Steve Forbes is chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media. His latest project is the podcast “What’s Ahead,” where he engages the world’s top newsmakers, politicians, and pioneers in business and economics, challenging traditional conventions as well as featuring Steve’s signature views on the intersection of society, economic and policy. A widely respected economic prognosticator, Forbes is the only writer to be a four-time winner of the prestigious Crystal Owl Award, honoring the financial journalist whose economic forecasts for the coming year proved most accurate.
John C. Maxwell is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, speaker, coach, and leader who has sold more than 33 million books. He has been called the #1 leader in business and the world's most influential leadership expert.
In 2019, Mauborgne, along with her colleague W. Chan Kim, was named the #1 Most Influential Business Thinker in the World by Thinkers50. She is the first woman ever to occupy the #1 position on the Thinkers50 list of global thought leaders. She is co-author of the New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, BLUE OCEAN SHIFT and the international bestseller BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY, which has sold over 4 million copies, is published in a record-breaking 46 languages and is recognized as one of the most iconic and impactful strategy books ever written.
Nick Saban is the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. He’s widely considered one of the greatest coaches of all time, known for team building and success strategy. He’s a two-time National Coach of the Year and has won the most national championship titles of any coach in history.
Josh Linkner has been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million. Previously, he was the founding CEO of Detroit Venture partners, helping over 100 tech startups to get off the ground. Today, Josh serves as chairman and co-founder of Platypus Labs, an innovation research, training, and consulting firm that teaches organizations how to become an industry disruptor, strengthen their competitive edge and drive sales and profitable growth. He has twice been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is the recipient of the United States Presidential Champion of Change Award.
Stephen Cannon, among the Atlanta Business Chronicles 2019 Most Admired CEOs, serves as the chief executive officer of AMB Sports and Entertainment, assuming the day-to-day leadership of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Atlanta Falcons Football Club, United Soccer Properties and PGA TOUR Superstore. AMBSE serves as a for-profit holding group under the Arthur M. Blank Family of Businesses. Prior to joining AMBSE in 2016, Cannon served as president and chief executive officer of Mercedes-Benz USA and was responsible for leading operations that generated record sales with annual revenues exceeding $20 billion.
Digital anthropologist and futurist Brian Solis shares how your company can thrive in a digital economy. Over the past 20 years, Brian has dedicated his work to understanding the impact of Digital Darwinism on businesses, markets and society. His research explores innovation, digital transformation, experience design, the cognitive enterprise, and technology's effects on human behavior. He has a unique gift of humanizing these trends to make change and innovation purposeful and inspiring to help leaders reimagine the future. His insights on the state and future of digital trends have made him a go-to resource among media and market experts.
Patrick Lencioni is the founder and president of The Table Group, a firm dedicated to providing organizations with ideas, products and services that improve teamwork, clarity and employee engagement. He is the creator of Six Types of Working Genius, an assessment designed to unlock a team’s full potential by putting the right people in the right jobs and help people find joy and energy in their work. His passion for organizations and the people who work in them is reflected in his writing, speaking and executive consulting. He is the author of twelve best-selling books with nearly seven million copies sold. After 18 years in print, his classic book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, remains a fixture on national bestseller lists.
Todd Graves is the embodiment of the American entrepreneurial spirit – the promise that with dedication, drive, hard work. and a great concept you can achieve your dreams. Since 1996, Todd has grown Raising Cane’s from one restaurant near Louisiana State University to nearly 600 restaurants in 32 US States and several countries in the Middle East with annual revenue exceeding $2 Billion and is the fastest-growing large restaurant chain in the nation. Ranked Top in Overall Customer Satisfaction for 14 years by Sandleman and Top Ranked in the Chicken category for six years by Marketforce, the company has an allegiant following of Caniacs across the country and the world.
The founder and former CEO of the Dollar Shave Club was a pioneer in the direct-to-consumer sector and oversaw explosive growth before selling his men’s grooming company for $1 billion to consumer product giant Unilever. His comedic and offbeat commercials went viral, earning him respect as one of the most innovative marketers in business.
Dr. Ivan Misner is the Founder & Chief Visionary Officer of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization. Founded in 1985 the organization now has over 10,100 chapters throughout every populated continent of the world. Last year alone, BNI generated 11.5 million referrals resulting in more than $16.2 billion dollars worth of business for its members.
Mr. Bridgeman accomplished the amazing task of turning his $350,000 salary into $600 million. Mr. Bridgeman was the owner and chief executive officer of various companies operating over 450 restaurants in 20 states, including 263 Wendy’s restaurants and 123 Chili’s restaurants. Mr. Bridgeman is now a bottler for The Coca-Cola Company, serving as the president and CEO of Heartland Coca-Cola, running a production plant in Lenexa, Kansas, and 18 distribution centers with his son, Justin. He also recently purchased the iconic Jet and Ebony magazines.
Former champion quarterback Drew Brees—now a studio analyst for NBC Sports and prolific businessman and investor—shares his insights about leadership and success in this episode of 21st Century Business Forum. Today, he's a successful entrepreneur: He's co-owner of Surge Adventure Parks with 15 locations, and franchise investments in Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, Walk Ons Bistreaux & Bar, Happy’s Irish Pub and Stretch Zone, among others. He also serves on the boardsof b1BANK and the equity firm Franworth, and is a global brand ambassador for PointsBet.
Jack Daly is an experienced and inspirational sales trainer and sales coaching expert, who inspires audiences to take action in the areas of sales management, corporate culture, and sales training. He brings 30 plus years of field-proven experience from a starting base with CPA firm Arthur Andersen to the CEO level of several national companies. Jack is a proven CEO/Entrepreneur, having built 6 companies into national firms, two of which he has subsequently sold to the Wall Street firms of Solomon Brothers and First Boston. His professional sales trainer know-how has turned him into an accomplished sales coaching authority and author of books including Hyper Sales Growth, The Sales Playbook for Hyper Sales Growth, and Paper Napkin Wisdom, all Amazon #1 Bestsellers.
Paylocity CEO Steve Beauchamp is a regular on the Glassdoor Top 100 CEOs list and has led the company's growth, putting it on Fortune's Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in the World. Since joining Paylocity in 2007, he has led the way in getting Paylocity to where it is today. From customer service to sales to product development, he's ultimately accountable for the vision and execution of the entire operation.
Former Walmart executive Claire Babineaux-Fontenot—now CEO of the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization and second-largest U.S. charity. Feeding America is a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meals programs. Together, the network provides more than 4 billion meals to more than 46 million people across the United States and supports programs that improve food security for the families they serve.
Emeril Lagasse is one of the most recognizable chefs in the nation. The celebrity restaurateur has built a vast food empire, with a portfolio of media, signature products and restaurants. The chef’s passion for food was ignited as a young boy growing up in the small town of Fall River, Massachusetts. As a teenager, he worked at a Portuguese bakery where he mastered the art of bread and pastry baking. Upon high school graduation, Lagasse turned down a full scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music to pursue his dream of becoming a chef.
Chris Tuff was one of the first advertisers to work directly with Mark Zuckerberg in 2006 and filmed one of the first “viral” videos, which landed him on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. The youngest partner in history at 22squared, a 100-year-old advertising firm, he is a pioneer of the social media digital marketing space. Tuff’s natural ability to connect with his nearly 80% millennial and Gen Z workforce led him to publish the national bestselling The Millennial Whisperer in 2018. A global movement soon followed, as Tuff shared lessons on empathy and genuine connection at work on some of the largest stages in the world including such Fortune 100 companies as Nike.
Jon Gordon's best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous Fortune 500 companies, professional and college sports teams, school districts, hospitals, and non-profits. He is the author of 24 books including 12 best sellers and 5 children’s books. His books include the timeless classic The Energy Bus which has sold over 2 million copies, The Carpenter which was a top 5 business book of the year, Training Camp, The Power of Positive Leadership, The Power of a Positive Team, The Coffee Bean, Stay Positive, and The Garden.
Whitney Johnson is the CEO of Disruption Advisors and one of the ten leading business thinkers in the world as named by Thinkers50 – an expert at helping leaders grow their people to grow their organization. Whitney is an award-winning author, world-class keynote speaker, frequent lecturer for Harvard Business School's Corporate Learning, and an executive coach and advisors to CEOs.
Richard Bliss is a LinkedIn Top Voices Influencer, an experienced executive communications manager, and a social media coach. He has helped thousands of people master social media tools and become fluent in social conversations, building their platforms and confidence to effectively reach their audience, define their brand vision and strategies, and develop high-caliber sales teams. In addition to working with businesses and organizations in the US, he’s consulted startups and high-growth technology firms around the world.
Scott is a veteran of the U.S. Navy SEAL Teams, and since 2002 he has served as an operator, a Chief Petty Officer, and a Master Training Specialist. Scott is a graduate of The Ohio State University. In addition to operating on active SEAL teams, Scott spent years training junior officers and enlisted SEALs how to perform at elite levels physically, emotionally, and tactically in the world’s most demanding environments. His military experience allowed him to coach and train people in over 15 countries on 5 different continents. Before joining the Navy after 9/11, he was a highly successful District Sales Manager with a Fortune 500 company. Through his military and professional experience, Scott shares a unique perspective on behavior and systems. With passion, he conveys the value of critical decision-making and a systematic approach to leadership, culture, and behavior, for the ultimate purpose of producing exceptional results.
Sean Reilly is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Lamar Advertising Company headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Mr. Reilly has served in various capacities at Lamar since 1989, then a family owned private business. He is a Harvard University and Harvard Law School graduate and began working on acquisitions and real estate for Lamar in 1989. He served as President of TLC Properties and became the Chief Operating Officer of Lamar in 2001. In 2011 he was promoted to Chief Executive Officer. He currently serves as the Board Chair of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. He was named a 2015 National Finalist Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young.
Through diligent study and research—as well as application in the real world—Tim discovered the power of The Performance Pathway: Leaders create the culture that drives the behavior that produces results. Tim then built actionable, high-impact systems for developing exceptional leaders, strengthening organizational culture, and equipping people to perform at their best.