Steve Fredlund
Steve Fredlund is a multi-passionate visionary who has had profound impact as an award-winning actuary, humanitarian, coach, consultant, author, speaker, podcaster, entrepreneur and leader of African safaris.
For ten years, Steve’s journey included two parallel paths: a good life that became increasingly unfulfilling and humanitarian trips to Africa that ended on safari. Steve’s research into happiness and his safari experiences blended into something remarkable. He discovered the “Big 5” factors that impact both, becoming the foundation of “The Safari Way”, a movement to increase the happiness and success of people around the world.
Steve is a two-time TEDx speaker, fellow of the Society of Actuaries and holds an MBA. When not working, he can be found on the disc golf course, playing a poker tournament or suffering through another season as a Minnesota sports fan.
Paul Allen
Looking for a unique and interesting keynote with memorable stories and great lessons that everyone can apply to their work and personal lives? Paul Allen is your guy.
21 Years with the Minnesota Vikings. 25 Years on KFAN Radio. 28 Years at Canterbury Park. Paul Allen has long established himself as a Minnesota icon in the broadcasting world. His Vikings calls are unique and memorable, his KFAN radio show is highly rated, and he has called more than 30,000 horse races all over the country including his almost 30 years at Canterbury Park. (which is what brought him to Minnesota in 1995!).
Paul accomplished all this while never going to college, and being broke 25 years ago. He is witty, energetic, quirky, and sharp, with vast life experiences and impactful stories that he shares with attendees.
His lessons include:
– Life at the Top Wins from the Bottom
– Fortifying your bench
– Following your gift of discernment
– Authenticity
Paul can add fun aspects to his programs including doing touchdown calls using your organization’s staff or VIP names, adding interactive aspects, etc. He will work with you to create the best program for your event. He’s also a great emcee.
Jesse Ross
Jesse is an international speaker, executive coach, & a diversity, equity, & inclusion leader, that works with leaders and organizations specializing in personal and professional development. He focuses on transformation from the inside out and believes that everyone he encounters should expect ascension.
Jesse has a keen ability to apply his education, training and certifications, over 15 years of business, nonprofit, and practical experience to motivate others to greatness, increase productivity, and to take their rightful place as a leader. Jesse has delivered over 600 speaking engagements at colleges, conferences, corporate and nonprofit companies, with a large number of Fortune 500 companies.
Jesse offers trainings, workshops, evaluations, assessments, and strategy development for your school, business or organization. Jesse has been engaging his audience with his Morning Minute call-to-actions on his Instagram and LinkedIn social media pages.
Ben Utecht
It is rare to find a true Renaissance man anymore, but that’s just that you get with Ben Utecht. Ben has always chased his dreams, finding his way from a small river town in Minnesota to a Super Bowl championship field. Whether it was becoming a world champion in football, singing with major symphonies, serenading Muhammad Ali on his 70th birthday, or stepping into a national advocacy role, Ben has found success in many realms. He honed his already keen public speaking skills at the University of Minnesota, where he graduated with a degree in communications and even started a master’s degree in sports management before being swept up into the NFL.
Ben has established himself as a prominent national leadership and motivational speaker for corporations, conventions, and non-profit events. Both of his programs, The Champion’s Way™ and The MVP Program™, stem from lessons he learned in the locker room with Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy and in the huddle with future Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning. The Champion’s Way™ spotlights and breaks down “The 4 Ls” of leadership: listening, learning, language, and love. The MVP Program™ comes from Ben’s experience with concussions. It inspires audiences to truly care about their minds and to discover how integral memory is to identity. Both programs illuminate dynamic ways to succeed in business and life.
I believe, as a speaker, that vulnerability equals connectivity. This is why I approach my keynote presentations with a mission of bringing you on an emotional journey through my life, into a hall-of-fame huddle, and onto a field of high-impact lessons. All our lives tell a story, and this is how I tell mine!
As an influential advocate for brain health, Ben served as the national spokesperson for the American Academy of Neurology and currently sits on the prestigious board of the American Brain Foundation. Ben was given the AAN’s most esteemed honor, the Public Leadership in Neurology Award, in 2014. Also at that time, Ben released a music video for his song “You Will Always Be My Girls,” written as a love letter to his wife and daughters with the goal of emotionally connecting people to the importance of their memories. The video has impacted the lives of many, garnering over 1.3 million YouTube views to date.
Ben can now add “author” to his résumé, with the release of his new book Counting the Days While My Mind Slips Away, published by Simon & Schuster. The book is the first memoir from a former NFL player who left the game as a result of concussions. It takes the reader on a heart-felt journey through the ups and downs of Ben’s life with faith, family, and football. Ben has a message of hope that has reached a nation-wide audience, inspiring people to value every moment to its fullest.
Amy S. Tolbert
Amy S. Tolbert, Ph.D., CSP develops multicultural organizations and individuals by bringing you cutting-edge topics, such as, multicultural and diversity initiatives, leadership competency development, managing to style, and creating breakthrough teams. She is principal of ECCO (Energizing Cultural Change in Organizations) International, which specializes in increasing individuals’ productivity and organizations’ profitability through virtual and facilitated learning.
She is well authored with 4 books, many articles, validated assessment tools, asynchronous course offerings, active blogs and author of a video based global communications training to develop intercultural communication skills called Open Mind, Open World. Her offerings include actionable tools, processes and practice – a paradigm shifter with her stories and examples.
She earned her Certified Speaking Professional designation with the National Speakers Association. The CSP is the speaking profession’s international measure of speaking experience and skill. Fewer than 10 percent of the speakers who belong to the International Federation for Professional Speakers hold this professional designation. She was awarded the Mark LeBlanc Award for excellence in the speaking industry and was inducted into the MN Speakers Hall of Fame. Dr. Tolbert earned her doctorate in Human Resource Development, focusing on international/cross-cultural and diversity education/training, from the University of Minnesota. As an esteemed part of the Carlson Executive Faculty, Carlson Executive Education Center, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, Dr. Tolbert earned her doctorate in Human Resource Development, focusing on international/cross-cultural and diversity education/training, from the University of Minnesota. She continues to support her alma mater by serving as adjunct faculty for several annual programs at Carlson Executive Education.
Chris Heeter
Selected as a Top Ten Speaker by MeetingsNet, and as the highest rated speaker of Meeting Professional International’s 2014 World Education Congress, Chris Heeter is out to create a Wild revolution in the workplace. A wilderness guide since 1984 and professional speaker since 2001, Chris has led and worked with a diverse array of teams, both canine and human!
Featured on The Discovery Channel’s “National Geographic Today,” she brings decades of leadership experience indoors, to conferences and offices, working with teams and leaders, helping us recognize that leadership, teamwork, and inclusion don’t have to be so complicated.
Combining business expertise with hilarious stories from her sled dog team and from guiding whitewater trips, Chris challenges and inspires organizations and individuals to be Wildly Present, Wildly Original, and Wildly Welcoming
David Horsager
David Horsager, MA, CSP, CPAE is the CEO of Trust Edge Leadership Institute, Global Trust Expert, Trust Expert in Residence at High Point University, Board member and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. David has advised leaders on six continents, from FedEx, Toyota, MIT, and global governments to the New York Yankees and the Department of Homeland Security.
Trust is a fundamental, bottom line issue. Without it, leaders lose teams, salespeople lose sales, and organizations lose reputation, retention of good people, relationships and revenue. But with trust, individuals and organizations enjoy greater creativity, productivity, freedom and results. Through David’s industry leading research The Trust Outlook™ and firsthand experience working with the world’s highest performing organizations, David reveals how top leaders and organizations drive business results to become the most trusted in their industry.
Pam Borton
Research shows that professional speakers from outside the organization and industry bring invaluable insights, perspectives, and expertise. The best professional speakers are masters at motivating, inspiring and bringing a different voice and experience to your audience.
Pam Borton is a true pioneer and expert on leadership and teamwork. As an author, speaker, executive coach and CEO of ON Point Next Level Leadership, Pam has spent her entire career shaping people, teams and organizational success by helping leaders develop high performing teams and engaged employees. With her signature mix of inspiration, authenticity, storytelling, and no-nonsense practicality, Pam has lead, coached and spoken to thousands of leaders and is consistently sought after as a strong female presence that is relatable to her clients and audiences. Whether she’s addressing Fortune 500 companies, professional sports organizations, government agencies, non-profits, schools or churches, Pam’s down-to-earth nature and insightful concepts will resonate.
Janel Anderson
Dr. Janel Anderson has always been passionate about the intersection of technology, communication, and workplace dynamics. Part futurist, part professor, part executive coach, Dr. Anderson brings fresh insights and practical strategies that can be implemented immediately, all while making you see the world differently.
From her early days where she was employee #23 at a tech start-up to university classrooms where she was an award winning professor to her intrepreneurial years leading a rogue tech team in a large corporation, she has not only studied, but also lived and breathed the evolution of the workplace. She blends research and action as she delivers keynotes that invigorate, empower, and transform participants.
Dr. Anderson has appeared in Fast Company, Inc, Entrepreneur, and The Atlantic, as well as on several television networks. In addition to being a popular business keynote speaker and corporate trainer, she is also the author of “Head On: How to Approach Difficult Conversations Directly.” In her spare time, she reverse engineers recipes for dishes from her favorite restaurants in her kitchen at home.
David Harris
David Harris is a nationally touring, Midwest Emmy Award Winning comedian, magician, actor, and host. Starting at the ripe age of 15, Harris has entertained North American audiences for over 25 years with over thousands of live performances to date. Harris regularly appears at clubs, colleges, corporate events, theaters, alternative rooms, and other top venues across the U.S. and Canada. Most notably, Harris has performed at the New York Comedy Club in New York, Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Goodnight’s Comedy Club in Raleigh, and at the Hollywood Improv Lab in Los Angeles.
Harris has been lucky to share the stage with some of the best in the business. He’s worked with the legendary Louie Anderson, Bobby Slayton, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Ben Bailey, to name a few. Based in his hometown of Minneapolis, Harris recently won Minnesota’s Funniest Person Contest. He was also asked by his peers to participate in Minnesota’s own highly competitive 10,000 Laughs Festival two years in a row. Harris received resounding praise from audiences and press alike. His personal and person-driven approach to the topics of work, family, relationships, and anxiety make his act relatable to virtually anyone. Harris is fun, relatable, creative, interactive, and most of all – hilarious. Audiences will benefit from David’s program because he creates a rejuvenating teambuilding experience tailored specifically to your group.
On screen, Harris has scored rave reviews from local ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC TV affiliates. He’s even won two regional Emmys for his sketch television show, “Nate on Drums,” back in 2006, which aired on Minneapolis’ ABC sister station, KSTC. Harris has since starred in several online award-winning videos and TV commercials, including recent spots for Robert Half and Panchero’s Mexican Grill. He also recently produced and hosted a cutting-edge variety and talk show entitled, “Vaudeville Remix” for three seasons. That show featured some of the best acts in the region and its final season took place at the Brave New Workshop ETC Theatre in downtown Minneapolis. The Twin Cities alt newspaper, CityPages, called it “Consistently Entertaining.” In short, Harris is born entertainer who is sure to please.