and has been the number one real estate agency in Putnam County for over 30 years.
In 2001, Ben became a partner in the GM Auto Dealership in Palatka and Starke and just remodeled the facility in Palatka to come a state of the art dealership in rural America. The dealership offers Chevrolet, GMC and Buick as well as full service for the parts department.
In 1989 Ben became the founding member of Putnam State Bank and served on its Board until it was acquired by Harbor Community Bank in 2012.
Ben has served on numerous boards and organizations and chaired most some of which are:
Palatka Toastmasters Club
Palatka Boosters Club
Northeastern Florida Association of Realtors
Rodeheaver Boys Ranch
Palatka Kiwanis
Putnam County Zoning Board
First Baptist Board of Trustees
Putnam Community Medical Center Board of Trustees
United Way of Putnam County
Boy Scouts of America
Florida Association of Insurance Agents
Life South Blood Bank
Putnam First Cancer Board
Putnam Behavioral Board
Ben has received numerous awards over the years for service to his community.
Ben has been married to Kathi Pelham Bates for forty-four years. They have two sons, one granddaughter and one grandson.
Board Member — Eric MaderEric has over 15 years’ experience in the beverage, sports nutrition, and direct selling industries on a national business development level. He has worked for minor and major league professional sports teams in baseball, hockey, arena football, Canadian football and the 1996 Summer Olympics. He has had positions from account executive, Director of New Business, Operations Manager, Managing Partner, CEO and Chairman of the Board. He was a member of the 1986-1990 Clemson University Varsity Football team. He participated in 5 major bowl games and 3 ACC Championships. Eric is a 1990 graduate of Clemson University and a 1995 graduate with a Juris Doctor from the Florida State College of Law.
Board Member — John AcuntoJohn Acunto, CEO/Co-Founder, has been building and developing new and exciting businesses and social platforms for over 20 plus years. He was Founder & CEO of 212 Decibels, the premier social platform game development company, and home to the interactive social gaming experience, PLAY GIG-IT. In 2018, he expanded into several ventures which include solar, augmented reality, a Facebook music platform (with a significant emphasis on social music distribution). With wide-ranging experience in the marketing, branding, and technology environments, John brings enormous knowledge to the gaming and social media industries.
