AlphabeticalBy Year

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Interview with Ken Auletta

Bio

One of today's most perceptive observers of transformation in the media and entertainment industries, Ken Auletta is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Googled: The End of the World as We Know It. Writer of the "Annals of Communication" column for The New Yorker magazine since 1992, as well as nine other books, Ken has profiled Information Age leaders such as Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch, John Malone and Michael Eisner. In addition to his extensive presence in print, Ken regularly appears on Nightline, PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and Charlie Rose.

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Branching After the Bailout

Bio

CARROLL D. BEACH is currently President/COO of CO-OP Shared Branching, following a three year tenure as President of Credit Union Service Corporation (CUSC). Prior to assuming the responsibilities as President/CEO of CUSC, Mr. Beach was President/CEO of the Colorado Credit Union System for 30 years. As the President of the Colorado Credit Union System, he was responsible for the executive leadership of the Colorado Credit Union League, its subsidiaries, and related organizations. Mr. Beach was responsible for the management of the state trade association, as well as Colleague Service Corporation, CU Service Network of Colorado Inc., the Wyoming Credit Union League, and for several years was CEO of SunCorp Corporate Credit Union. During his tenure, he was also President of the Credit Union Legislative Action Committee, Colorado Credit Union Foundation, Credit Union Family Insurance Services, and Credit Union Advantage Automotive.

Mr. Beach has been a member of various Credit Union National Association (CUNA) committees as well as having served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. He served on the CUNA Mutual Advisory Committee. The Credit Union Service Corporation Board of Directors of which he was Chairman for 4 years. He most recently served on the Credit Union House LLC Board as its Chairman. He has also served as Chairman of the U.S. Central Credit Union, and numerous committees of the Association of American Credit Union Leagues (AACUL) and received from that organization the “Eagle Award” which is the highest award given by the organization to one of its members. Mr. Beach also received the “Herb Wegner Lifetime Achievement Award, which is the most recognized award given in the credit union industry.

Mr. Beach has a Bachelors Degree from the University of Kansas and a Masters Degree from Emporia State University.

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The Profitability of Shared Branching... The Data Doesn't Lie

Bio

Craig Beach is currently the senior vice president marketing/business development for CO-OP Shared Branching, where he is responsible for the total marketing, advertising and sales for the corporation, which represents the cooperative product of shared branching. Prior to his current position, he was vice president marketing/business development for Credit Union Service Corporation, which combined with CO-OP in 2007. Subsequently, he was Vice President/COO of Georgia Central Credit Union for nine years; helping build the corporate credit union to a $1 billion organization for Georgia credit unions. Beach has been involved in many aspects of credit union business in his 21 year tenure, including branch management, compliance, investments, cash management, and now shared branching/EFT. Additionally, Beach served several years as a credit union auditor for the Alabama Credit Union League’s central district. Beach began his career in credit unions in Colorado after graduating with a BS in Business Admin/Marketing from the University of Northern Colorado.

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Differentiation and Branding

Bio

Scott Bedbury’s experiences leading two of the most successful brand strategies in the last two decades, Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign and Starbucks’ reinvention of the coffee category, have made him one of the world’s most sought after brand development experts. Today, Bedbury is a writer, an acclaimed international speaker and advisor to chief executives across a broad range of industries.

When Bedbury joined Nike in 1987 as worldwide advertising director, the company was a distant number three behind Reebok and Adidas. Shortly thereafter, Bedbury and Nike agency Wieden and Kennedy launched the “Just Do It” campaign, helping propel the brand to number one. Today, Nike is one of the most widely desired and emulated brands in the world with $15 billion US in revenues.

In 1995 Bedbury left Nike to help another small but promising company. He joined Starbucks Coffee Company as its chief marketing officer when the company had just a few hundred stores in a dozen US markets. In three years he helped the emerging regional coffee company grow to several thousand stores and open overseas markets. Under his leadership Starbucks redesigned its stores in 1996 to become a comfortable, convenient and welcome “third place” between home and work for millions every day, and introduced new products such as bottled Frappuccino and Starbucks ice creams.

Starbucks achieved much of its success without traditional media advertising, establishing the brand as the textbook case study for “experiential marketing” and retail design, two of the hottest trends in brand building today.

In a world awash with competitive products and services -- and the means by which to get them -- there has never been a more important time to strengthen the brand at every touch point. Virtually every industry today is experiencing “commoditization,” whereby all that separates the weaker brands is price.

The first step in building a truly great brand, Bedbury believes, is to align the internal culture of the organization around critical core brand values that can help guide and inspire the behaviors of all employees long into the future. A great product or service is always at the foundation, but the brand must also create powerful and enduring “emotional connections” with its customers, employees and investors. This is one of the greatest challenges facing business today.

In 1998 Bedbury left Starbucks to write, speak and consult. His first book, A New Brand World, is currently published in six languages and has become required reading for executives and MBA students alike. Bedbury has advised executive leaders from some of the world’s most distinguished brands, including P&G, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, A.S. Watson, Novartis, Eli Lilly, NASA, Visa, Starwood Hotels, Nokia, Volkswagen AG, Mars and Mattel.

Bedbury is a distinguished graduate of the University or Oregon School of Journalism and lives near Seattle Washington with his wife and two children where he is currently writing his second book.

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How Credit Unions Can Pick Wal-Mart's P.O.C.K.E.T.S

Bio

Michael Bergdahl is a professional international business speaker, author and turnaround specialist. Bergdahl worked in Bentonville, Arkansas for Wal-Mart, as the Director of “People” for the headquarters office, where he worked directly with Wal-Mart’s founder Sam Walton. It was Sam Walton who gave Bergdahl the nickname, “Bird Dawg”! Previous to Wal-Mart he worked in the FMCG Industry for PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay Division in the sales organization and headquarters staff assignments. He’s an experienced turnaround specialist who has participated in two successful business turnarounds at American Eagle Outfitters and Was te Management.

Michael Bergdahl is considered an authority on Wal-Mart Competition. He has appeared on CNN, CNBC, CNN FN, MSNBC, CNN International, CBS National Radio and Bloomberg TV. He has participated in internationally televised news debates on “Power Lunch”, “On the Money”, “Morning Call”, and “Closing Bell”. Articles written by him, and articles written by others about him and his books, have appeared in business newspapers and magazines around the world.

He wrote his first book about The Strategies of the World’s Largest Company, entitled: What I Learned from Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World. His second book is written about The Tactics of the World’s Richest Man, entitled, The 10 Rules of Sam Walton: Success Secrets for Remarkable Results. Note: Rob Walton, the current Chairman of the Board of Wal-Mart and son of Sam Walton, wrote the Foreword for The 10 Rules of Sam Walton book. Both of these books were published and distributed internationally by John Wiley & Sons. Translated versions of his books are available in Russian, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Spanish.

His international keynote speaking experience includes: * Brisbane, Australia * Beijing, China * Melbourne, Australia * Vancouver, British Columbia * Toronto, Ontario * Mont Tremblant, Quebec * Caracas, Venezuela * Bogotá, Colombia * Panama City, Panama * Cologne, Germany * Istanbul, Turkey * Malaga, Spain * Moscow, Russia * Port Douglas, Australia * Santiago, Chile * Durban, South Africa * and across the USA *.

Michael Bergdahl is a professional international business speaker with substance, who is one part business, one part inspiration and one part storyteller. He customizes his speeches or workshops to fit the conference theme, and he designs them to teach others Wal-Mart’s Best Practices. He presents keynote speeches, ½ day programs and full day Master Classes. In his speech, Growing Business the Sam Walton Way (a.k.a. Picking Wal-Mart’s POCKETS), Bergdahl unveils the strategies of Wal-Mart and the Success Secrets of Sam Walton. Audience members will learn the Tactics, of The World’s Richest Man, Sam Walton, and the Strategies of Wal-Mart, The World’s Largest Company.

Michael Bergdahl has spoken at association and business conferences in the USA and Internationally to Retailers, Non-Retailers, Manufacturers and Suppliers. He speaks to a wide variety of audiences including Sales, Customer Service, IT, Logistics, Franchisees, Financial Services, Marketing, Human Resources, Plant Managers, Engineers, DC Managers, Operations Managers, Retail Managers, Product Manufacturers / Suppliers / Buyers, Pharmacists, Bankers, Presidents, Entrepreneurs, College Students, CEO’s, CIO’s, CTO’s, and CFO’s. He has spoken at events for Wal-Mart’s current suppliers, and its direct competitors, who are interested in improving their ability to compete successfully in a Wal-Mart World!

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Best of Ideas, Insights & Innovations

Bio

Frank J. Diekmann is the Publisher of The Credit Union Journal. The Journal reaches more than 8,000 credit unions every week in the U.S., Australia and Canada. Mr. Diekmann co-founded The Journal in 1997 (the publication is now published by SourceMedia), and has covered credit union events all over the U.S. and Canada, and from Sydney to Prague. Prior to The Journal, Mr. Diekmann co-founded Credit Union Times in 1990 and was that publication’s editor for its first seven years. Prior to covering credit unions, Mr. Diekmann covered the banking industry for five years for a number of publications, and before that was a sportswriter in Cincinnati. A frequent speaker to meetings that set their sights low, Mr. Diekmann is a journalism graduate from the University of Cincinnati and is currently doing post-graduate work at the School of Hard Knocks. Diekmann is also the only journalist to have graduated from CUNA’s Development Educator program.

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FEATURED SPEAKER

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Opening

Bio

Paul Gentile is president and CEO of the New Jersey Credit Union League, representing more than 200 credit unions with 1.2 million members and a combined $10 billion in assets. His bold leadership has energized the state's credit union movement, with consumer awareness efforts such as the renowned "Banking You Can Trust" campaign. A well-known and -respected figure in the industry, Gentile advocates regulatory flexibility for credit unions so they can offer low-cost, high-quality financial services to more consumers. Prior to his current role, Gentile served as editor and publisher of the industry flagship Credit Union Times. He lives in Matawan, New Jersey, with his wife Janet and twin five year-old boys Joseph and Christopher.

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David & Goliath Complex: Winning Against the Big Guys

Bio

During his 5 years as the US-based Chairman/CEO of Burger King, Barry Gibbons received international acclaim for his performance (he was cited as a “Turnaround Champion” in Fortune magazine).

Having retired from big business (his choice), he is now a successful author, speaker and is co-founder of the UK publishing business Infinite Ideas.

He has written five business books and one on public speaking. His sixth business book was published in September 2006 – ‘Five Loaves, Two Fishes and Six Chicken Nuggets’ – an irreverent but piercing look at the Fast Food Business. His latest book, Speak Easy (52 Brilliant Ideas): Dazzle Every Audience and Leave Them Begging for More, was released in 2007. He is also a regular on the BBC’s ‘Bottom Line’ business broadcast.

He has made over 250 speeches to blue-chip corporate audiences on four continents. He aims to show audiences – internal and external – how to stay ahead in fast changing and unpredictable markets

With his Anglo-Irish charm (and occasionally rather irreverent humor) he shows how to lead (not manage), and how to energize people who work for you, with you and above you. He stresses how to keep yourself, your products and your company fresh. He illustrates how, in a world of virtually unsatisfiable customers, to develop a connection with them that is beyond satisfaction. He explores ‘intuitive marketing’. Above all, he offers ideas on how to bring it all together to get distinction and excellence in all that you do.

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Interview with Bob Herbold

Bio

No one has more experience and deeper insight into improving profitability than Bob Herbold. During his eight years at Microsoft, Bob's disciplined approach to streamlining operations drove a seven-fold increase in profits while the company's revenues increased four-fold. He is the author of "Seduced by Success: How the Best Companies Survive the 9 Traps of Winning," and "The Fiefdom Syndrome." Bob is also the founder of the Herbold Group, a consulting business focused on strategy and profitability issues, with deep expertise in operations and marketing.

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INDUSTRY SPEAKER

Bio

Uwe Hook is a consultant strategist for Geyrhalter Design, Inc. as well as the CEO and Co-Founder of BatesHook, Inc. and a veteran of the advertising and marketing industry with the goal of building connections with people and brands (Mercedes-Benz, IBM, Fleming's Steakhouse, Acura, WellPoint, Purina, Alpo - just to name a few). While he started his career as a Creative Director, Europe, for the AOR of Mercedes-Benz (Springer & Jacoby, Hamburg), he moved away from traditionally advertising (literally, since he resides now in Los Angeles) and, more importantly, philosophically. While adding value for prestigious, digital agencies such as Razorfish, Genex and Direct Partners, he understood that marketing and advertising in itself is not a solution. Out of this thinking evolved the passion to transform businesses by applying innovative collaboration practices and advanced business management strategies.

Uwe enjoys public speaking and hopes the audience enjoyed his thinking as much when he appeared at SXSW, Ad-Tech, iMedia, Web 2.0 Expo, OMMA, OMMA Social and MIXX.

Uwe is a graduate of London Business School (MBA), has a German law degree and is certified as a Speech-Language Pathologist.

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Interview with Tony Hsieh

Bio

Tony Hsieh (pronounced "shay") turned Zappos into one of the buzzwords of the digital age. Under his leadership, the online shoe seller has become synonymous with convenience and customer service, a model of e-commerce success. Zappos.com sales have skyrocketed from $1.6 million in 2000 to $840 million by 2007. After its recent acquisition by online giant Amazon.com, Hsieh continues to focus on growing the Zappos business at a rapid pace while maintaining the culture and feel of a small company. Prior to joining Zappos, Hsieh founded a successful internet incubator and investment firm with college buddy and current Zappos COO Alfred Lin.

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The Business of Innovation

Bio

Terry Jones founded Travelocity.com. He led the company as President and Chief Executive Officer from it's founding until May 2002. Previously, Jones served as Chief Information Officer at Sabre Inc. In his 24 years at Sabre, Jones held various executive positions including President of Computer Services, Vice President of Applications Development and Vice President of Product Development.

Prior to Sabre, Jones joined American Airlines in 1978 as Director of Product Development when American Airlines acquired Agency Data Systems, a Florida-based mini-computer accounting systems company. He became president of the division when it moved to Dallas/Fort Worth.

A graduate of Denison University in Granville, Ohio, Jones entered the travel industry in 1971 as a travel agent with Vega Travel in Chicago. He later served five years as a vice president of Travel Advisors, a company specializing in business travel to Eastern Europe and the USSR, with offices in Chicago and Moscow.

Jones is managing principal of Essential Ideas, a consultancy he co-founded to help companies in their transition to the digital economy. He serves on the Board of Directors of Earthlink, Inc., La Quinta Corporation, Kayak.com, and is a special venture partner with General Catalyst Partners.

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INDUSTRY SPEAKER

Bio

Todd is a 16-year marketing veteran of the entertainment industry. Todd worked for BMG Music Publishing prior to his tenure at USA Federal Credit Union, which began in 2007. His creativity and ability to build brands has helped in reshaping and turning around several companies focusing on the attention spans of the youth market. He works tirelessly to integrate marketing, sales and operations in a way to reinvent how companies relate to their customers. Todd is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Humanities and a minor in Cinema-Television.

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Become a Universal Brand

Bio

Brad Lewis joined Pixar Animation Studios in November 2001, bringing with him twenty years of film, theatre, television, and advertising production expertise.

Prior to Pixar, Brad spent thirteen years as a producer, executive producer, and executive vice-president of production at Pacific Data Images, a wholly owned subsidiary of DreamWorks Animation SKG. He was a producer on the animated feature film ANTZ and amongst his other feature film production credits are Forces of Nature, The Peacemaker and Broken Arrow.

Brad produced television specials such as Hanna-Barbera’s The Last Halloween, for which he won an Emmy, and the first 3D episode of The Simpsons. He received a second Emmy for graphic design utilized on ABC’s Monday Night Football. Additionally, Brad’s outstanding commercial production work netted him two coveted Clios.

Brad’s first break into the entertainment industry was as a personal production assistant on The Merv Griffin Show, and he also performed on-stage as a “dancing monster” in the national stage production of Sesame Street Live!

Brad graduated from Fresno State University with a bachelor of arts in Theatre, and lives in San Carlos, California, with his wife, son and daughter where he also currently serves as Vice Mayor.

He is the Producer of Disney•Pixar’s Ratatouille, which will be released June 29, 2007.

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Customer Service, Leadership and Communication: The Magic of exceptional Customer Service

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Doug Lipp CO-OP Presentation

Bio

Doug Lipp, an internationally acclaimed expert on customer service, leadership and global competitiveness, motivates and challenges audiences around the world as a consultant and speaker. Doug has spent over 25 years working from the front lines to the boardrooms of corporations around the world.

Formerly the head of training at Disney Studio’s Walt Disney University, Doug also worked at Disneyland where he provided the well-known “Traditions” orientation program and other leadership courses.

Fluent in Japanese and with a Master’s degree in International Business Communication, Doug was on the start-up team for Tokyo Disneyland, Disney’s first international theme park.

Doug addresses the topics of global and domestic customer service, leadership, and cultural diversity with his clients in the U.S. and abroad. He is the author of numerous articles and five books on leadership, customer service and international competitiveness, including The Changing Face of Today's Customer: How to Attract and Retain a Diverse Customer and Employee Base.

With a foreword by renowned business leader Peter Ueberroth, head of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and Ken Blanchard of One Minute Manager fame, "The Changing Face" addresses how businesses can be more responsive to the growing number of foreign national customers and employees both in North America and internationally.

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Roadmap to Collaboration

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Mark Meyer CO-OP Collaboration

Bio

Mark C. Meyer, J.D. is the CEO of the Filene Research Institute, a consumer finance, academic based, think tank headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin.
Mark joined the Institute in January 2003, starting an open- source revolution in credit unions. He founded the prestigious Filene i3, a group of next generation credit union leaders focused on identifying and launching transformative financial products, services, or business models relevant to consumers.
An internationally recognized credit union expert, Mark’s opinion and research has been cited in dozens of publications including the Wall Street Journal,
and he has contributed to National Public Radio. He has lectured to hundreds of audiences across North America, Asia, and Europe. He has served as an advisor to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Mark has authored market-leading reports on innovation, consumer behavior, and financial services needs of young adults. Mark also serves as secretary on the Board of Directors for Summit Credit Union, the largest credit union in Wisconsin.
Prior to his work at Filene, Mark served as an attorney at Montgomery, Little & McGrew in Denver, Colorado; Vice President and Legal counsel at Arizona State Credit Union; and Assistant Vice President at the CUNA Mutual Group.
Mark received his J.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Law and his B.S. in Business Administration from Northern Arizona University. He is licensed to practice law in Arizona and Colorado. Mark and his wife, Alicia, are the proud parents of two daughters and a son.

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How to Become the Next Starbuck's… with Locations on Every Street Corner

Bio

For the past decade, John Moore has made his mark in the marketing world by creating, championing, and implementing marketing ideas and branding ideals for Whole Foods Market and Starbucks Coffee.
As the Director of National Marketing for Whole Foods Market, John focused his team on engaging in activities that were less about using traditional advertising and more about using the influential power of customers as the advertising vehicle. At Starbucks, John led countless highly successful in-store and out-of-store marketing promotions as a Retail Marketing Manager.
Today, through speaking engagements and through his Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice, John shares business and marketing advice with companies aspiring to become the next Whole Foods or Starbucks.
He has been recognized by Fast Company magazine as a “leading practitioner of the arts of customer service and marketing” and serves as a Standards Council Advisory Board Member with the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. John is also the author of the Brand Autopsy blog and the author of Tribal Knowledge, a business management book from Kaplan Publishing.
John Moore currently resides in the badlands of Central Texas. (That’s Austin.)

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Bio

Laura T. Pizzarelli is the senior vice president of corporate relations at CO-OP Shared Branching, where her responsibilities include customer and vendor relations as well as overseeing operations of the network and organization.  Ms. Pizzarelli was formerly vice president of corporate relations for Credit Union Service Corporation, which combined with CO-OP in 2007. She joined CUSC in January 1998 subsequent to her employment as an executive in the marketing area for Gwinnett Federal Credit Union in Georgia.  As Director of Marketing, she was responsible for the development and implementation of the marketing plans for the credit union.  Prior to her employment in the marketing capacity, Ms. Pizzarelli was involved in the operational management of a $900 million credit union, Hudson Valley FCU, in New York.  In this capacity, she was responsible for the bookkeeping, Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions, share draft, cash letters and returned items processing.  She was also responsible for Individual Retirement Accounts and Certificate of Deposits as well as the bank-by-mail and call center activity.  Ms. Pizzarelli attended the Crane School of Music at Potsdam State University College and Marist College in New York.  She resides in Buford, Georgia.

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Adapting in a Changing World: Building a Grassroots Movement in the 21st Century

Bio

David Plouffe was the campaign manager for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. After winning the election on Nov. 4, President-elect Obama credited Plouffe in his acceptance speech, calling him "the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the . . . best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America."

Plouffe is credited with the campaign's successful overall strategy in the race for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. He was credited by The New Republic for Obama's success in the Iowa caucus and for crafting an overall strategy to prolong the primary past Super Tuesday. The Chicago Tribune writes, "Plouffe was the mastermind behind a winning strategy that looked well past Super Tuesday's contests on Feb. 5 and placed value on large and small states." Plouffe also maintained discipline over communications in the campaign, including controlling leaks and releasing information about the campaign on its terms. Averse to publicity himself, Plouffe's control over the internal workings of the Obama campaign successfully avoided the publicly aired squabbles that frequently trouble other campaigns.

In May 2008, David Axelrod praised Plouffe, stating that he had "done the most magnificent job of managing a campaign that I've seen in my life of watching presidential politics. To start something like this from scratch and build what we have built was a truly remarkable thing."

Plouffe began his political career when he went to work for Senator Tom Harkin's 1990 re-election campaign. He later worked as a state field director for Harkin's unsuccessful 1992 presidential campaign. In the same year, he successfully managed Congressman John Olver's first re-election bid in western Massachusetts. In 1994, Plouffe managed Delaware Attorney General Charles M. Oberly's unsuccessful campaign against Senator William V. Roth. Plouffe then worked as campaign director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 1995. In 1996, Plouffe managed Bob Torricelli's successful campaign to fill Bill Bradley's New Jersey seat in the United States Senate.

From 1997 to 1998, Plouffe served as Democratic leader Dick Gephardt's Deputy Chief of Staff. From 1999 to 2000, as executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Plouffe led a national campaign that raised a record $95 million for House races across the country.

In the winter of 2000, Plouffe joined AKP&D Message and Media, but left briefly to serve as a strategist for Gephardt's unsuccessful Presidential bid. He returned to the firm and became a partner in February 2004. Beginning in 2003, Plouffe and fellow AKP&D partner David Axelrod worked on Barack Obama's 2004 Illinois Senate campaign, beginning Plouffe's association with Obama. Plouffe worked with Axelrod on Deval Patrick's successful 2006 campaign for Governor of Massachusetts.

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Business in Crisis: Finding Success in an Industry Downturn

Bio

Howard Putnam was raised on an Iowa farm and learned to fly out of a pasture in his Father's J-3 Piper Cub. He entered the airline business as a baggage handler at Midway Airport in Chicago for Capital Airlines at age 17. Capital was soon merged into United and Howard held thirteen different positions in sales, services and staff assignments in several cities, before being named Group Vice President of Marketing for United Airlines, the world's largest airline, in 1976.
In 1978 he was recruited to become President and CEO of fledgling Southwest Airlines in Dallas, TX. While at Southwest Howard and his team tripled the revenues and tripled profitability in three years. They also successfully guided Southwest through airline deregulation and Southwest was the first air carrier to order the Boeing 737-300, which later became the largest selling aircraft ever for Boeing.
Howard led the visioning process at Southwest as well as further developing the "fun" culture and excellent customer service that South is still known for today. Southwest has been profitable in every quarter for over twenty-five years, a record unsurpassed by any airline.
In 1981, Howard was recruited by the board of directors of Braniff International to come aboard as CEO and save and/or restructure the financially failing airline. He was the first airline CEO to successfully take a major carrier into, through and out of chapter 11. Braniff flew again in 1984.
He is the author of "The Winds of Turbulence" on leadership and ethics. Harvard University wrote a case study on his experiences at Braniff, "The Ethics of Bankruptcy" as a model as to how to handle stakeholders in crisis.
He has since been an entrepreneur, the Chairman of a startup investment company and in 1998, the co-founder and chairman of AIR, a commercial airline seat refurbishment company.
Howard and Krista have two children, Michael, a commercial airline captain and Sue, in public relations and marketing.

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INDUSTRY SPEAKER

Bio

For over 30 years, Lori Reeves has been a valued member of the credit union community. At Financial Partners, previously Rockwell Federal Credit Union, Lori has held several senior management positions in branch and back office operations, marketing, training and online delivery services. As SVP of Marketing and Alternative Delivery, Lori is responsible for marketing, governmental affairs, public relations and all sales and service delivered online.

Under Lori's leadership, the Marketing department has been recognized by CUNA's Marketing and Business Development council consistently including several Best Practice designations as well as numerous Diamond Awards. She has been instrumental in facilitating and implementing multiple mergers with other southern California credit unions.

Ms. Reeves earned a B.A. in Business Management from the University of Phoenix and is a proud alumnus of CUNA Western Management School.

As a strong advocate of the credit union movement, Lori has served on the Communication and Education Committee of the CUNA Operations, Sales & Service Council and the board of Governors for the Beach Cities Chapter of the California Credit Union League.

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Leadership Luncheon

Bio

Gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton shows audiences how they too can perform at peak levels to achieve the professional and personal success they desire.

After taking home the Olympic All-Around gold medal in gymnastics, Mary Lou Retton became the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics. Additionally, her five medals were the most won by any athlete at the 1984 Olympics. Retton talks about the sacrifice, dedication and hard work that make a winner, inspiring audiences on the path towards achieving their dreams.

The epitome of positive energy and dream-realizing potential, Retton has a winning smile and winning style that are both infectious and uplifting. Beginning her presentation with footage from her awe-inspiring performance at the Olympics, she then shows audiences how they, too, can perform at peak levels to achieve the professional and personal success they desire.

Retton remains one of the most popular athletes in America. Among a number of other distinctions, Retton was named Sports Illustrated Sportswoman of the Year, was the first woman to appear on the Wheaties box and was named one of America’s Top Ten “Most Admired” public figures. Her book, Mary Lou Retton’s Gateway to Happiness, delivers a winning formula for turning challenges into success.

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Marketing in a Recession

Bio

Dave Robinson is CEO of O'Leary and Partners, one of the West Coast's leading advertising agencies.

O'Leary is known as the agency of "Brands that People Love", representing several iconic brands including In-N-Out Burger, Kawasaki, WD-40 and Oroweat Bread.

In addition, O'Leary is the agency of record for CO-OP Financial Services.

Dave is strong proponent of brand immersion; capitalizing on every potential consumer touch point from internal communications to customer service to product packaging and external communications to the actual sales experience. All these touch points executed in a strategically planned manner to continually reinforce the brand's positive attributes.

During his career, Dave has been involved with the advertising for outstanding brands including Verizon Wireless, Prudential, KFC and Lowe's. He has also worked with several financial institutions including Kinecta Federal Credit Union, Commercial Capital Bank, Western Financial, and several east coast banks.

Dave has had opinion pieces published in AdWeek and The Advertiser (The Association of National Advertisers magazine). He has also been a speaker at the American Association of Advertising Agencies annual conference.

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INDUSTRY SPEAKER

Bio

Terence Roche brings to his position as principal at Cornerstone Advisors more than 25 years of experience in banking and consulting. Prior to founding Cornerstone, Terence was a Managing Director at M ONE, Inc., where he built the firm's highly successful vendor selection practice. Before M ONE, Terence served as Senior Vice President of Systems and Technology at Bay View Federal Bank in San Francisco. Prior to that, he was Manager of Retail Banking Sales and Branch Administration after a stint supervising Human Resources and Facilities groups.

Among Terence's many accomplishments, he has directed numerous core system conversions and installations, has managed the MIS and Operations functions of a $4 billion bank, installed the first incentive plan for branches and brokers in a $5 billion bank, and served as Retail Banking Division Manager of a 44-office bank in Northern California.

Terence has been invited to speak before various bank and credit union conferences, including BAI's Retail Delivery and Internet Delivery/Risk Management conferences. He has spoken before the client meetings and user conferences of numerous vendors. An expert in bank systems and technology, Terence is among the authors of The Cornerstone Report: Benchmarks and Best Practices for Mid-Size Banks, The Cornerstone Report: Benchmarks and Best Practices for Credit Unions and The Mid-Sized Bank Study 2002. Terence displays his far-reaching knowledge as a frequent contributing author on GonzoBanker and CUES Technology Edge. He has been published in numerous banking periodicals, including American Banker, Bank Technology News, Independent Banker and Credit Union Management (CUES).

Terence holds a BA from the University of California at Berkeley. He has taught at the BAI and ACB schools of banking and is a faculty member of the University of Wisconsin Graduate School of Banking.

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Interview with Tim Sanders

Bio

Tim Sanders is a man on a mission. That mission: fostering a business culture of social responsibility, sustainability, and employee development. Why? Companies that nurture their people, their communities, and the planet, have stronger brands and healthier bottom lines. Tim is the author of "Saving the World at Work" and has deep experience in cutting-edge businesses and marketing. Prior to his senior positions at Yahoo!, Tim created and led the Yahoo! ValueLab, a "think tank" which delivered futuristic insight to the company's partners and clients. He's a frequent guest on TV and written about in countless business publications.

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Interview with David Schembri

Bio

The Smart Car is taking America by storm, and David Schembri is the man responsible for leading the charge. David came to smart USA with over 30 years of experience in the challenging automotive sector, including a variety of executive positions at Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz. During his tenure at Mercedes, David was responsible for several successful product launches while the company recorded 11 consecutive record years in new vehicle sales. In addition to his corporate responsibilities, David serves on the Board of Directors for the Boomer Esiason Foundation, funding research to find a cure for cystic fibrosis.

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Topics of Speech

Positioning

Bio

One of the most in-demand speakers and communications consultants in America, Ken Schmidt has lived a life that most can only dream about. He has toured the world on two wheels, met with presidents and royalty, partied with movie and music legends, and appeared numerous times on network news. As the former director of communications for Harley-Davidson Motor Company, he played an active role in one of the most celebrated turnarounds in corporate history - and got paid to ride motorcycles.

The longtime motorcycle enthusiast’s formal association with Harley-Davidson began in 1985. As a specialist in corporate positioning and media relations, he was asked to work with the then-struggling Harley-Davidson to help restore the company’s image and create demand for its motorcycles. Within a few short years, Harley-Davidson became one of the most visible and frequently reported-on companies in the world, while sales of its motorcycles rocketed upward.

In 1990, Schmidt became director of Harley-Davidson’s corporate and financial communications, and served as its primary spokesperson to the media and the financial communities. He appeared numerous times on network news programs and was frequently called upon by business media to share his insights on non-traditional communications and customer relations. Speaking engagements around the world soon followed.

In 1997, Schmidt left Harley-Davidson to take an ownership position with a highly successful Chicago-based marketing firm, VSA Partners. In addition to Harley-Davidson, VSA serves many other of the world’s best-known brands, including General Motors, Coca-Cola, IBM, and Campbell's Soup. In July 1999, he sold his portion of VSA to start his own business, Ken Schmidt Company, and slow down the pace of his life.

Now, Schmidt is a frequent speaker to business groups and academic communities throughout the world. Few speakers generate more positive word-of-mouth and referrals. “I love to startle people by exposing them to proven ideas and concepts they’ve never imagined,” he said. “Whether I’m talking about how perfectly average people can do extraordinary things - which is now an everyday occurrence at Harley-Davidson - or how to build an entirely new corporate culture, rekindle relationships with customers, or reach out to new ones in completely untraditional ways, I’m teaching people to throw conventional approaches out the window. I see opening hearts and minds as my life’s work.”

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Getting Beyond a Commodity Business

Bio

Peter W. Schutz (retired CEO of Porsche AG Worldwide) & Sheila Harris formed Harris & Schutz, Inc. in 1991 to facilitate the exchange of knowledge between Peter and business people all over the world. Peter's background in engineering--coupled with his experience in marketing and management--gives him a unique perspective on business today.
Born in Berlin, Germany in 1930, Peter moved to Chicago when he was 11 years old. Several years later, Peter attended the Illinois Institute of Technology. Caterpillar Tractor in Peoria, Illinois was his workplace for 15 years, serving in various engineering positions. Peter also ran a flying school and taught engineering at Bradley University in Peoria. He then spent 11 years at Cummins Engine Company, Inc: 3 years in corporate strategic planning and 8 years as Vice President responsible for sales and services of truck engines in the United States and Canada.
1978 brought a move to Cologne, Germany where Peter assumed responsibility for the Deutz Engine Division of Kloeckner-Humboldt-Deutz, AG. This included engineering, manufacturing, and worldwide sales and service. Revenues grew to exceed DM 1 billion per year.
While in Germany, he accepted the job as CEO of Porsche AG, based in Stuttgart. Porsche was in the midst of its first money-losing year in 1980. During the Schutz tenure, Porsche worldwide sales grew from 28,000 units in 1980/81 to a peak of 53,000 units in 1986. Revenues went from DM 850 million to over DM 3.7 billion.
Peter received the Outstanding Achievement Award from his Alma Mater, the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1983, and was honored with the Henry Heald Award in 1987. This award is given to honor those who have exemplified exceptional ethics and business practices in their field. Other recipients of this award include: Mees van der Rohe, Edward Teller, Ted Turner, Bill Hewlitt, Buckminster Fuller and Jonas Salk.
His appearances include association conventions and conferences as well as in-company consulting and seminars. He speaks at a variety of meetings including sales, strategic planning and team-building as well. The Executive Committee, an organization of CEOs, named Peter Resource of the Year in 1985. (Peter has spoken to more than 400 TEC meetings worldwide.)

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FEATURED SPEAKER

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Interview with Peter Sealey

Bio

Peter Sealey is one of the world's great marketers and business strategists. As The Coca-Cola Company's first Global Marketing Director, he developed and led some of the most successful marketing initiatives in history, including the "Always Coca-Cola" campaign and the introduction of Diet Coke into over 50 countries. Prior to his tenure at Coca-Cola, Sealey led marketing efforts for Columbia Pictures, including the releases of Ghostbusters, Stand By Me, and Tootsie. He continues to anticipate and articulate changes in advertising and consumer behavior, especially in relation to new technologies, for a range of national and global brands.

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INDUSTRY SPEAKER

Bio

For more than 20 years, Matthew Shepherd has gone to work every day with a simple fact in mind: his paychecks are signed by the members of the financial institutions he represents. When a marketing challenge arises, Shepherd asks himself one question: "How will this meet our members' needs?" It's that simple credo that guides him in his current role as Chief Marketing Officer of Delta Community Credit Union, serving more than 200,000 members with assets of $3.6 billion. And he credits it with his remarkable success: Delta's membership and deposits have grown by 16% and 43% respectively since he joined the credit union.

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Fraud & Confidentiality in Payments

Bio

Barry Smith is an independent consultant and President of BFS (Bankcard Fraud Solutions) Consulting Inc. He has 30 years experience working for major card issuing organizations, (Citibank, Chase, First Interstate and Bank of America) in the US and overseas, in developing successful programs to reduce fraud risk and losses. He has worked for MasterCard International and has served on numerous Visa Risk Committees developing many of the fraud control measures the industry utilizes today.

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Meet Tomorrow's Consumer: In Charge, Untrusting and Constantly Changing

Bio

Jim Stengel is the former Global Marketing Officer of $83B Procter & Gamble, where he oversaw an $8B advertising budget and had organizational responsibility for nearly 7,000 people. Highly regarded, his leadership was recognized in 2008 when P&G was honored as the 2008 Cannes International Advertising Festival Advertiser of the Year for the first time in company history.

A prolific writer and speaker, Jim is best known for reinvigorating P&G’s marketing culture. In his seven years as GMO, he personally led the transformation that has firmly established P&G as one of the most admired brand building companies in the world. This transformation was based on a deep and unwavering commitment to innovation based on consumer understanding, paired with disciplined measurement techniques that guided P&G’s investment in global brand equities.

Jim is also known for guiding branding and marketing efforts to make a positive impact in the lives of consumers. Indeed, this is his focus for the future: 1) To help marketers become more empathetic with their consumers, define deeper purpose in their brands and marketing efforts, and build brands aimed at improving life; and 2) To “give back” by inspiring younger people who will be the next generation of professionals in the field of marketing.

Prior to his promotion to P&G’s top advertising and marketing position in 2001, Jim had P&L responsibility for the company’s $2B European baby care business. In this role he achieved all time high profitability for the unit, and initiated innovative programs for the Pampers franchise that set the stage for doubling the brand globally over the next 8 years. Before that, Jim was General Manager of the Czech and Slovak Republics for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. While there, he led the start up operation, achieved dramatic core category growth (30%), and helped major new customers establish themselves in the region, which expanded distribution for his own products.

Previously, Jim held positions of increasing responsibility in P&G’s Cosmetic and Food businesses. He joined the company as a Brand Assistant on Duncan Hines Cookies in 1983, and before that spent four years at Time Incorporated in the Time-Life Books division.

Jim is widely known for leading innovation and for his commitment to building leading edge marketing capabilities. As a result, he was recognized in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007 by Advertising Age as the number one “Power Player” in marketing. In 2005, he was recognized as Grand Marketer of the Year by Brand Week magazine, the same year P&G was named Marketer of the Year by Advertising Age magazine. He is the co-author of a 2003 Harvard Business Review article titled “Listening Begins at Home.”

“Giving back” is important to Jim. He currently is on the Board of The Advertising Council, and previously served as Chairman of the Association of National Advertisers, and Chairman of the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame. He served as P&G’s United Way Chairman and serves on the Board for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. He is a Director of the Motorola Corporations, and serves on the Compensation and Leadership committee.

Jim grew up in Lancaster, PA. He holds a BA from Franklin & Marshall College, and an MBA from The Pennsylvania State University (Smeal School of Business). Jim and his wife Kathleen have two children, and split their time between Cincinnati, Ohio and Coronado, California.

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INDUSTRY SPEAKER

Bio

A leading eBusiness and eCommerce strategist, Brad Strothkamp is Principal Analyst at Forrester Research. His acclaimed research focuses on how consumers use the Internet to research and purchase financial products, as well as the seamless cross-channel customer experience financial firms need to develop and deliver in order to maximize sales. Prior to joining Forrester, Strothkamp spent more than a decade developing and managing online services for consumers, most recently by leading the development of Wells Fargo's eBusiness strategy. He and his work have been widely quoted in the press, including outlets such as BusinessWeek and The Wall Street Journal.

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CUFK Luncheon

Bio

Vinnie Tracey began his career with RE/MAX as Regional Marketing Representative for RE/MAX of Kentucky and Tennessee in 1977. His talents were quickly recognized and he joined the International headquarters staff serving as Senior Training Director from 1979 to 1982. 

In 1987, he rejoined RE/MAX International as a Zone Director and in November 1987 was elected a Vice President.

Tracey was appointed Senior Vice President, External Operations in 1992 and was responsible for supervising franchise operations throughout the RE/MAX System. 

In October 1999, he was appointed Senior Vice President of Marketing, supervising all marketing functions of RE/MAX International including franchising and relocation. He also directed activities in the education/training and community affairs departments. 

Tracey was named Executive Vice President, Corporate Development in April 2002 with major responsibilities of expanding headquarter company holdings as well as continuing with supervisory duties in franchise and relocation, marketing, education/training and community affairs departments. In April 2004, he took charge of all global RE/MAX franchising operations as Executive Vice President, Franchising. In October 2004, he was named President, overseeing all operations of RE/MAX International.

Tracey represents RE/MAX International membership in various national and international industry organizations and is Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Governors for Children’s Miracle Network.

A 1977 graduate of the University of Tennessee, he earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Earth and Environmental Science.

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Reinvention: Trend/Counter Trend

Bio

Robyn provides a thought provoking environmental scan of the macro marketplace that takes the listener deep into the hearts and minds of the consumer. Her visual presentations challenge the audience to look at trend ‘from the inside out’ by focusing their attention on what’s important instead of just what’s next. Energies are revitalized, perspectives reframed, and possibilities re-envisioned.
Robyn Waters has over thirty years experience tracking and translating trends into sales and profit. As Target’s former Vice President of Trend, Design, and Product Development, she helped a small regional discount chain become a national fashion destination. Seth Godin calls her “the woman who revolutionized what Target sells, and helped the company trounce Kmart.”
Fast Company magazine featured her as one of the top twenty ‘Creative Mavericks’ in their June ‘04 Masters of Design issue. She has served as a juror for numerous national design competitions including the International Housewares Association, and the National Design Awards for the Cooper- Hewitt Museum.
She is the author of The Trendmaster’s Guide: Get a Jump on What Your Customer Wants Next, and contributing author (along with Tom Peters, Seth Godin and Malcolm Gladwell,) for The Big Moo from Portfolio, a member of Penguin Group (USA). Her next book, The Hummer and the Mini is set to be released this fall.
Robyn demonstrates a unique ability to inspire and motivate an eclectic audience and client base. Her partial client list includes Procter and Gamble, Masterfoods USA, QVC, Bank of Ireland, Fidelity Investments, Microsoft, Nestle USA, Hewlett Packard, IDSA (Industrial Design Society of America), Georgia Pacific, HOW Design Conference, Sara Lee Branded Apparel, Ocean Pacific, DMA (Direct Marketing Association), Thrivent Financial, The Remodeling Show, NCH Marketing Services, Bord Bia (Irish Food Board), and the AMA (American Marketing Association).

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Attracting a Youth Market

Bio

Tom Woerner is the Publisher of Brandweek and Brandweek.com the leading sources of news and information for the U.S. marketing industry and the only media resources to offer saturation coverage at all levels of the brand-activation process. Brandweek covers the world of brand identity marketing, strategy, sponsorships, licensing, media usage, distribution, and promotions. Brandweek connects with its readers in print, online and via e-newsletters and live events.

Prior to joining Brandweek in 2005 Tom was the Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for CMP a multi-national marketing services organization which delivered marketing solutions to the technology industry. Tom’s experience as a journalist and marketer also includes senior level positions at Scholastic and American Airlines.

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Innovation & Re-Invention

Bio

A Silicon Valley icon and philanthropist for the past three decades, Steve Wozniak helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple's first line of products the Apple I and II and influenced the popular Macintosh. For his achievements at Apple Computer, Steve was awarded the National Medal of Technology by the President of the United States in 1985, the highest honor bestowed on America's leading innovators. 

In 2000, Steve was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame and was awarded the prestigious Heinz Award for Technology, The Economy and Employment for "single-handedly designing the first personal computer and for then redirecting his lifelong passion for mathematics and electronics toward lighting the fires of excitement for education in grade school students and their teachers."

Making significant investments of both his time and resources in education, Wozniak "adopted" the Los Gatos School District, providing students and teachers with hands-on teaching and donations of state-of-the-art technology equipment. Wozniak founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and was the founding sponsor of the Tech Museum, Silicon Valley Ballet and Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose.

Steve is also a published author with the release of his autobiography, iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon, in September 2006 by Norton Publishing.

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INDUSTRY SPEAKER

Bio

Ryan Zilker currently works as the Chief Operating Officer for American First Credit Union, located in La Habra, CA, where he oversees Marketing, Business Development, Human Resources and Development, Branches and Call Center operations. Ryan has worked in sales and marketing for more than 15 years, 13 of which have been spent in credit unions. He has built his career on successfully helping companies grow through strategic, data driven marketing and effective sales strategies.

Ryan's educational background includes a B.S. in Applied Ecology from the University of California at Irvine, and an Masters in Business Administration from California State University of Fullerton. He is currently pursuing certification in Human Resource Management at Chapman University in Orange, CA.

A strong credit union advocate, Ryan has presented at a variety of industry events throughout his career; and has most recently been involved with the New America Foundation and MDRC to promote financial literacy in the workplace and improve public policy.

Ryan distinguishes his presentation style with clear communication, humor and professionalism. He brings best practices from outside of the credit union industry and encourages lively engagement from his audiences.

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