Member's Spotlight
Member of the Month Spotlight
Michele (Mike) Salvo
Michele Salvo - long-standing Member of Ciancia, founder and owner of GS Construction, Inc., Atlanta, GA.
Michele has been one of Ciancia strongest supporters over the years. Mike is the host “par excellence”, a master chef of Sicilian, regional cuisine, a great dancer, and a great business man. Michele was born in Sicily. He moved to the Atlanta area in 1996. People started calling him Mike, a name that stuck. Mike is founder and owner of GS Construction, Inc. His company handles utility work for state, county, and federal government.
Mike is very proud of his Italian culture and heritage and is active in the Italian community. When he is not working, he loves to entertain and enjoys cooking and mastering culinary arts. He returns to his roots in Sicily annually, and enjoys visiting with family and friends. Art and music are among his passions. Mike is also one hell of a ballroom dancer and an icon of Ciancia meetings… he hardly missed a single meeting! Mike just installed a bocce court in his backyard. His Ferragosto summer parties are now legendary. Expect fabulous food, late dancing, jumping in the pool and the Jacuzzi, even fireworks! If you have been wondering what a summer night feels like, we recommend that you don’t miss this annual tradition.
Prior Spotlight Members
Laurent A. Kahl (Lorenzo)
Laurent A. Kahl is an Export Sales Manager (Americas), at Habasit America in Atlanta, GA.
Member of Ciancia since 2008 - Laurent spent his childhood in Frascati (Roma), Italy. His mother is full blooded Roman. He has been a strong advocate of our Club for the past three years.
Laurent currently works for Habasit America ( www.habasit.com ), a Swiss global leader and manufacturer of conveyor belting products and motor reducers/gears used in a plethora of industrial applications (to name a few: food, textile, automotive, distribution centers, airports, paper, wood, and business machines). He is presently responsible for their international sales activities in the Latin American region (comprised of 25+ countries) .
Laurent has previously worked in other international sales positions including companies such as Union Camp/International Paper (in the Middle East/Latin America regions), Hercules International (European Union/Caribbean regions), Mann and Hummel (USA/Canada), Leigh Fibers (Asia/Latin America), Kaiser Aluminum (Latin America) and worked in the US Northeast with the Port of Charleston, SC (SCSPA) as a Regional Manager in New York City.
Laurent has a B.A degree in Business from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana . He is fluent in 5 languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and English) and is passionate about his Italian roots and culture. Laurent has travelled extensively in the European Union, the Americas, and Asia (including Australia and new Zealand). When he is a home in Atlanta, you can find him attending cultural events, taking pictures, working out, writing, hiking, and cooking up a mean dish of pasta!
Earle and Barbara Scarlett
Earle and Barbara retired to sunny and stable Atlanta, after a vigorous 30-year career in Diplomacy with the US Department of State. The former US Diplomats served together in US Embassies in Cameroon West Africa, Brazil (twice), The Philippines, Yugoslavia, Ireland, and in Washington, DC covering a span of global, cultural, educational, military and political issues shaping US foreign policy.
While rearing two lovely daughters, the Scarletts witnessed the 1984-87 Philippines People Power movement that unseated Ferdinand Marcos and ushered in Corazon Aquino as President; trudged through the 1990s Yugoslav wars and rehabilitation efforts of the new Balkan states; and from 1998-2001, labored with their diplomatic counterparts in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland to bring peace in Northern Ireland. Earle's three-year assignment as Foreign Affairs Advisor and Professor at the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama brought the couple to the southeast in 2001 and birthed their fascination with the new South.
Still lovers of NYC, where they met, Earle and Barbara have embraced the warmth of Southern hospitality in increasingly cosmopolitan Atlanta. In retirement, they continue to enjoy sharing their perspectives and experiences at Atlanta's international associations, and have been guest Scholars-in-Residence at Emory University, Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida and at the University of Bologna, the Eastern European Studies Masters program. Their favorite activities: exploring the South, walking in Piedmont Park, and sampling the international activities at the High Museum with a host of American and international friends.
Christina Wood
I moved to Atlanta on Christmas Day in 1992 without having ever seen the city before; I simply trusted my instinct that this was the right place to start my life after college. I had no friends here, no job (yet) and no car to drive to job interviews with; just $400 and a dream in my pocket.
I landed my first job at the Italian Trade Commission as an assistant promoting Italian furniture and lighting to American importers. From there I worked as an import/export representative, until I realized I would have more fun learning about all the current local events by working as the editor of What's Up Atlanta, a daily newsletter sent out to all the media outlets and public relations firms in the city. Currently I am working in post production where I've worked on television promos for Sex & the City (TBS), The Closer (TNT), Cary Grant movie marathons for Turner Classic Movies, and much more.
When I am not working I'm either hiking in state parks with my dogs, biking, spending time with friends, or I am taking fun night classes like photography, cooking, and fencing. I have a passion for writing, poetry and anything where I can release creative energy, like teaching myself how to paint. One of the things I am most proud of is conquering my fear (at least temporarily) of deep water and earning my NAUI Open Water II certification by taking a dive trip to the Florida Keys with the Florida State University Diving Club. If I am not busy doing all of the above, you can find me exploring new restaurants or going to concerts with treasured friends. My instincts were right - Atlanta is the city for me!