THE SPEAKER
A member of the Speaker Hall of Fame, Steve Gilliland is one of the most in-demand and top-rated speakers in the world. Recognized as a master storyteller and brilliant comedian, he can be heard daily on SiriusXM Radio’s Laugh USA and Jeff & Larry's Comedy Roundup. With an appeal that transcends barriers of age, culture and occupation—plus an interactive and entertaining style—Steve shows audiences how to open doors to success in their careers, their relationships and their lives. Presenting to over 250,000 people a year, more than two million have now heard him speak, with audiences encompassing nearly three dozen industries. Steve has the distinction of speaking in all 50 states and in 15 countries. As one newspaper stated, “Steve is what happens when the humor of a stand-up comic collides with the inspiration of motivational speaker."

THE AUTHOR
In addition to his brilliant speaking career, Steve is a prolific, accomplished author, evidenced by four of his books—Enjoy The Ride, Making a Difference, Hide Your Goat and Detour—perennially making the publisher’s bestseller list and his being named Author of the Year. His thought-provoking writing style makes his articles a favorite with nationally prominent magazines. He influences the lives of millions through his presentations, books, CDs and DVDs. An extensive array of these products has been utilized by small businesses, Fortune 500 companies, U.S. and Canadian government agencies, churches, school districts and nonprofit organizations. Speaking the language of active business leaders, his books and CDs identify practical lessons that grow people and their businesses.

THE BUSINESSMAN
Steve built a multimillion-dollar company from the ground up on the same philosophy he expounds to his audiences. If you continually learn more about your company, your industry, your customer and yourself, you will always be a leader. You will be purpose-driven rather than process-driven, and you will make a difference. His motto is straightforward: “If you take care of people, the business will follow.” He has been recognized by Who’s Who for Speakers and Business Professionals, and The Pittsburgh Business Times named his company one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the region.

THE PERSON
Steve was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area, resides in North Carolina and travels the world. He received his bachelor’s degree from Grove City College and his MBS from Minnesota. He is a proud grandpa, devoted father of four boys and a loving husband to his wife, Diane. Steve learned great compassion for people and a commitment to a hard work and balanced life ethic at the knee of his highly principled Christian mother and stepfather. Whether Steve is speaking at an event, writing about current issues that impact people or leading his own employees, he is not just a person who challenges people to change, he motivates them to do so.

The Guarantee
Everyone who hears his message leaves with a renewed sense of enthusiasm for who they are and for what really matters.

Eric Maddox was a rookie interrogator in 2003 when he was assigned to a Delta Force team in Tikrit, Iraq. Over a period of 5 months, Staff Sergeant Maddox would conduct over 300 interrogations and collect the intelligence which directly led to the capture of Saddam Hussein. For that, he was awarded the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Director’s Award, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star.

In 2004, Eric left the enlisted ranks of the military and was hired as the first ever civilian interrogator for the Defense Intelligence Agency. During his 15 years as an interrogator for the U.S. Army and D.I.A., he deployed 8 times, to include multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and has conducted over 2700 interrogations of prisoners from 25 different countries. He now lives in his hometown outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma and is a speaker, private negotiator and listening expert.

Great leaders are the happiest, most productive people because they have discovered how to lead a life of significance. It's all about making an impact.

Joe Schmit has been interviewing and researching influential people discovering the factors that truly make an impact in the lives of others.

He is a storyteller who has spent 30 years as sports anchor for KSTP-TV (ABC-Minneapolis/St. Paul) and has been awarded 18 Emmy's and a National Headliner Award.

Joe's keynote, workshops, video series and book help individuals and teams put those principles into practice and make a true impact.

Jack is Chief Evangelist at Service Management Group (SMG), the world’s leading customer experience analytics agency, dedicated to improving customer loyalty and sales for service-based businesses. His keynote presentations are packed with actionable insights based on up-to-the-minute consumer research and SMG benchmark database of 750 million customer experiences.

Jack says, “There are only three ways to drive sales growth: 1. Keep the customers you have now, 2. Get your current customers to spend more or, 3. Get more new customers. You can accomplish all three by creating a loyalty-inspiring customer experience.”

That’s what 25 years of SMG research confirms: loyal customers not only keep doing business with you, they spend more and send you new customers! Loyalty drives growth and acts like armor against the competition. And a great customer experience is the hardest thing to copy.

Jack’s studied Business Administration at the University of Arizona and his career began in the luxury hotel business. He became an award-winning chef and soon an independent multi-unit restaurant operator. Several requests for management consulting in the hospitality industry eventually brought Jack to Kansas City to specialize in service management and customer loyalty. He has advised senior executives from more than 650 service-based companies on customer experience measurement and research technology and is a Founding Member of the Customer Experience Professionals Association.

Jim Morris' Cinderella story is testimony to the power of dreams and their ability to inspire and transform human life. His story is the subject of the film from Walt Disney, "The Rookie," starring Dennis Quaid and based on Jim’s book, "The Oldest Rookie". His story was also featured in the TNN documentary, "Fame for 15", which received rave reviews. A school teacher by trade, Jim is a polished public speaker whose miracle story captivates and inspires audiences to never give up on a dream.

Growing up as a navy brat, Jim's family moved constantly throughout his childhood. Baseball became his way to make friends when he moved from place to place. Originally drafted in the first round in 1984, Jim's dream was to become a major league baseball player, but his career was derailed by a series of debilitating arm injuries before he got out of the lower minors in 1988. Instead, Jim got married, raised a family of three, and got his college degree before becoming a high school science teacher and baseball coach in a financially depressed area of West Texas (he also became an All-American punter in college football at the age of 27). His baseball career was reduced to playing in beer leagues and throwing batting practice to his high school baseball team.

At the age of 35 and some 11 years after retiring from minor league baseball, Jim was giving a speech to his high school team about the importance of dreams and hard work when his high school players challenged him to pursue his dream of pitching in the major leagues. Jim made the following bet with his high school team: if they won the District Championship for their division, he would tryout for the first major league team that came through town.

Jim's team fulfilled their end of the bargain, which committed him to a big league tryout, where he miraculously threw 12 consecutive pitches at a rate of 98 mph, almost 10 mph harder than he had some 15 years earlier! Inspired by his family and students, Jim immediately signed a professional baseball contract. After just 3 months in the minor leagues and with his family and students in attendance, Jim returned to Texas as a major league player and struck out all-star Royce Clayton with a 98 mile per hour fastball in his first big league game. Jim Morris' ragtag rise from obscurity became the feel-good story of 1999. After pitching for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2000, Jim signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and retired from baseball in 2001.

As a speaker, Jim inspires and motivates audiences to never give up on their dreams. With a Walt Disney film and a major bestseller, Jim is part of the landscape of American heroes.