Melode Floyd Smelko serves as CEO of Altrua Global Solutions, based in Tallahassee, FL. Altrua was founded in 1979 by her late parents, Mike and Donna Kay Floyd. Melode joined Altrua in 1990, telling her parents at that time she would try it out for about six months. Thirty-four years later, she has led the full-service marketing and production agency working with national, regional, and local clients such as McDonald’s and the collegiate and sports marketing industry to provide point-of-purchase (POP) media to national chains.

Under the leadership of Melode and her husband, Skip Smelko, Altrua Global Solutions has experienced significant growth and success. Altrua has been recognized by Inc. 5000 and the Seminole 100 for their fast growth. The company’s impressive production facility is in the Commonwealth Office Park in Tallahassee.

Melode attended Lively Tech to get the extra credits for high school elective classes. Even today, with an MBA and leading a global enterprise, she still credits the secretarial sciences class she took at Lively as one of her most valuable and useful learning experiences. The class taught her typing, shorthand, business writing, and basic business etiquette. Melode attests to the value of the skills she learned in the business class at Lively as one of the enduring aspects of her successful business career. One of her Altrua colleagues has a daughter in a local high school attending Lively Tech through the dual enrollment program.

Melode strongly supports the career and technical training Lively offers and endorsed the recent inaugural Worlds of Work (WoW) event partially hosted on Lively’s main campus. Melode shared her appreciation of Lively stating, “Career and Technical training programs continue to allow students to have a fast track into entering careers in healthcare, aviation, automotive, and culinary sectors. Lively Technical College is an educational asset and tremendous resource for workforce development in North Florida.”

You can learn more about Altrua Global Solutions at: AltruaGlobalSolutions.com