Ben Utecht
Experience a commanding corporate presence that inspires, teaches, and coaches on building a world championship organizational culture with Ben Utecht. Standing at 6 foot 7 inches and weighing 260 pounds, Ben is not only an NFL Super Bowl Champion Tight End but also the Chief Culture Officer who received the esteemed "Uncommon Leader Award" from NFL Hall Of Fame coach Tony Dungy for his exceptional leadership performance on and off the field. After retiring from football, Ben embarked on a remarkable career path, becoming a sought-after speaker for Fortune 500 companies, sharing his expertise in building high-performing cultures.
As the Chief Culture Officer for True North Private Equity, overseeing a family of companies spanning multiple industries, Ben brings his passion for people and culture into corporate leadership. Additionally, he is culture and brand ambassador for Realty Group, an owner of Conquer Ninja Gyms, a top US Ninja Fitness/Entertainment Franchise, and the founder of SoleCareRx, and the Culture Operating Strategy. To further enhance his impact on talent acquisition and leadership development, Ben became a partner in Behavioral Essentials, a technology company specializing in customized behavioral assessments and benchmarking.
Ben firmly believes that culture can be designed intentionally rather than left to chance. Empowering companies to define, create, implement, and lead culture strategies that drive bottom-line improvement while inspiring and developing individuals is his primary focus. Ben is working with Wiley Publishing to release his business book “The Champions Creed: Build your Culture on the power of Belief!” The book will release this spring.
Above all, Ben treasures the joy of sharing his life with his wife and four daughters.
Achievements:
2003 Team Captain - University of Minnesota
2003 First Team All Big Ten Tight End
2007 Super Bowl XLI Champion - Indianapolis Colts
2012 Dove Award Nominee
2013 Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance Ambassador Award
2014 Public Leadership in Neurology Award (American Academy of Neurology)
2019 Tony Dungy “Uncommon Leader” Award Winner
Most Requested Programs
The Champions Creed - A keynote that inspires and educates leaders and organizations how to build world class, transformational culture.
Culture Operating Strategy - A program that focuses on using behavioral assessment date to make sure you are hiring towards natural culture alignment.
Testimonials
"We just had Ben speak at an event this week, all I can say is wow, he is so inspiring! Ben spoke to our global team and I have so many emails and messages thanking me and telling me how much they enjoyed his talk. I have seen Ben speak in person and this time was virtual. Even being remote, he's so authentic and somehow can make that connection just like he is there in front of you. I highly recommend hiring Ben if you want to give your team a little inspiration boost (which we all seem to need these days!) Thanks Ben! The team loved every minute!" - Stats Perform - CMO Nancy Hensley
"Ben genuinely aimed to make each person feel special. Ben's keynote speech moved the audience from laughter to tears to standing ovation! Afterwards men commented "he was one of the best speakers yet!" and "good luck topping that!". Ben was so easy to work with and very accommodating." - Tri-County Health Care - Rachel Amiot, Event Planner
"Ben did a fantastic job. On our program evaluation from the participants, he scored a 9.1 on a 10 point scale. He scored higher than Dr. Omalu. Our board chair said “he hit it out of the park”. - Vizient - Cathy Morrow, Senior Director
"Ben provided a great message to our group of financial representatives. He was engaging by providing humor alongside the seriousness of his story of perseverance in working to overcome injuries that took him down a different path he never imagined. He was inspiring to all! Ben received an average of 9 out of 10 on our post-event survey. During the planning process, Ben was great to work with. He took the time to get to know his audience and our organization and was able to weave in messages that were relevant to the group. I appreciated that Ben was very down to earth! I would definitely work with him again and would recommend him to others." - Thrivent - Jessica Schuppe, Field Operations Manager, E Minnesota/NW Wisconsin Region
"His speech today was spot-on for building a winning culture, but what made the difference was his warmth and personal presence that exuded with each and every person he met. Ben took his time to answer questions from the audience and made sure everyone got an autograph and photo. He was incredibly humble and made sure our guests were well entertained and got what they needed from him before leaving. We are so grateful and proud of Ben's efforts today. He was an amazing ambassador for the NFL, but more importantly of a husband, father and true champion." - H.B. Fuller - Suzy Beesley, Manager, Office of the CEO