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SPEAKERS

EVENT SPEAKERS

Verne Harnish

Verne Harnish is founder of the world-renowned Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and chaired for fifteen years EO’s premiere CEO program, the “Birthing of Giants” and WEO’s “Advanced Business” executive program both held at MIT.Founder and CEO of Gazelles, a global executive education and coaching company with over 150 coaching partners on six continents, Verne has spent the past three decades helping companies scale-up.The “Growth Guy” syndicated columnist, he’s also the Venture columnist for FORTUNE magazine. He’s the author of Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0); Mastering the Rockefeller Habits; and along with the editors of Fortune, authored “The Greatest Business Decisions of All Times”, for which Jim Collins wrote the foreword.Verne also chairs FORTUNE Magazine’s annual Leadership and Growth Summits and serves on several boards including chairman of The Riordan Clinic and the newly launched Geoversity.

Prof. John Mullins

John Mullins is an Associate Professor of Management Practice in Entrepreneurship and Marketing at the London Business School. He earned his MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. An award-winning teacher, John brings to his teaching and research 20 years of executive experience in high-growth retailing firms including two ventures he founded and one he took public.

Since becoming a business school professor in 1992, John has published four books, numerous cases and more than 40 articles in a variety of outlets, including Harvard Business Review, the MIT Sloan Management Review, and the Journal of Product Innovation Management. His research has won national and international awards from the Marketing Science Institute, the American Marketing Association, and the Richard D. Irwin Foundation. He is a frequent speaker to audiences in entrepreneurship and venture capital.

 

Ami Kassar

Ami Kassar, author of The Growth Dilemma, has dedicated the last two decades of his career to ensuring that business owners and entrepreneurs get the best possible financing to grow their businesses. Kassar knows all too well the impact of poor financing choices.​

In his work as a public speaker and as Founder and CEO of MultiFunding, LLC, Kassar has helped thousands of business owners and entrepreneurs structure their debt to optimize growth and in turn helped to create tens of thousands of jobs. Properly structured balance sheets with correct debt instruments  help companies scale up. Ami’s presentation is for entrepreneurs and C-level executives who want money to grow their companies, improve cash flow and/or restructure debt.

Jessica Fialkovich

Jessica Fialkovich is a mergers and acquisitions expert, keynote speaker, small business advocate and award-winning business owner whose mission is to help small business owners leave their legacy and sell their businesses successfully, no matter the size. Over the past 7 years, Jessica oversaw $100+ million in transactions, worked directly with over 700 business owners, was involved with 200+ deals, and mentored her team to help over 3,000 business owners with guidance about buying and selling businesses.

Heidi Ganahl

Heidi has faced extraordinary adversity in her life. Beginning with the loss of her husband at the age of 27, to losing a million-dollar insurance settlement, Heidi’s entrepreneurial spirit and extraordinary leadership skills helped her pick herself up and build a $100 million brand in the pet and franchise industry. Camp Bow Wow was named to the Inc 500/5000 fastest growing company list five years in a row. Heidi was named one of Fortune magazine’s 10 Most Promising Entrepreneurs recently, and Parade magazine called her one of the top women entrepreneurs in the country.

Heidi is passionate about giving back. She was just elected as a University of Colorado Regent, and is on various other boards focused on entrepreneurship and education. Heidi also founded the Fight Back Foundation to positively tackle the most pressing issues facing our kids today.

Heidi is married to Jason, one of the top BBQ cooks in the country, and owner of GQUE BBQ restaurant near Boulder. They have four kids – Tori, Hollie, and twins Jack and Jenna! She often speaks about her journey and her commitment to keeping the American dream alive and well for future generations.

Cara France

Cara France is the Co-Founder of The Sage Group, creator of Marketers that Matter®, and regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review. Cara and her team have grown The Sage Group into an award-winning firm that provides marketing consultants & contractors as well as permanent talent to leading companies and curates the Marketers that Matter® program (MTM). As the leading community of top brands and marketing leaders, MTM helps drive innovation that creating business results, raising the bar for marketers everywhere. Sponsored by The Wall Street Journal, the MTM community includes CEOs, CMOs and senior executives from Google, OpenTable, Clif Bar, LinkedIn, Sephora, Uber, Coca Cola, Visa and many more. She is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and resides in the Bay Area with her husband and their teenage twins.

Megan Gardner

Megan Gardner is a sought-after CEO adviser and independent board member for fast-growing technology businesses. A seasoned dealmaker, she is dedicated to helping CEOs navigate the challenges of rapid growth and to celebrate entrepreneurial victories. She founded Independent & Co in 2013 and her portfolio companies have successfully completed numerous rounds of fundraising and several transactions, including a sale to Oracle and a public listing on the ASX. As CEO and founder of Plum District, Megan raised millions in venture capital, expanded the e-commerce company to two dozen cities, and grew the online member base to more than one million people.

Megan serves on a number of boards, including Tinybeans (ASX: TNY), Crown & Caliber and the Bay Area Children’s Theatre.  In addition, she operates as an independent board adviser for EverlyWell.  She was recently the Chair of the Young President’s Organization (YPO) Golden Gate and now serves on the YPO Pacific Regional Executive Committee.  She held previous board roles at Apiary (acquired by Oracle), DoubleNetPay (acquired by Purchasing Power) and The MitchelLake Group.  In 2011, she was nominated by Fortune as one of the “Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs.” She regularly speaks at conferences, including The Wall Street Journal Women in the Economy, NBCUniversal Women and Digital Symposium, and TechWomen.

Megan launched her career on Wall Street as an investment banker for Deutsche Bank focused on mergers and acquisitions for technology clients.  She holds a Master in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College.

Todd Andres

Todd began his entrepreneurial journey in 1998 with the founding of HP Plastics, a manufacturer of high performance polymer components. HP Plastics was acquired by CoorsTek, a Coors family company, in 2001. Todd then founded Spinal Elements in 2004. Spinal Elements is a FDA registered medical device company that designs, manufactures, and markets spinal implants and instruments for spine surgery. Todd joined EO in 2013, and implemented Rockefeller habits into Spinal Elements, growing the company to a run rate exceeding $50m per year. Spinal Elements held over 200 patents and created a competitive advantage through a unique charity product called Hero allograft. Spinal Elements was acquired by a large private equity firm in 2017. Todd’s new mission is to aid other entrepreneurs in maximizing their entrepreneurial experience and outcomes.  Todd holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Houston and attended EO’s Entrepreneurial Masters Program.

 

John Bly

 John Bly is a powerful international business consulting speaker.  His in the trenches entrepreneurial experience, coupled with his global business acumen, make for a compelling presentation.

Fusing real-life examples with practical knowledge and exciting ideas, John’s dynamic presentations provide thought-provoking insights and practical ideas filtered through his significant international business consulting experience.

“Growth Through M&A” serves as a guide to effectively find good deals for entrepreneurial businesses in the $1 to $30 million range.  John provides a blueprint for how to tackle such issues as: determining whether the deal is a good fit, due diligence, structuring the deal, tax issues, and how to land the perfect catch.

John will show you ways to find potential spots for rapid growth and accomplish, on a smaller level, what the larger companies do.  By breaking down the M&A process into approachable elements, you will find that your entire outlook on the topic will be transformed!

Brian Kight

Brian Kight is the founder and author of DailyDiscipline.com, a brief daily email message that guides over 20,000 people to redefine and rediscover the discipline that wins. He is an entrepreneur, global keynote speaker, and advisor to the Fortune 500, high growth businesses, pro and college sports teams. Brian has spent the last 15 years serving clients to create leadership, build culture, and align behavior to produce results. His ability to help people understand and execute simple skills with elite discipline, both personally and professionally, is what makes his message so practical and powerful. Brian simplifies the complex so you can focus on doing what works for you.

 

Matthew Taylor

Matthew Taylor was transplanted to Colorado from the small sailing village of Itchenor, England. He has been a professional actor, author, storyteller, and narrative coach for the last 25 years, working throughout the U.S. and internationally. He is a partner of A.C.E. Entertainment, which has written and produced over 25 original shows. He formed Persuasion through Narrative in 2010 to teach communication skills through harnessing the power of story and has quickly gained a strong reputation especially within the legal profession, educational institutions and with entrepreneurs.  Matthew loves to bike, ski, sail, and is a proud husband to Susan, and father to Maitland and Alastair who keep him laughing constantly.