Kris Paronto—“Tanto” as he is affectionately known in security contracting circles—is a former Army Ranger from 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment and private security contractor who has deployed throughout South America, Central America, the Middle East and North Africa. He also worked with the U.S. Government’s Global Response Staff conducting low profile security in high threat environments throughout the world.

Paronto was part of the CIA annex security team that responded to the terrorist attack on the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012, helping to save over 20 lives while fighting off terrorists for over 13 hours. Paronto’s story is told in the book 13 Hours, written by Mitchell Zuckoff and his five surviving annex security team members, and in the 2016 major motion picture of the same name.

Born in Alamosa, Colorado, Paronto obtained his Bachelor’s Degree from Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado and Master’s Degree from The University of Nebraska at Omaha. He served 4 years in the U.S. Army and an additional 4 years in the U.S. Army National Guard, reaching the rank of Sergeant then becoming a commissioned officer in 2003. He started contracting for Blackwater Security Consulting in 2003 and continued to deploy on various security contracts, to include the Global Response Staff until 2013. He is also the author of the 2017 motivational book The Ranger Way.

For more than 10 years, Paronto has been involved in security operations in hostile environments and his team’s involvement with the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. special mission in Benghazi, Libya was paramount in the saving of U.S. lives and assets. He is a proven leader, teammate and friend to those who have deployed with him, and a devout father to a loving wife and two remarkable children.

It is rare to find a true Renaissance man anymore, but that’s just that you get with Ben Utecht. Ben has always chased his dreams, finding his way from a small river town in Minnesota to a Super Bowl championship field. Whether it was becoming a world champion in football, singing with major symphonies, serenading Muhammad Ali on his 70th birthday, or stepping into a national advocacy role, Ben has found success in many realms. He honed his already keen public speaking skills at the University of Minnesota, where he graduated with a degree in communications and even started a master’s degree in sports management before being swept up into the NFL.

Ben has established himself as a prominent national leadership and motivational speaker for corporations, conventions, and non-profit events. Both of his programs, The Champion’s Way™ and The MVP Program™, stem from lessons he learned in the locker room with Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy and in the huddle with future Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning. The Champion’s Way™ spotlights and breaks down “The 4 Ls” of leadership: listening, learning, language, and love. The MVP Program™ comes from Ben’s experience with concussions. It inspires audiences to truly care about their minds and to discover how integral memory is to identity. Both programs illuminate dynamic ways to succeed in business and life.

”I believe, as a speaker, that vulnerability equals connectivity. This is why I approach my keynote presentations with a mission of bringing you on an emotional journey through my life, into a hall-of-fame huddle, and onto a field of high-impact lessons. All our lives tell a story, and this is how I tell mine!”

As an influential advocate for brain health, Ben served as the national spokesperson for the American Academy of Neurology and currently sits on the prestigious board of the American Brain Foundation. Ben was given the AAN’s most esteemed honor, the Public Leadership in Neurology Award, in 2014. Also at that time, Ben released a music video for his song “You Will Always Be My Girls,” written as a love letter to his wife and daughters with the goal of emotionally connecting people to the importance of their memories. The video has impacted the lives of many, garnering over 1.3 million YouTube views to date.

Ben can now add “author” to his résumé, with the release of his new book Counting the Days While My Mind Slips Away, published by Simon & Schuster. The book is the first memoir from a former NFL player who left the game as a result of concussions. It takes the reader on a heart-felt journey through the ups and downs of Ben’s life with faith, family, and football. Ben has a message of hope that has reached a nation-wide audience, inspiring people to value every moment to its fullest.

Counting the Days While My Mind Slips Away is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook formats wherever books are sold. Links to online retailers are available on Ben’s website at www.ben-utecht.com

Mary Kelly is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and spent over 20 years on active duty in intelligence and logistics. She retired from the Navy as a commander. She has masters’ degrees in history and economics, and a PhD in economics.

With over 20 years combined teaching experience at both the Naval Academy and at Hawaii Pacific University, she taught economics, finance, history and management. She has extensive experience in business coaching, management, economics, finance, banking, insurance, real estate, government, organizational leadership, communication,business growth, teamwork, strategic planning, human resources, customer service, time management, and project development. Mary has a track record for success as an organizational change agent.

In her role as a human resources director, Dr. Kelly developed a business model for the computer and telecommunications organization for personnel hiring, training and retention that was adopted globally by the U. S. Navy. Managing culturally diverse teams, she orchestrated organizational changes for over 3,000 personnel for 2 military base closures. Her ability to problem solve and provide innovative solutions enabled her to transform the Navy’s largest pay and personnel organization from the lowest in customer satisfaction to the highest in the nation in 18 months, with 23% fewer employees and a 19% budget decrease.

As an educator, Dr. Kelly created a mandatory curriculum for a college student body of 4,500 students. During her teaching career, she developed 31 university courses in the areas of business management, economics, history, management, geography, political science, human resources and international relations. Mary taught remote course work for multiple colleges while creating 4 distance learning courses using online lectures, webinars, interactive exercises and podcasting. In addition to standard curriculums, Dr. Kelly coached 450 students on life skills and time-management. She created and taught wealth building and personal finance to students at the United States Naval Academy, resulting in a student body educated on budgeting and retirement planning before graduation.

As a speaker and presenter, Mary Kelly pulls from her diverse experience to provide keynote presentations that are engaging and compelling, leaving the audience wanting more. With a warm and sincere style, Mary takes her vast knowledge and provides an educational presentation that holds the interest of her audience. She is a popular speaker on topics of leadership, communication, financial planning, and management. As a communicator, she has chaired academic and military panels for economics, political science and historical conferences, and she has conducted over 2,200 seminars on financial, business, management and leadership topics.

Productive Leaders maintains sites in Dallas TX and Denver CO. Mary enjoys skiing, kayaking, time outside with her dogs, and philanthropic activities.

Brian Smith, Founder of the world-famous UGG Australia Brand.

Graduating in 1978 as a Chartered Accountant in Australia, Brian came to California looking for the next big opportunity to bring back to Australia.

While studying at the UCLA Graduate School of Management he observed that there was no sheepskin footwear in the US.

With only $500 in capital, he imported boot samples and over the next seventeen years built the UGG Australia brand into a multi-million dollar international enterprise. He sold in 1995 and the brand has continued to grow to exceed a billion dollars in annual sales for the past six years.

Brian is one of the most sought after International business leaders in the country today. He is committed to teaching entrepreneurs how to leverage their most precious assets from within, and to recognize and pursue their passions to create a fulfilling and successful life.

Brian has authored the book “The Birth of a Brand – Launching Your Entrepreneurial Passion and Soul”, is a sought-after Keynote speaker and mentors small business owners.

He spends his time with his family and friends in Southern California and enjoys surfing and contributing to humanity.

Both a futurist and optimist, Byron Reese believes we are approaching a Fourth Age for humanity that promises to be infinitely better than anything we have seen before. Byron is the publisher of tech news site Gigaom and the founder of several high-tech companies. He has obtained or has pending numerous patents in disciplines as varied as crowdsourcing, content creation, and psychographics. The websites he has launched, which cover the intersection of technology, business, science and history, have together received over a billion visitors. He is the author of “The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity”, and the acclaimed book, Infinite Progress: How Technology and the Internet Will End Ignorance, Disease, Hunger, Poverty, and War, has served on both public and private boards of directors, and founded several non-profit organizations.

As a marketer, speaker, and author, John Moore shares business and marketing advice with companies seeking to earn unwavering devotion from both customers and employees.

From 1994 through 2004, Moore had the extraordinary opportunity of working deep inside the marketing departments of Starbucks Coffee and Whole Foods Market, where he served as retail marketing manager and national marketing director. At both brands, Moore focused his teams on activities that were less about using traditional advertising, and more about using the influential power of devoted customers as the advertising vehicle.

In 2005, Moore began the Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice to share the many lessons he has learned about marketing with passion and purpose. Working as a marketingologist, he helps companies of all sizes to diagnose and treat common marketing ailments, including: anemic sales, ideation fatigue, poor brand complexion, and contagious employee apathy.

A long-time believer in word-of-mouth marketing WOM, Moore is currently putting his experience to good use as a WOM Enthusiast for the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. In this role, he educates and motivates businesses to use word-of-mouth marketing effectively and ethically.

Through speaking engagements, Moore brings a sense of urgency and innovation to audiences, creating new ideas and spurring on business and brand advancement.

He has been recognized by Fast Company magazine as a leading practitioner of the arts of customer service and marketing and is often quoted in business publications.

His book, Tribal Knowledge, shares actionable insights into how a business can follow the Starbucks blueprint to building an endearing and enduring business. His latest book, Tough Love, is a business book screenplay, sharing business lessons and thought-provoking marketing advice in an entertaining, innovative format. Since 2003, Moore has passionately dissected all things marketing-related on the Brand Autopsy blog.

As a result of his experiences with Starbucks and Whole Foods, Moore is an in-demand brand mastermind, and his work has created a new way to look at marketing and branding.

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.

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.

Rocky Bleier's life story is truly amazing. The native of Appleton, Wisconsin played football at the University of Notre Dame and collected a National Championship while playing there and served as captain his senior year. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1968 and was drafted in the NFL's 16th round to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In only his rookie season with the Steelers, Bleier was drafted again but this time to the United States Army in December 1968. The Army sent him to Vietnam and Bleier was severely wounded in August 1969 when his platoon ran into an ambush and he suffered severe rifle and grenade wounds that damaged his legs and feet. Bleier was barely able to walk and it looked as if his professional football career was over before it really even began. For two years, Bleier pushed himself and overcame his injuries through a relentless therapy program. The Steelers placed him on the Injured Reserve list in 1970 and the following year placed him on the Taxi Squad. By 1972, Bleier was miraculously back on the active roster for the Steelers and then went on to earn a spot in the starting backfield by 1974. Bleier was a four-time Super Bowl Champion with the Steelers and retired at the end of the 1980 season. He formed his own company upon his retirement, Rocky Bleier, Inc., which he still runs today. Bleier's life was documented in a book and an ABC television movie entitled Fighting Back. He has transformed his motto of Be the Best you Can Be to the business world and has motivated audiences across the country in the very inspiring look into his courageous life.

Hank Haney is ranked annually as one of the finest instructors in the world having coached more than 200 touring professionals over the course of his distinguished career. His students have won every major championship in professional golf, amateur golf and junior golf during his 35-plus years of teaching. Hank gained further notoriety for his starring role on "The Haney Project," one of the highest-rated original entertainment television series on The Golf Channel. Over six seasons Haney instructed celebrity personalities with the goal of helping them achieve new personal benchmarks as amateur golfers.

Haney is a member of the advisory staffs for Golf Digest, Taylormade Golf, PureGrips, Crocs, Golfsmith stores, Skycaddie and Omega watches. He has authored four books on golf instruction and produced 14 instructional DVD titles, in addition to leading more than 55,000 golf lessons around the world in the course of his career. In 2012, The New York Times #1 Bestseller, “The Big Miss” created headlines around the world for Haney’s account of his 6 years coaching professional golfer Tiger Woods. He is President of Hank Haney Golf Inc. which owns and operates three golf facilities in Texas. Haney’s peers honored him in 1993 when he was recognized as National PGA Teacher of the Year.

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.

Jason Young has been called a "rare breed" when it comes to developing leaders,teams and customer service initiatives. No wonder. As a former senior-level manager at Southwest Airlines, Jason learned the value of a successful workplace culture.

During his 10 years with the airline consistently rated No. 1 in customer service and employee satisfaction, he was a key driver in creating and developing the company's innovative training programs for its successful leadership and customer service culture that have become renowned in the business world today.

Driven by the need to extend his unique insight in leadership development to others outside Southwest, Jason separated from the pack in 1998, when he left the airline to launch his own consulting practice to focus on corporate training and development services provider specializing in leadership, customer service and team building.

Today, as president of LeadSmart, Inc., Jason shares his vision in developing successful corporate cultures and workplace environments with forward-thinking companies, including Starbucks, Coca Cola, Radio Shack and Tyson Foods, to name just a few. He has even captured his philosophy of creating high performance cultures in his books, The Culturetopia Effect and Servicetopia.

Capturing the innovative strategies and tactics he created at Southwest Airlines, Jason offers insights and practical information that can be implemented immediately. His keynote presentations and training programs are in demand for audiences of all types - from senior level executives to front line employees. Jason's messages reach to the core of every audience member with his unique style and engaging presentation skills. Participants are treated to a compelling experience that will change the way they view themselves, their customers and the company for which they work.

Jason's keynote presentations are designed to reinforce the concepts and skills geared to increase learning and assist in the transition from the meeting room to the workplace. The result is an inspirational encounter that resonates long after his presentation is over.

Most Requested Programs...
• Culturetopia | The Ultimate High Performance Workplace
• Servicetopia – The Ultimate Customer Service Experience
• The Southwest Way | Successful Practices of a Market Leader
• Inspired Talent - Do you have IT?
• Smart Teams | Creating Teams that Succeed Together
• The New Diversity | Engaging the Generational Workforce

Terry Paulson is a PhD psychologist and a leading authority on change management and in turning positive psychology research into practical insights that produce real-world results. He’s a honored professional speaker, national columnist, and author of the popular books, The Optimism Advantage, Leadership Truths One Story at a Time, Paulson on Change, They Shoot Managers Don't They, Making Humor Work, Speak Like a Pro, Favorite Family Lectures, and Can I Have the Keys to the Car?

Dr. Paulson is a recipient of The National Speakers Association's Cavett Award. It is the association's most cherished award presented annually to the member whose accomplishments over the years have reflected outstanding credit, respect, honor and admiration in the association and the speaking profession.

Dr. Paulson is a past president of both the Global Speakers Federation and the National Speakers Association. He has attained its Certified Speaking Professional designation. Inducted into NSA's CPAE Speakers Hall of Fame as a lifetime member, Dr. Paulson joins Ronald Reagan, Colin Powell and Norman Vincent Peale with this honor given to less than 200 speakers worldwide.

Dr. Paulson is honored to be one of seven "distinguished faculty" member of the Institute for Management Studies. His presentations help organizations, leaders, and teams make change work! Since founding Paulson and Associates, Inc. in Agoura Hills, California, Dr. Paulson continues to conduct practical and entertaining programs for companies such as IBM, 3M, Federal Reserve Bank, HBO, Kaiser Permanente, KPMG, Merck, NASA, Nationwide, Nintendo, Sony, Starbucks, Verizon, Wal-Mart, and hundreds of hospitals, universities, and associations.

Terry's tasteful humor and down-to-earth style have earned him a deserved reputation as one of the nation's best keynote speakers. He brings knowledge, enthusiasm, and a refreshingly unique approach to every presentation.

Against all odds on a gridiron in South Bend, Indiana, Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger in twenty-seven seconds, carved his name into history books as perhaps the most famous graduate of the University of Notre Dame. The son of an oil refinery worker and third of 14 children, Rudy rose from valleys of discouragement and despair to the pinnacles of success. Today, he is one of the most popular motivational speakers in the United States. It took years of fierce determination to overcome obstacles and criticisms, yet Rudy achieved his first dream - to attend Notre Dame and play football for the Fighting Irish. As fans cheered RU-DY, RU-DY, he sacked the quarterback in the last 27 seconds of the only play in the only game of his college football career. He is the only player in the school's history to be carried off the field on his teammates' shoulders. In 1993, TRISTAR Productions immortalized his life story with the blockbuster film, RUDY. Written and produced by Angelo Pizzo and David Anspaugh, the award-winning team who brought us HOOSIERS, the critically acclaimed RUDY received "Two Thumbs Up" from Siskel and Ebert and continues to inspire millions worldwide.

Today, a highly sought after motivational speaker, Rudy entertains international corporate audiences with a unique, passionate, and heartfelt style of communicating. He reaches school children, university students, and professional athletes with the same enthusiasm, portraying the human spirit that comes from his personal experiences of adversity and triumph. His captivating personality and powerful message of "YES I CAN" stays with his audiences forever. Rudy's opening remarks receive thunderous applause and standing ovations from audiences of 200 to 20,000 people who emotionally chant RU-DY, RU-DY!

Rudy has appeared on various high profile nationally televised talk shows and radio shows across the country, is featured in national magazine publications, and has been honored with the key to many cities in the United States with special proclamations for his inspiration, commitment, and human spirit. Rudy received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Our Lady of Holy Cross College, the Distinguished American Award, A Proclamation from the Governor of Nevada granting an Official Rudy Award Day, was inducted into the Speakers Hall of Fame, and spoke at the White House during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

In addition to his motivational speaking, Rudy has co-authored several books, including: RUDY'S INSIGHTS FOR WINNING IN LIFE, RUDY'S LESSONS FOR YOUNG CHAMPIONS, RUDY & FRIENDS, THE RUDY IN YOU, and RUDY: MY STORY. He co-founded the RUDY FOUNDATION, whose mission is to strengthen communities by offering scholarships in education, sports, and the performing arts. The Rudy Foundation makes a positive impact by bringing people together. The Rudy Foundation develops and supports programs that positively impact the lives of children cognitively, emotionally, physically and spiritually. The RUDY AWARDS TM Program was created by the Rudy Ruettiger Foundation to recognize children who make an outstanding, exceptional effort to do their personal best everyday, overcome obstacles, set goals, stay on track to reach their Dreams and build the qualities of Character, Courage, Contribution, and Commitment into their lives everyday. The RUDY AWARDS TM is about a child's heart, will to change, and desire for self-improvement. Rudy has two awesome children; Jessica Noel Ruettiger and Daniel Joseph Ruettiger.

A former executive of a billion dollar global consumer products company and awarded the Vistage UK, International Speaker of the Year, (World’s Leading CEO Membership Organization) AmyK is a catalyst for producing sustainable solutions to a leader’s most pressing challenges. More than 50,000 executives in 10+ countries have benefited from her keen insight and intuitive understanding of the issues leaders face.

AmyK also served as Senior Executive Vice President, Operations for one of the largest sales and marketing firms in the U.S., was a chosen member of National Geographic's Educator Advisory Committee, and now serves as the Founder and Intelligence Activist of AmyK International, Inc., an executive development firm focused on leadership development, healthy team cultures, sales and innovative thinking. With clients including AT&T, Expedia, Lockheed Martin, Securian Financial, IBM, Wells Fargo, Walmart, John Paul Mitchell Systems, Dematic, Brighton, Cyber AdAPT, Digitech Systems, Herman Miller and hundreds more, AmyK travels the world helping senior executives lead and collaborate more effectively.

AmyK is a featured contributor for Entrepreneur magazine, her company won 5 Telly Marketing Awards and the Summit International's Award for Creativity, and her latest book, The Secrets Leaders Keep (Emerge Pub - Nov 2015), is an Amazon bestseller. AmyK received her M.S. from Johns Hopkins University, and has been a featured guest on numerous TV and radio networks including Bloomberg, NBC, Fox and ABC for her brain-based commentary on current events.