Whether achieving greatness as an athlete or in the business arena - the same qualities that drive success apply: discipline, focus, determination, preparation, the right attitude and setting fear of the unknown aside. Sugar Ray Leonard makes a powerful case for his principles of success with a sense of humor and a smile that lights up the room. An enormously charismatic figure, Leonard walks the stage telling stories that paint strong pictures for his audience - stories of what it took to reach his dream of Olympic gold, of what it took to get to the top in his professional career - and stay there, and stories of his journey to make the challenging transition from life as an athlete to that of an entrepreneur. Sugar Ray Leonard is a masterful speaker whose audiences come away with a renewed enthusiasm and commitment to being the best.
Biography
Sugar Ray Leonard is one of the legendary sports icons of the 20th century whose very name epitomizes boxing and conjures the image of a champion. During his 20 year professional career, Leonard won world titles in the welterweight, junior middleweight, super middleweight, and light heavyweight divisions. He was the first boxer to win world titles in five different weight classes, a record that stands to this day.
Leonard's sincere, charismatic personality coupled with his ring experience led to a successful career as a television broadcaster for NBC, ABC, HBO and ESPN. In addition, his celebrity status and tremendous cross-over appeal fostered commercial endorsement relationships with numerous companies including EA Sports, Vartec Telecom, Track Inc., Ford, Carnation, 7-Up, Nabisco, Coca-Cola, and Revlon. A successful business venture aside, Leonard has always been devoted to the community and to helping those in need. For many years, Leonard has been the international chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk for a Cure.
Richard Tait – Sponsored by:
Creative Collaboration
Creative Collaboration and innovation are exploding all around the world. Our ‘chief boomboom’ Richard Tait will be reviewing and discussing some of the best examples of collaboration and innovation in a world that is increasingly flat, connected and moving at a faster and faster pace. How do you find the next big opportunity? Who should you partner with? How do you use the culture as an advantage?
Biography
Richard Tait is an entrepreneurial pioneer who lives by the mantra “Orville Wright did not have a pilot’s license.” His inspiring approach to business, brand building and corporate culture has influenced our relationships with technology, play, work and retail for two decades. Best known for his groundbreaking turn as Cranium, Inc. co-founder and Grand Pooh Bah, he first honed his entrepreneurial instincts at Microsoft. A former “Employee of the Year,” the native Scotsman started more than a dozen new companies in his 10 years with the software developer. Among these were several advancements that transformed the consumer technology experience. Today, as founder of BoomBoomBrands, Richard Tait uses his leadership, infectious enthusiasm and global insight to inspire business leaders and entrepreneurs.
Tim Costello – Sponsored by:
Remaining Relevant in Today’s Dynamic Marketplace
It is hard to ignore the waves of change that are sweeping nearly every industry throughout North America. Whether it be foreign competition, inflation, changes in the supply chain, increased purchaser leverage or changes in technology, few businesses are able to avoid them, requiring us to learn to thrive in this very dynamic climate. Tim’s presentation will provide you, as a business owner, a new prospective from which to view your business, providing you the ability to identify waste and eradicate it from your organization. By eliminating waste we provide our organizations with “a place at the table” and an opportunity to survive and thrive in the decades to come.
Biography
Tim Costello is currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Builder Homesite, Inc. (BHI), and New Home Technologies, LLC. Prior to BHI, he worked for Applied Materials as Vice President, Global Operations. Mr. Costello has also served as the Vice President of Strategic & Technical programs for the World Wide Manufacturing Organization, Vice President of Production Engineering, Managing Director for the Common Module Manufacturing & Engineering (CMM&E) organization, and the Director of Engineering for the mainframe group in Austin, Texas. Mr. Costello also serves on the boards of HelioVolt Corporation, a leader in the development on thin film photovoltaic technology; The Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing; The Trust for Public Land of Texas; The Trust for Public Land National Marketing Council; and the Cornell University Engineering Advisory Council.
