Laura Goodrich
Laura Goodrich is an expert on Transformation and the Future of Work. She has over 20 years of experience as an executive coach. And is recognized by Thinkers 360 as the top 20 thought leaders in Transformation, Future of Work, Change, Culture, and Technology. Her global perspectives on workforce dynamics and change have earned her a reputation as someone who can create positive outcomes in even the most challenging workplace dynamics. She was recognized as the 10 Most Inspiring Businesswomen to Watch in 2020
Lea B. Olsen
Growing up in poverty in a racially-blended family created social dilemmas for Lea at a young age. She learned that when your family doesn’t fit the mold, you have to get comfortable breaking the mold. It was one of her first Wins in Life.
Lea began her basketball career in the junior year of high school and, after only two years, went on to play Division I basketball at the University of Minnesota. Surrounded by coaches and teammates while doing what she loved was transformational. She developed an appreciation for the critical role process plays in achieving your goals.
Lea’s unique perspective on Winning in sports, business, and life has given her a game plan on how to Win with purpose and passion. As a speaker and thought leader, she thrives on helping people and businesses find their Wins while staying true to their core values and beliefs.
Calvin Stovall
Calvin is the Chief Experience Officer for ICONIC Presentations, LLC. Calvin specializes in delivering high-energy, customized keynote presentations for organizations that desire to reach or maintain ICONIC status. Calvin focuses on delivering the perfect blend of business concepts, story-telling and music themes to bring home an impactful message that touches both the heads and hearts of his audiences. He has energized and motivated people nationwide with his high-content, unorthodox, and humorous platform.
Armed with more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality and non-profit services industries, Calvin’s audiences learn real-life, hands-on practical customer experience and leadership principles which can be easily applied to business challenges today. Calvin designed a practical and systematic technique called The ICONIC Framework™ to help organizations achieve and maintain iconic status in the eyes of their customers. Calvin is also host of The ICONIC Mindset podcast where he and his co-host share the secrets behind what it takes to make your business, idea or movement iconic.
Calvin most recently served as CEO of the Soulsville Foundation, a Memphis-based non-profit built on the rich legacy and tradition of the iconic 60’s and 70’s soul recording label, Stax Records. Calvin also served as marketing and brand strategist for the fundraising arm, ALSAC, for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The pinnacle of his hospitality career was his promotion to vice president of brand marketing with Hilton Worldwide where he was responsible for the marketing and public relations efforts for more than 150 Homewood Suites by Hilton hotels. While under his leadership, Homewood Suites by Hilton was voted best in class by numerous consumer advocacy publications, including Consumer Reports and recognized four times by J.D. Power and Associates for its unwavering commitment to customer service quality.
Calvin holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University and a Master’s of Hospitality Management from Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.
Holly Hoffman
Holly Hoffman was the last remaining member of the Espada Tribe and the last woman standing on Season 21 of CBS’ hit reality show “Survivor Nicaragua”. Through that experience, and others throughout her life, Holly was inspired to share her message of survival.
A professional motivational speaker and the author of “Your Winner Within” and “Write Yourself a Note”, Holly acknowledges that life is made up of challenges, and we are oftentimes faced with situations that seem insurmountable. But within each of us is an ability to focus our thoughts, emotions, and energy to succeed—if only we have the knowledge, tools, and discipline to do so.
A native of South Dakota, Holly’s writing and speaking not only offer encouragement and optimism but a roadmap for self-discovery and spiritual enlightenment. Readers and audience members alike walk away inspired to light the fire of successful living within themselves.
Today, Holly is a member of the National Speaker’s Association and a recipient of the Certified Speaking Professional designation, and travels across the country and internationally, speaking to a wide variety of corporations, associations, universities, schools and women’s organizations. Holly inspires her audiences to take opportunities and focus on faith, attitude, determination, confidence, desire and perseverance.
Laurie Brown
Laurie Brown has over two decades of experience as
a speaker, coach and trainer helping her audience improve their presentation, communication and customer service skills. In that time she has earned a reputation as a highly engaging, fun and effective professional, whose work gets results for her clients.
She has designed, delivered and facilitated virtual programs for years on many virtual platforms. Laurie has received kudos for her ability to provide facilitation that is engaging and effective.
A key asset that Laurie brings to her work is her range and depth of experience. She has an international clientele, having worked on four continents and numerous countries including the UK, Panama, Japan, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Australia and Thailand, and throughout the United States and Canada. Laurie has worked with culturally diverse audiences at all corporate levels, and her clients have included Fortune 500 companies, pharmaceutical companies, government agencies and small family-owned businesses. Her clients include Bayer, Accenture, IBM, KPMG, Great American Insurance, Ford Motor Company, among many others.
Brad Montgomery
Like you, happiness expert, speaker and author Brad Montgomery believes:
- Happiness Pays.
- It makes business-sense to invest in the “people-side” of business.
- Speakers should be engaging AND have a useful message.
Brad combines all of these ideas — and a ton more — into everything he does on stage. He’s a very funny guy with some very relevant ideas about how to improve ourselves and those people around us. And…he’s funny. (Yeah, we said this twice.)
He’s a …
- Business Owner
- Author
- Blogger
- Idea guy
But he’s also one of the funniest business speakers out there. His keynotes and “Expanded Keynotes” (which is a fancy way to say “Longer keynotes that include some experiential, hands-on learning experiences” … which is a fancy way to say “Audience Participation On Steroids That Helps People Remember and Learn”) use an out-of-the-box blend of humor, wisdom, audience participation, music, and even confetti in order to keep the learning on high.
He believes:
- Motivational speakers should deliver tactics we remember and implement.
- The era of “canned” speakers is over.
- Your organization craves a speaker who can connect, who can have a conversation, and who can be relevant. They crave somebody who is authentic. Somebody who is funny.
Your people will love Brad Montgomery. And they’ll love YOU for finding him.
When MillerCoors had to knuckle down and manage a software initiative, they called on Brad. After his program, they referred to Brad as “The best 90 minute investment ever in our people.”
Organizations who partnered with Brad to help their people become more creative, innovative and productive through greater happiness include Verizon Wireless, Microsoft, Kaiser Permanente, John Deere Landscapes (who called Brad’s programs “Transformational”), the FBI (yes that FBI), the CIA, (yes that CIA) and the IRS — where Brad withheld 30% of his best ideas.
Brad is guaranteed. He has his Certified Speaking Professional (which is the highest EARNED honor a speaker can get.) And better yet, he’s been inducted into the CPAE Speakers Hall of Fame … Which is a really big deal in Speaker-Land. (No, you won’t find it on the map, but you get the idea.)
Looking for a speaker with ideas that will help your people thrive? Looking for a speaker who engages, connects and keeps their attention because they love him so much? How about somebody who’s funny? Ready to set the tone and the mood for your entire meeting? Then you’re ready for Brad Montgomery.
Chad Ellsworth
Chad Ellsworth is an author; professional keynote speaker; career, leadership, and life coach who empowers people to cultivate courageous cultures in their workplaces and organizations. In 2018, he published, “Building up without tearing down: How to cultivate heroic leadership in you and your organization.” On December 29, 2018, he was featured in a story in the Star Tribune, “Coaching us to purposeful lives.” In 2007, Chad was named an Anti-Hazing Hero by HazingPrevention.Org, and in 2010, he received one of two national awards that year for outstanding professionals by the Fraternity Information & Programming Group (FIPG).
Chad served the University of Minnesota community for more than 15 years as a Career Coach for the Carlson School of Management, where he was recognized in 2018 as Staff of the Year; an Academic Advisor and interim Pre-Health Career Coach for the College of Biological Sciences; an Academic and Career Coach for the Center for Academic Planning & Exploration; Adjunct Faculty for the College of Biological Sciences, Leadership Minor, and Office of Undergraduate Education; Program Director for the Office for Fraternity & Sorority Life; and Student Activities Advisor.
Originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, Chad received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska in 2001, and his master’s degree from the University of Maryland in 2004. He currently serves Carleton College as the Program Director for Employer Relations. He lives in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area with his wife, Kristin, and two sons, Joey and Paul.
Joe Schmit
Joe Schmit is an award-winning broadcaster, community leader, author and popular keynote speaker. As a sports broadcaster he has covered every major sporting event in the past 4 decades and has interviewed many of the biggest names in sports. He joined KSTP-TV in 1985 and has won 18 Emmys from the National Television Academy. In 2020, Joe was awarded The Silver Circle designation by the Upper Midwest Chapter of the Emmys for extraordinary contributions to the broadcasting industry. He was also honored with a National Headliner Award in 2001.
Before joining KSTP-TV in 1985, he was Sports Director for WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin. His career also includes positions as weekend sports anchor for KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and WKBT-TV in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Joe earned his degree in Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Joe is also an author of two books: “ Silent Impact ” and “ The Impact Blueprint.”
In 2019 Joe was also inducted into the Minnesota Speakers Hall of Fame and earned his CSP designation (Certified Speaking Professional) from the National Speakers Association. Less than 15 percent of NSA members worldwide have achieved the CSP designation.
Joe is a long time youth mentor committed to advocating for a number of community organizations with Big Brothers and Big Sisters is at the top of his list. He is a past president and board member of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Twin Cities. He has raised over $3 million for the organization through the Joe Schmit Celebrity Golf Tournament which had a 16-year run. In 2000, he was the winner of the Jim Kelly Distinguished Service Award from Big Brothers and Big Sisters and in 2001, a winner of the Odyssey Award for commitment to youth mentorship. He was also honored as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF) Community Leader of the Year in 2005.
In 2018 Joe was honored with the Mike Givens Distinguished Service Award for The Mind over Matter Foundation. Joe and his wife Laura also chaired a $4.5 million dollar capital campaign for VEAP, the largest food shelf in Minnesota. He is past president and board member of the Fairway Foundation and has contributed time to many other charitable organizations.
Kevin Kush
Coach Kush has been professionally speaking for over twenty years and has given hundreds of talks to teams across the country. He spent twenty-one years as the head football coach at Boys Town, a residential facility for at-risk-youth and developed a remarkable record with young men who were being given their last chance at life. Winning at life was more important than winning on the field and Coach Kush helped them to achieve both. That is why he was featured on ABC World News Tonight as their PERSON OF THE WEEK! Coach Kush is a master motivator who will help teammates develop a sense of pride in their organization and feel a great sense of job fulfillment. Kevin will help foster a “WE before ME” attitude with his simple methods and help to improve your company culture.
Jack Stahlmann
Hi. I’m Jack. This is a bio I wrote about myself, but I made it look like someone else wrote it, so it doesn’t seem like I’m bragging.
Jack Stahlmann’s informative and educational presentations are built around his experiences in Los Angeles as an actor, producer, director — and of course, a waiter.
In Hollywood, he launched his own production company which created several films that enjoyed international success and was an Assistant Director for the Margaret Cho stand-up show, Cho Revolution.
As an actor, his shining moment came in a co-star role on the CBS drama Cold Case, where he played a wimpy park ranger. He also appeared on Days of Our Lives and several commercials.
Jack graduated with honors at DePauw University and has been a regular contributor to The Huffington Post. He currently resides in St. Paul, Minnesota.