|
Meet Our Team
These four entrepreneurs brought their unique talents, abilities and business experiences together for the common vision of helping owners and executives as well as individuals from all walks of life to attain better results for themselves and all their employees; from management and sales to administrative. The end result is for everyone to achieve ultimate success in all areas of their lives.
 Chris Berlow - Principal
When he was thirteen years old Chris started training in Taekwondo. Upon finding his passion, he competed at the state and national level. He was a five-time New York State Champion and two-time Junior National Champion and National Bronze Medalist in 1989. In 1999 he and his wife opened their own Taekwondo School; Berlow’s Taekwondo Academy. In 2002 he partnered with Paul Melella and two other long time friends and formed United Martial Arts Centers Franchise Co.
Within two years it became one of the top schools in the country. In 2003 it was the number one school in the affiliated professional Martial Arts organization and won the award, “School of the Year”. While having a tremendous impact on the students of his school, Chris was also dedicated in bringing the Martial Arts values to the local schools and communities. Chris has been featured in industry magazines and was co-chair of an anti-smoking organization to raise children’s awareness to the hazards of cigarettes.
 Paul Melella Jr. - Principal
Paul’s interest for Martial Arts grew into a love for competition of the sport of Taekwondo, where he then became a nine-time New York State Champion, Junior Olympic National medalist and competed on an international level. By the time Paul was eighteen he was managing and operating a Martial Arts business while in school full time. At the age of twenty, Paul owned and operated his first Martial Arts business.
Paul made a decision to not only teach Martial Arts, but to teach about a lifestyle. He traveled all over the world to learn as much as he could about personal development and success. Starting his business nearly from scratch and with only thirty members, Paul began applying these principals and built his Martial Arts school to become the number one ranked Martial Arts School Program in the country. Paul has been featured in Martial Arts World Magazine as an “Emerging Leader” in the Martial Arts Professional Industry. He has been a platform speaker at Martial Arts Business conventions helping other Martial Arts professionals improve their business.
 Nicholas Palumbo - Principal
Nicholas Palumbo is a partner at Opus Advisory Group, LLC, located in Purchase, N.Y. Nick has dedicated his nearly 25-year career to providing expert financial counsel and resources to help client partners build wealth and reach financial independence. He brings considerable wealth building and corporate benefits experience to the Opus team. His top priority lies in empowering his clients with the tools and information needed to make sound financial decisions to achieve their desired wealth goals. Professionalism and high standards for service and ethics have earned Nick recognition from his peers and leading industry groups.
A highly regarded and accomplished financial services professional and leader, Nick has received numerous honors in recognition of his accomplishments. He is a member of the exclusive The Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), the Premier Association of Financial Professionals®, a privilege earned only by a small percentage of all life insurance and financial services advisors worldwide. He has also earned membership in MDRT’s prestigious Top of the Table for the last seven years, a distinction placing him in the top 0.2 percent worldwide in his profession.
 Rick Wollman - Principal
Rick Wollman has over 25 years of experience in the business world. He has owned several businesses in industries ranging from Fashion to Financial. In his business ventures he has used his expertise in management, sales and marketing to grow companies exponentially. He was instrumental in growing one of his businesses from $5,000,000 to over $50,000,000 in sales. In the past ten years his other business has seen an exponential growth in volume of over 350%. He semi-retired at the age of 39. He finally found his true passion (Worthy
Ideal) in life with the formation of Empowered Mastery Consultants and draws on his vast business successes and experiences to help impact the lives of others. He is happily married to his wife Sharon and lives in Rockland County, NY with his four children and two dogs.
 Kim Millman - Sales Manager/Partner
Kim Millman has been a leader in the financial services industry for the past 20 years and is currently a Senior Advisor with Opus Advisory Group, LLC, located in Purchase, N.Y.
Kim specializes in the creation of wealth, and offers a full portfolio of services to her very diverse clientele. She employs a variety of proven methodologies and concepts to help her clients exceed their expectations, and enables them to set goals once thought to be unachievable. Kim’s performance record is a testament to her knowledge, expertise and commitment to advancing her clients’ financial well being.
Kim has been asked to write articles in financial trade magazines and be a guest speaker at several platforms. She is recognized in her industry as a leader and is a member of The Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), the premier Association of Financial Professionals. She is also a consistent Leaders Club Qualifier for outstanding service and production. Through her consistent professionalism and affection for her work, she has built a solid client base and gives back to her community through various charities and organizations.
 Robert O. Sanders Jr. - Director of Operations
Robert O. Sanders Jr. is the Chairman Hospitality Resource Group, Inc. (HRG), a consortium of four companies based in White Plains, New York and also serves as the Director of Operations of Empowered Mastery Consultants (EMC) working with the principles in the organization on organizational development and strategy.
Robert has worked for numerous prestigious companies within the hospitality industry. His areas of expertise include sales and marketing, training and operational management. Prior to creating HRG, Robert was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Abigail Kirsch Culinary Productions, the largest catering firm in Westchester County. His responsibilities included developing marketing campaigns, providing leadership and training for a staff of fifty. During his tenure, overall sales volume increased 18%.
Before joining Abigail Kirsch, Robert worked for Marriott Corporation for twelve years. He joined Marriott in Hilton Head, South Carolina in 1983. Over a period of twelve years, he held sales positions at various Marriott hotels. In 1993, he became the Director of Catering Sales for the Marriott Marquis, the chain’s flagship hotel in Manhattan.
Robert is extremely active in community affairs. His affiliations include Special Events Advisor and former Chapter Chairman of the Westchester Chapter of the American Red Cross, Board Member of the Westchester County Association, and a Board Member and Student Teacher for Junior Achievement. In April of 1999, Robert received the honor of being the first recipient of the American Red Cross Samuel J. Friedman Humanitarian Award. He also works with Bridges to Community, leading trips of business executives to Nicaragua to build homes for families in need.
In 2009, Robert was appointed to the Westchester/Putnam Workforce Investment Board, which develops and submits local workforce plans to the Governor of New York State, provides program oversight and helps to create employer linkage for the workforce development system. The Workforce Investment Board acts on behalf of Westchester and Putnam County Executives in developing policies and is active in the ongoing development of a comprehensive, seamless and universal workforce system in accordance with the needs of these communities.
In 2010, Robert was awarded the distinction of “Father of the Year” given to him by the American Diabetes Association in Westchester County. |
