A quick glance at Phillip Russell's website bio provides the usual information: The Ogletree Deakins shareholder is a leading attorney in workplace safety and employment litigation. Reading on, though, his personality shines: “Phillip is a Ramblin Wreck from Georgia Tech who bleeds White and Gold! He is also an avid spear gun hunter and Scuba diver who enjoys any time on or under the Gulf of Mexico or any place he can dive.”

This personal touch is a peak into his networking strategy.

“That's how you avoid being looked at as a vendor or as somebody who does the same thing as everybody else,” he explains.