Financial Metrics for Success: Breaking Down Profit Barriers Brought to you by the PEI 10-Groups

Albert D. Bates, Ph.D.

Session Description:

Most companies have not made any significant improvement in profitability over the course of the last decade. The main reason is that firms continue to believe old, worn-out ideas regarding profit. They serve as significant barriers to improvement. The Breaking Down Profit Barriers session will demonstrate how to overcome the barriers. The result will be to improve financial results—not by just a little, but by a lot. The key point in the process is to benchmark performance across a wide range of issues. These include sales growth, gross margin and expenses, especially payroll. Without guidelines, performance becomes more challenging.

Bio:

Dr. Albert D. Bates is a principal in the Distribution Performance Project, a research group devoted to distribution issues. Bates makes approximately 50 presentations each year on topics such as Improving the Bottom Line, Getting Serious About Profit, Doing More With Less and Pricing for Profit. He is also a featured speaker at the University of Innovative Distribution. He has written extensively in both the professional and trade press, including the Harvard Business Review, the California Management Review and Business Horizons. Bates received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and his MBA and doctorate from Indiana University. While at Indiana, he was one of the first recipients of the Ford Foundation Fellowships in Business Education. He is married and has three grown daughters. When he is not traveling giving seminars, he enjoys tennis and skiing. He is not particularly good at either one.

Please visit his website at www.distperf.com to read past articles and chapters of books, as well as to download free profitability tools.

 

Succession Planning: A Success Story

Roman & Bart Basi, Ph.D.

Session Description:

Transferring a business can be a very complex, time-consuming, costly and exhausting process. Father and son team, Dr. Bart Basi and Roman Basi, will discuss the necessary steps to create a succession plan and—for the first time—they will share their own story of how they successfully transitioned their companies to the next generation while preserving the value and accommodating estate planning for non-involved family members.

Bios:

Dr. Bart A. Basi is the current Senior Advisor to The Center for Financial, Legal & Tax Planning, Inc. Dr. Basi is an Attorney and CPA and has a PhD in Economics. Dr. Basi is also one of the Tax Course Instructors for the Internal Revenue Service’s Annual Filing Season Program for Tax Return Preparers throughout the United States. Dr. Basi is admitted to practice in Illinois and New York and is also admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court after being sworn in to the highest court in the summer of 2015 in front of all 9 Supreme Court justices.

Roman Basi is the current President of The Center for Financial, Legal & Tax Planning, Inc. Roman is an Attorney, a CPA, Managing Real Estate Broker, Title Insurance Agent and an instrument rated private pilot. Roman is also one of the Tax Course Instructors for the Internal Revenue Service’s Annual Filing Season Program for Tax Return Preparers throughout the United States. Roman is admitted to practice in Illinois, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Federal District Court of Illinois Southern District, the United State Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, and Roman is also admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court being sworn in to the highest court in the summer of 2015 in front of all 9 Supreme Court justices.

Decarbonization: What’s the Game Plan? From Liquid Fuels to EVs

John Eichberger

Session Description:

While EVs are the big buzz in the news, the best strategy to reduce carbon emissions today is to reduce carbon in the fuels that power the 270 million ICE vehicles currently on the road. John Eichberger, executive director of the Fuels Institute, will discuss the process of decarbonization—and the likely timeline as we gradually transition to incorporating more EVs.

Bio:

John Eichberger is Executive Director of the Fuels Institute. Founded by NACS in 2013, the Fuels Institute is a non-profit that evaluates market issues related to vehicles and the energy that powers them. The Institute, led by a diverse board of transportation experts, is an objective and collaborative research organization that does not advocate. Previously, Eichberger served more than 14 years at NACS representing the convenience and fuel retailing industry before the media and federal government. With more than 20 years of related experience, Eichberger is a recognized expert on the transportation energy market.

Filling the Skills Gap Through Work-Based Learning & Credentialing

Rebecca Daurio

Session Description:

This session will illustrate the importance of developing an online learning platform that supports industry recruitment, team development and employee retention.  Continuing education via online learning ups the game of the fluid handling industry and attracts new recruits to a career pathway.

Bio:

Rebecca Daurio is the president and founder of RADD Training.  As a training and development consultant, Rebecca uses her background in Human Resources to encourage and support organizations implement training and development strategies to recruit, train, develop and retain a workforce in today’s economic climate. Her expertise guides the development of career pathways within industries that need to attract a new generation through contemporarily accessible work-based learning, on-the-job training,  e-learning and registered apprenticeship.

PEI Women Workshop & Reception: Turning Uncertainty to Competitive Advantage

Meredith Elliott Powell

Session Description:

Competitive, challenging and constantly changing—that is today’s marketplace. In this high-energy, power-packed session, motivational speaker Meridith Elliott Powell shares the innovative strategies you need to redefine disruption, put you in the driver’s seat, and turn uncertainty to your competitive advantage.

Based on research from her newest book, Thrive: Turning Uncertainty to Competitive Advantage, where Powell studied nine companies (who started in the late 1700s to early 1800s) that are still thriving in business today. Businesses that have survived World Wars, Economic Depression and, yes, even a pandemic. Her research revealed a powerful methodology for what it takes to navigate change at this level, to find opportunity in crisis and how to inspire your members to move from reacting to change to driving it.

In this program, Powell will walk you through the steps you need to strategically move forward, proactively prepare for disruptions, standout from the competition and dominate your marketplace. You’ll leave this session with a personal strategy that ensures you have what you need to stay razor-like focused, highly flexible and ready to turn uncertainty to your competitive advantage.

This keynote has it all: energy, engagement and an innovative, empowering message.

Bio:

Voted one of the Top 15 Business Growth Experts to watch by Currency Fair and one of the top 20 Sales Experts to Follow by Linked In, Meridith Elliott Powell is an award-winning author, keynote speaker and business strategist. With a background in corporate sales and leadership, her career spans over several industries, including banking, healthcare and finance. Powell worked her way up from entry-level to earn her position in the C-Suite. She is a Master Certified Strategist, Executive Coach and Certified Speaking Professional, a designation held by less than 12 percent of professional speakers. She is Master Certified DISC Trainer and Coach, and has facilitated and coached thousands in the program.

She has a cutting-edge message, rooted in real-life examples and real-world knowledge. She is the author of four books, including Winning in The Trust & Value Economy (a finalist in the USA Best Book Awards) and her latest Own It: Redefining Responsibility – Stories of Power, Freedom & Purpose about how to build cultures that inspire ownership at every level to create profits at every turn.

Powell is regularly featured in publications such as Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., Investment News and American Banker among others. High energy and highly interactive, Powell helps leaders and business owners learn the new rules of success today. How today’s economy has changed. How that has changed today’s customers and employees. And specifically, how that affects your business.

In her highly engaging keynote-speaking sessions, Powell shows her audiences how to attract more business, retain top talent and leap into position to win in this new economy. No walking on coals, no breaking boards, just real-life strategies you can put into place first thing Monday morning.

Young Executives Update Followed by Roundtables & Reception

Session Description:

Listen in as PEI Young Executive Committee members provide updates on the Give-Back Program that launched this year at the 2022 PEI Young Executives Conference in Napa. The Committee will also share what is happening with the group moving forward.

Roundtable Topics:
  • Implementation and Execution of ideas and plans. It’s easy to think of good ideas for growth, cost reduction, etc. But it’s a lot harder to prioritize and actually see it through to completion.—Adam Vandermyde, and Chris Stone, K.C. Petroleum Inc.
  • What areas outside of the petroleum equipment industry is your company involved in? How did you become involved in those industries?—Pete Hojnowski, E.O. Habhegger Company Inc.
  • Measuring Performance. How do you track your employees performance?—Shannon Dulaney, RDM Industrial Electronics Inc.
  • Employee Incentives. What incentives are different companies using to retain/attract employees?—Micah Nelson. S. Bravo Systems Inc., and Chris Giaume, GIR USA
  • Work/Life Balance. How to maintain a balance between work and home life.—Brent Ruga, Spark Contractors, and Chris Fasse, B & T Service Station Contractors

Strategic Development: The Basics of a Successful Plan

Mike Marks

Session Description:

Strategic planning helps an organization define its vision for the future and identify the company’s goals and objectives. Once created, strategic plans are often forgotten about until the next planning cycle begins. A well-thought-out strategic plan efficiently fosters company growth, goal achievement and employee satisfaction. This session will offer insights on how to develop a strategic plan that will produce positive results and one that can be executed in a cost-efficient manner with a high likelihood of success.

Bio:

Mike Marks co-founded the Indian River Consulting Group in April 1987. He began his consulting practice after working in distribution management for more than 20 years. Over the years, his narrow focus in B2B channel-driven markets has created an astonishing number of deep executive relationships with virtually every business vertical in construction, process, MRO/OEM, agriculture and healthcare.

Marks had the good fortune to spend significant time with Dr. Peter Drucker when he was in graduate school. Like Dr. Drucker, he has aspired to be a professional observer of the distribution industry’s growth and evolution over half a century.

He has written extensively and is frequently quoted on many industry issues. He has extensive board experience on both public and private distribution firms. His contributions to the field include serving multiple terms as a Research Fellow with the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, permanent faculty at Purdue University’s University of Innovative Distribution, eight years as Graduate Adjunct Faculty in the Industrial Distribution Program at Texas A & M University and rendering several precedent-setting expert opinions in contract disputes between manufacturers and distributors.

Prior to forming IRCG, Marks held the position of executive vice president at Lex Electronics, an $800 million vertically integrated electronics distributor in Stamford, Connecticut. Mark’s path to management in his early career was through increasing responsibilities in sales and sales management. He even completed a tour of duty as a manufacturer’s representative. Additional details can be found on his LinkedIn profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-marks-46a7081/.

Mike is 73 years old and is in a multiple-year buyout with his partners. He has two grown children and two granddaughters. He serves currently as the Chairman of Hisco and an outside director at Zero Zone. As an advisory board member in the College of Business at the Florida Institute of Technology, he mentors students and is chairman of the curriculum committee. He was also an SCCA Florida Region Endurance Racing Class Champion in 2021 in an SRF3.

2022 Top 10 Countdown for Tax Law

Roman Basi & Bart Basi, Ph.D.

Session Description:

When considering the field of taxes and accounting, there are many tax issues facing businesses today. Many business owners don’t know which deductions they can claim or what type of legal entity is the right choice for their business. Some business owners do not keep adequate records or properly separate their personal and business finances. While these mistakes may seem small they can have major tax consequences. This presentation by Dr. Bart A. Basi and Roman Basi will examine the top ten tax issues facing business today as well as tax impacts of decisions made at various stages of business ownership and how you can minimize tax liability to get the most out of your business.

Upon Completion of this course, the participants will be able to:

  • Know the top 10 tax issues
  • Understand basic tax mitigation techniques;
  • Review and understand consequences of tax decisions made throughout business ownership.
  • Better approach the process of recordkeeping.
  • Explain and utilize recently updated tax deductions that all business owners should take advantage of;

Understand the process of retaining a tax professional that can help mitigate or even eliminate the tax problems of a small business owner.

Bios:

Dr. Bart A. Basi is the current Senior Advisor to The Center for Financial, Legal & Tax Planning, Inc. Dr. Basi is an Attorney and CPA and has a PhD in Economics. Dr. Basi is also one of the Tax Course Instructors for the Internal Revenue Service’s Annual Filing Season Program for Tax Return Preparers throughout the United States. Dr. Basi is admitted to practice in Illinois and New York and is also admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court after being sworn in to the highest court in the summer of 2015 in front of all 9 Supreme Court justices.

Roman Basi is the current President of The Center for Financial, Legal & Tax Planning, Inc. Roman is an Attorney, a CPA, Managing Real Estate Broker, Title Insurance Agent and an instrument rated private pilot. Roman is also one of the Tax Course Instructors for the Internal Revenue Service’s Annual Filing Season Program for Tax Return Preparers throughout the United States. Roman is admitted to practice in Illinois, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Federal District Court of Illinois Southern District, the United State Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, and Roman is also admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court being sworn in to the highest court in the summer of 2015 in front of all 9 Supreme Court justices.

Kickoff Keynote: The Hero Effect

Kevin Brown

Bringing Your Best When It Matters the Most!

Session Description:

In a fresh and entertaining style, entrepreneur and branding and culture expert Kevin Brown shares ideas, strategies and principles that will inspire and equip participants to show up every day and make a positive difference. At the heart of Brown’s message is a simple yet powerful philosophy for life that drives every thought, every action and ultimately every result we achieve both personally and professionally. Your team will be motivated to reach beyond what is required and do something remarkable!

THIS PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO HELP PARTICIPANTS:
  • Achieve greater results by eliminating “ordinary” thinking and mastering the habit of excellence.
  • Own the moments that matter (and they all matter) by taking responsibility for their attitude, their actions and their results.
  • Create meaningful relationships and deliver an extraordinary experience for every “customer” at work and at home.
KEY THEMES:

Heroes Help People…with NO STRINGS ATTACHED. They go “all in” every time they take the field. They understand that in business and in life, it’s always personal and never perfect. Heroes create strong connections and reach beyond the borders of transactional thinking to create transformational moments.

Heroes Create an Exceptional Experience: The Hero’s calling card is pure excellence. It’s about using our talents, gifts and abilities to their fullest potential and highest purpose. Heroes use the best of who they are to serve more people more often, and in bigger and better ways.

Heroes Take Responsibility: Heroes own the moments that matter. They live by a simple code: “bring your best stuff to the present moment and pour it into the lives of others.” They understand that before you can lead anyone else, you must first be able to lead yourself. Heroes own their attitude, their actions and their results. They are committed to the best possible outcome in every situation regardless of circumstances or events beyond their control.

Heroes Live and Work with Optimism: Heroes see the world differently. For them, it’s not about positive thinking, it’s about perspective. Looking through the lens of optimism gives the hero supernatural vision. They see what others cannot. They see opportunities instead of obstacles – possibilities instead of problems. When things go wrong … and they will … optimism is what helps the Hero turn life’s messes into masterpieces.

Bio:

Kevin Brown’s unconventional path to business and personal success has taught him that winning in business and in life requires anything but conventional thinking. He grew up in Muskegon, Michigan, where his blue-collar roots taught him the value of hard work and determination. With a streetwise aptitude and a never-quit attitude, he worked his way from the front lines in business to the executive boardroom.

Brown understands what drives organizational excellence and customer loyalty. He knows first-hand how great brands think, feel and act. He is a branding and culture expert with a 30+ year career in franchise development. He spent the last 20 years of his corporate career as part of a leadership team that built a little-known family business into the #1 franchise in their industry with annual revenues exceeding $2 billion dollars. Since 2016, he has traveled the world pursuing a mission to share The HERO Effect® message with as many people and organizations as possible.

The HERO Effect® is a simple philosophy that separates world-class organizations and high-performance people from everybody else. Brown is passionate about helping people expand their vision, develop their potential and grow their results. And, as the father of a child with autism, he knows firsthand how the principles of true success reach beyond the boardroom and into the lives of real people facing the challenges of everyday life.

As a highly sought-after keynote speaker, Brown has had the privilege of speaking to a wide variety of organizations including American Express, Delta Airlines, PayPal, ExxonMobil, Nationwide, H&R Block, Sprint, Ernst & Young, Million Dollar Round Table, Merck, Booz Allen Hamilton and many more.

Brown is the bestselling author of The Hero Effect® (2017/2019). In his second book, Unleashing Your Hero (Harper Collins Leadership/Nov 2021), Brown shares how the heroes who transformed his life are people just like you. People who were willing to use their gifts and abilities to serve others at a high level. This book is a guide to help everyday people discover and unleash their hero at work and in life.

Brown has received numerous honors, including being named one of the Top 10 Keynote Speakers of 2021 by SpeakInc; one of the Top 41 Motivational Speakers Who Can Energize Any Sales Team by ResourcefulSelling; among the Top Customer Service Speakers by Eagles Talent Speakers Bureau; one of the Best Keynote Speakers of 2019 by NorthStar Meetings Group; and an elite and in-demand Gold Star Speaker by GDA Speakers.

Brown entertains, inspires and challenges people to show up every day and make a positive difference at work and in life!

Economic Update

Alex Chausovsky

Session Description:

The U.S. and Global economies are facing numerous headwinds, while the war for talent rages on across America. Some organizations are ill-prepared to handle these challenges, hampered by the uncertainty and beholden to the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality. Others are thriving, armed with analytical insights that empower them to outperform their competitors. This presentation will deliver practical, actionable advice designed to help business leaders plan for future economic conditions and elevate their organization’s talent strategy.

Bio:

Alex Chausovsky is a highly experienced market researcher and analyst with more than 20 years of expertise across subjects including economics, industrial manufacturing, automation, talent and workforce issues, and advanced technology trends. For the last two decades, he has consulted and advised companies throughout the U.S. and Canada, Europe, South America and Asia.

Chausovsky has delivered hundreds of keynote presentations and webinars to small businesses, trade associations and Fortune 500 companies across a spectrum of industries. He is currently overseeing a suite of analytics products focused on talent for the Miller Resource Group. Chausovsky is also consulting with companies to help them become better at attracting, hiring and retaining the impact players in their industry.

Safety Panel: How to Build an Award-Winning Safety Program

Blake Hess, Oscar Larson;

Scott Boorse, PEI;

Ben Stallings, Fatboy Electric Inc.

Session Description:

This panel session will focus on the best practices for developing a safety program in PEI member companies. Safety leaders will share their insights and experiences in practical, implementable terms. Q&A will be welcome.

Bios:

Blake Hess, Director, EHS, Oscar W. Larson Co. Blake Hess is the director of environmental, health and safety for the Oscar W. Larson Company. He holds a B.S. in Occupational Safety from Eastern Kentucky University and is a Graduate Safety Practitioner, accredited by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. Hess is the current chairman of the PEI safety committee, a PEI Young Executive member and has sat on multiple other PEI committees in the past, including the new RSP01.

Dealing With the Organizational Wart: Change

Dale Henry, Ph.D.

Session Description:

Change drives our everyday life and is the number one cause of stress and anxiety. So, what can we do to harness it?  This amusing session is designed to reboot your master computer – your brain—so you can work and play smarter and happier.

For most of us, dealing with change is like having a wart. If it’s somewhere we can’t look at it every day, we try to forget about it. And if it is somewhere we can see it, we want to get rid of it as soon as possible! Change is the one thing you can count on being constant in a world that never stops spinning.  Change drives our everyday life and is the number one cause of stress and anxiety. So, if it is so predictable, what can we do to harness it?   This amusing session is designed to reboot and reset you master computer – the brain – and to enable you to work and play smarter in an ever-changing environment.

Bio:

Dr. Dale Henry grew up in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, an area that is bountiful in two things—hospitality and storytelling.  Henry has been a teacher, principal, dean of the oldest college in Tennessee, a businessman, author, and a speaker and trainer.  He has been in customer service over half his life.  His storytelling ability propelled him as a teacher.  This, combined with his customer service acumen and unique ability to captivate audiences, has sky-rocketed Henry in his speaking career.

Since he began speaking just a few short years ago, corporate, government and educational agencies call on Henry regularly to have him train their professionals.  His client list is a virtual who’s who of the top businesses and agencies in the nation.  Henry is a master teacher in every aspect of the term, and he is what motivational speakers aspire to become.

In keeping with Henry’s book title, The Proverbial Cracker Jack:  How to Get Out of The Box And Become The Prize, Henry is definitely the prize!

General Session: Finding a path through supply chain challenges--The Manufacturer’s Perspective

Mike Marks, Moderator

Panelists:

Jay Walsh, Parrish Evans, Brad Baker

Mike Marks

Session Description:

We have all been living with supply chain issues since the pandemic.  A recent study in the electrical industry indicated that over 70% of phone calls to a distributor were some version of, “Where is my stuff?” Most PEI members managed their supply chain the same way as they did in the past. The only change was adding a bit of anger, some frustration, and asking the same questions over and over.

Well, the challenges aren’t going away for a while and the new version of stable will be different. The reality is that there are changes that some members have made in how they source that has reduced these challenges and increased their competitive advantage.

Learn the current best practices along with the worse practices used by distributors straight from those who actually know.  Some of it may be challenging to hear, especially if your firm has been employing worse practices.  The point of the conversation is to share the emerging best practices used by distributors that are playing the game to win.

Bio:

Mike Marks co-founded the Indian River Consulting Group in April 1987. He began his consulting practice after working in distribution management for more than 20 years. Over the years, his narrow focus in B2B channel-driven markets has created an astonishing number of deep executive relationships with virtually every business vertical in construction, process, MRO/OEM, agriculture and healthcare.

Marks had the good fortune to spend significant time with Dr. Peter Drucker when he was in graduate school. Like Dr. Drucker, he has aspired to be a professional observer of the distribution industry’s growth and evolution over half a century.

He has written extensively and is frequently quoted on many industry issues. He has extensive board experience on both public and private distribution firms. His contributions to the field include serving multiple terms as a Research Fellow with the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, permanent faculty at Purdue University’s University of Innovative Distribution, eight years as Graduate Adjunct Faculty in the Industrial Distribution Program at Texas A & M University and rendering several precedent-setting expert opinions in contract disputes between manufacturers and distributors.

Prior to forming IRCG, Marks held the position of executive vice president at Lex Electronics, an $800 million vertically integrated electronics distributor in Stamford, Connecticut. Mark’s path to management in his early career was through increasing responsibilities in sales and sales management. He even completed a tour of duty as a manufacturer’s representative. Additional details can be found on his LinkedIn profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-marks-46a7081/.

Mike is 73 years old and is in a multiple-year buyout with his partners. He has two grown children and two granddaughters. He serves currently as the Chairman of Hisco and an outside director at Zero Zone. As an advisory board member in the College of Business at the Florida Institute of Technology, he mentors students and is chairman of the curriculum committee. He was also an SCCA Florida Region Endurance Racing Class Champion in 2021 in an SRF3.

Bio:

Jay Walsh, President, Franklin Fueling Systems

Jay Walsh is vice president of Franklin Electric Co. Inc. and president of Franklin’s Fueling Systems business. He has more than 27 years of experience in the petroleum industry. Walsh started with Franklin in 1995, in the company then known as FE Petro. Over the years, he has been in many roles, all seeking to create value through customer success.

Bio:

Parrish Evans, NA Director of Sales, OPW Retail Fueling

Parrish Evans started with OPW in 2004 as the southeast district manager and moved to become eastern regional manager in 2010. He has been the North American Director of Sales for OPW’s Retail Fueling Division since 2013. Previously, Evans spent eight years with Hunt Oil and Refining Company in sales and marketing. He earned his AB Degree from the University of Georgia and currently resides with his wife Julie and family in Athens, Georgia

Bio:

Brad Baker, Executive Vice President, Husky 

Brad Baker is the executive vice president of Husky Corporation, a manufacturer of petroleum dispensing equipment, liquid level tank gauges, fuel additives and automotive aftermarket components. Baker’s undergraduate degree was from the University of Kansas and his graduate degree was from Washington University in St. Louis. He is married to his wife Darla and has two children, Kennedy and Chase. 

PEI Industry Reception

featuring Comedian Jimmy Tingle, Humor for Humanity

Show Description:

Comedian, commentator and founder of Humor for Humanity, Jimmy Tingle mixes his funniest comedic hits and newest, post-pandemic bits, to deliver the humor, hope and humanity the world so desperately needs in 2022.

Jimmy will take us on a hilarious and soul-searching journey from his Cambridge roots as an aspiring comic and street performer during the 1980s to the Tonight Show, 60 Minutes II, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a run for LT Governor of Massachusetts. He will speak to the challenges of the day with comedy, compassion and common sense while delivering a funny, passionate and purpose-driven tour de force performance.

If laughter is the best medicine, then Jimmy Tingle is the Surgeon General of political humor. He will make you laugh, think and feel better.  Just what the doctor ordered!

Bio:

Jimmy Tingle is a nationally recognized comedian, commentator, producer, actor and the founder of Humor for Humanity, a new social enterprise which raises spirits, funds and awareness for nonprofits through his work as a performer, emcee and auctioneer.

He has worked as a humorist and commentator for 60 Minutes II and MSNBC and has appeared on The Tonight Show, CNN, Conan O’Brien, Fresh Air with Terry Gross and in his own HBO half-hour comedy special. He recently made a cameo appearance with Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep on HBO.

Feature film work includes Next Stop Wonderland, Boondock Saints, Head of State (starring Chris Rock) and Clear History (starring Larry David). He also has appeared in several documentary films, including When Stand up Stood Out, Call Me Lucky (directed by Bobcat Goldthwait), Damned in the USA and America with the Top Down.

After earning a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government (where he was the graduate school commencement speaker for his class in 2010), he ran for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. As a first-time candidate for public office, he received 41% of the vote in the Massachusetts primary.

Based on his experience running for public office, he created a stage show, recorded at Harvard’s Sanders Theater on February 29, 2020, that illuminates his campaign with passion, purpose and a sense of humor.

Theatrical credits include writing, performing, and producing several one-person shows, including “Uncommon Sense,” “Jimmy Tingle for President—The Funniest Campaign in History,” and “Jimmy Tingle’s American Dream.”

Tingle has the rare distinction of winning Boston Magazine’s “Best of Boston” awards for “stand-up comedy” and “best alternative theater” for his work as the producer and artistic director of Jimmy Tingle’s Off-Broadway Theater in Somerville.

In addition to his master’s degree from Harvard, he earned a Bachelor of Arts from UMASS Dartmouth, where he majored in history and minored in education.

 

Closing Keynote:  The Power to Win

Sugar Ray Leonard

Session Description:

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. Making your dreams come true, staying at the top and dealing with change - all themes that people in every audience will relate to. Sugar Ray Leonard is a masterful speaker whose audiences come away with a renewed enthusiasm and commitment to being the best.

Bio:

Legendary sports icon, Olympic champion and Hall of Famer, philanthropist, bestselling author, television personality, ringside analyst and longtime face of Skechers’ popular Relaxed Fit collections, Leonard has established a legacy that epitomizes boxing and invokes the reverence of a champion. Leonard’s illustrious career outside of the ring merits like admiration, as a vanguard in the cultural movement that has brought the sport of boxing front and center today; Leonard also helms the Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation which celebrates its 12th anniversary this May, committed to funding life changing research for pediatric type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and helping children build early healthy habits.

Having learned to box at the young age of 14, Leonard’s celebrated career includes three National Golden Gloves titles, two Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championships and the 1975 Pan-American Games crown.  After winning a gold medal in boxing at the 1976 Olympic games, he turned professional as a last-ditch effort to help his family defer mounting medical bills incurred from father’s illness.  Blinding speed, tremendous power and palpable charm quickly made Leonard a media favorite, dubbed early on by the late Howard Cosell as the “new Muhammed Ali.”

At the age of 20 (1977), Leonard won his first professional fight, only setting the stage for a collection of the most memorable fights in all of boxing history.  He went on to defeat some of the greatest boxers of the modern era, from Wilfred Benetiz to Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Marvelous Marvin Hagler, from whom Leonard won the world middleweight title.  During his 20-year professional career, Leonard also won world titles in the welterweight, junior middleweight, super middleweight, and light heavyweight divisions— the first boxer to win world titles in five different weight classes.

In 2011, Leonard published his first autobiography (Viking Books) THE BIG FIGHT: My Life In and Out of the Ring. In the inspiring autobiography, the boxing legend vulnerably confronts his greatest competitor: himself. Leonard’s raw and uplifting memoir reveals in intimate detail for the first time the complex human who waged his own personal battle with depression, rage, addiction and greed, that lay behind the champion.

Leonard’s charismatic personality and expert ring knowledge led to a successful career as a television broadcaster for NBC, ABC, FOX, HBO and ESPN, also featured as the international commentator for the record-breaking Mayweather vs. McGregor fight. Other television credits include three consecutive seasons as host and mentor in the Emmy-nominated The Contender, and a fan-favorite contestant on ABC’s still reigning competition series Dancing with the Stars. Now, Leonard joins the DAZN broadcast team, the live and on-demand sports streaming platform, providing ringside analysis for Matchroom Boxing.

On the silver screen, Leonard appeared in the critically acclaimed Paramount Pictures film The Fighter, also expertly consulting for DreamWorks and Walt Disney Pictures’ on Hugh Jackman’s Real Steel.

Perhaps most importantly, some of Leonard’s most impactful work is yet to be done. With a deep calling toward and passion for humanity, Leonard has always been devoted to his community and to helping those in need. In establishing The Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation in 2009, Leonard and his wife, Bernadette took changing the world into their own capable hands. Since its inception a decade ago, the foundation has funded countless research projects and offered life changing patient care for children living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, the foundation is committed to helping children lead healthier lives through diet and exercise, equipping them with the tools to be successful in health later on. Leonard also lends his time to Habitat for Humanity, serves as co-chair for the Ambassadors of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and remains the international chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk for a Cure.