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    2024 PACC Business Summit Speakers

    Keynote Speaker - 10:30-11:30 a.m.

    Sponsored by Verde Security

    Your Secret Sauce: Understanding Yourself & Your Leadership Style to Impact Others

    In this fast-paced session, you will have the opportunity to discover the strengths and weaknesses of the natural tendencies of your leadership style. Learn how your style impacts others, and identify how to read others to see their style so you can adapt and lead them successfully. Come prepared to learn, laugh, and leave a better LEADER. Having this self-awareness and ability to read others also helps with working in teams, collaborating with life/work partners and colleagues, and even understanding and connecting with customers.

    If you have not done so already, please go to this link to take the free DiSC Assessment to receive your DiSC Style. There is a fee for the full report, but you do not need to get the full report. Simply come to the PACC Business Summit knowing what your DiSC style is from taking the free assessment. (If you do not wish to take the assessment, you can still benefit from this keynote presentation. You'll probably recognize your style from the discussion or from other assessments you may have completed).

    SPEAKER:
    Sean Olson, CEO
    Renogize Professional Coaching

    Sean has over 25 years of experience developing and empowering people, universities and organizations. He has been fortunate to work with individuals and teams from Fortune 100s to start-ups. A significant amount of his work has been in Higher Education working with academic leaders. As an Executive Coach, Sean works with individuals, teams, and groups in becoming self-aware and building a road map to success. His clients credit him with improving their leadership skills, their confidence, their ability to impact their organization and setting them up for success and promotions.

    As an accomplished speaker and motivator, Sean leads workshops and seminars to develop leadership skills, emotional intelligence, conflict management, and a culture of coaching. He motivates and challenges people to achieve beyond their goals. 

    Lunch Panel - 12:45-1:30 p.m. (box lunch provided)

    Sponsored by Buji Action Coach

    Building Bridges: Strategies for Trust, Reputation, and Relationship Management

    In the competitive landscape of today’s market, building and maintaining trust is key to attracting and retaining customers. This panel explores how brands can cultivate authentic connections within their communities to drive customer loyalty and growth. Through dynamic discussions and practical insights, panelists will share proven strategies for establishing trust, engaging with customers meaningfully, and fostering a loyal customer base.

    Takeaways:

    • Crafting Trustworthy Brand Narratives: Learn how to create and communicate a brand story that resonates with your audience and builds lasting trust.
    • Engaging with Authenticity: Discover techniques for engaging with your community in a genuine way that fosters strong, trust-based relationships with customers, and learn the roles that vendors, partners, and employees play in this goal.
    • Handling Feedback and Building Loyalty: Gain insights into effectively managing customer feedback, addressing concerns, and using these interactions to strengthen your brand’s reputation.
    • Creating a Community-Centric Brand Culture: Explore strategies for embedding community values into your brand’s operations and messaging to create a deeper connection with your audience.
    • Real-World Success Stories: Benefit from case studies and examples of brands that successfully drive performance through integrity and trust, particularly within their communities, showcasing practical applications of the pillars of trust building.

     

    PANELISTS:
    Judy Dollison
    President
    Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio

    BBB of Central Ohio is a nonprofit aimed at building and elevating trustworthy businesses and organizations. Prior to being named president in 2021, Judy led BBB’s marketing and communications efforts as its Vice President. Her distinguished professional career has included executive marketing roles with Panera Bread, Dispatch Media Group, and GSW Advertising.

    Dalia Kalgreen
    Board of Trustee Member at Columbus Apartment Association
    Board Member of WSBA

    With nearly two decades of experience across various facets of real estate, including development, residential and commercial ventures in diverse markets nationwide, Dalia brings a wealth of expertise to the table. As a strategic thinker, Dalia is responsible for devising and executing comprehensive marketing and training strategies for all business units within the organization. Dalia's exceptional management skills and problem-solving acumen are complemented by her keen ability to harness the power of advancing technologies. 

    Dalia's extensive industry knowledge extends to pioneering the implementation of both traditional and digital strategies, leveraging market analytics, managing corporate brand identities, fostering business development, and staying ahead of the latest tech stacking trends. Additionally, Dalia actively participates in multiple committees, reflecting a strong commitment to partnering with organizations that prioritize giving back to the communities they serve.

    Bethany George
    The Follow Up Boss

    Bethany is an entrepreneur at heart, her journey has taken her in and out of many careers. From freelancer, to corporate sales, as a solopreneur and more, her deepest desire was to understand HOW to make sales work in a people-first, value-based model. Not the creepy sales that so many of us have learned. Through it all, she has developed a proven method to support passion-drive, people-first businesses to sell in a way that is aligned with their core values, increases their results, oftentimes without increasing their marketing efforts. She is a lifelong Ohioian, a mom to five kids, a nature-lover, herbalist, and community builder.

    Coffee & Networking Reception - 9:30-10:15 a.m. 

    Sponsored by The Savings Bank

    After you register, start your morning with some coffee/juice, fruit, and pastries will networking with others and visiting with the vendors in the Trade Show! 

    After Hours Networking Social - 3:30- 5 p.m. at Outerbelt Brewery

    Sponsored by ServPro

    After learning and networking at the Business Summit, enjoy some "down time" with fellow PACC members and Business Summit registrants at Outerbelt Brewery! Everyone is welcome whether or not you attend the Summit. Summit registrants' first round is courtesy of ServPro!

    Breakout Session Options (choose 3 sessions, and create your schedule when registering)

    Building Resilience in Business, Leadership, & Life - (Available in Session 2)

    Sponsored by Park National Bank

    This workshop is designed to ignite or reignite your passion for maintaining your business and for continued, personal growth in leadership and in life. Learn how to keep going when starting and maintaining your business, as well as how to be and/or remain resilient in leadership and life. Charlene will have her book, "The Leader’s Ship: Navigating and Team Building," available for purchase ($14.99).

    Topics covered:

    • Recognizing The Signs Of Burnout  
    • How To Recover Lost Passion
    • Breathe Just Breathe
    • Identifying and Maintaining Areas Of Personal Growth
    • Regaining and Maintaining Your Focus
    • Preparing For Your Next In Business and Life: Business/Life Blueprint

    SPEAKER:
    Charlene Free
    Flow of Life, LLC

    Charlene is an accomplished speaker, author, spoken word artist, moderator and transformational leader, who has a passion for inspiring audiences relative to self-care, emotional intelligence, leadership development, domestic violence prevention and recovery, and other inspirational, wellness, and motivational topics. She is the author of "The Leader's Ship: Navigating and Team Building." 

    Breakout Session

    HR Legal Landmines (a.k.a. Employment Law for Business Owners) - (Available in Sessions 1 and 3)

    Sponsored by Park National Bank

    Most business owners wear so many hats, they can refer to themselves as a hat rack! And often the hardest hat to wear is HR Director. How can you possibly know all there is about employment law AND run your everyday business operations? This session will provide you with info on current and everyday issues that you need to know to keep things running smoothly…and to cover yourself when they don’t.

    Topic covered:

    • Minimum wage and overtime, including changes to the exempt test that occurred on 7/1 and will occur on 1/1/25
    • Worker classification: employee vs. independent contractor, including recent changes to definition of independent contractor under the FLSA
    • Undocumented workers and the I-9 form
    • Paid leave
    • Marijuana—medical, legal, and otherwise
    • Harassment prevention
    • Status of non-compete ban
    • Notices and employee handbook updates for 2024

    SPEAKER:
    Mindi Wells, Esq.
    Wells Law, LLC

    Mindi started her career leading the first-ever HR department at Ohio Northern University (department of one) and has a passion for providing tools for the people who are in the trenches every day. She has been a CEO, COO, and Chief Human Resources Officer, as well as being an attorney.  She is now in private practice providing advice and counsel to small businesses throughout the state on the day-to-day curveballs facing their businesses (i.e. bullying/harassment complaint, severance packages, employee handbooks, policies for pets at work, marijuana, and remote work). She also conducts workplace investigations and training for supervisors and employees. 

    Breakout Session 

    How to Continually Add New Customers - (Available in Sessions 1 and 3)

    Sponsored by Competitive Edge HR

    As business owners, our most critical objective is to continually add new customers. Yet, many owners struggle with where to begin. In this session, you'll discover the Growth Track process—a comprehensive approach to formulating and implementing a growth strategy rooted in a robust sales and marketing process that establishes trust with potential customers. Join this engaging session and leave with the confidence and tools to continually add new customers, driving sustained growth for your business.

    Takeaways:

    • Tips for greater results from online marketing
    • Strategies for sustainable business growth
    • Ideas for leveraging digital marketing

    SPEAKER:
    Matt Yerkes
    Cultivate

    Matt Yerkes has been an entrepreneur for 20 years and founded Cultivate based on the belief that for most of us, entrepreneurship is the best opportunity that we have to change the trajectory of our life in a way that will impact our family for generations.

    Matt’s entrepreneur experience has been rooted in marketing, web and software technology but has also included commercial real estate development, hospitality, food service and nonprofits. Matt advises dozens of businesses each year in the areas of their business launch, sales strategy and digital marketing.

    Breakout Session

    Hidden Financial Metrics Crucial to Business Growth and Performance - (Available in Sessions 1 and 2)

    Sponsored by SeibertKeck Insurance Partners

    All successful businesses need to effectively manage the financials that drive profits to the bottom line. Few businesses, however, know or manage these key metrics to truly leverage and accelerate growth. At this interactive presentation, you will gain a new way to look at your business to effectively drive and systematically ensure growth.

    Takeaways:

    • How to grow your bottom line 61% this year with small, simple improvements in 5 key areas
    • The financial formulas and strategies you need to know to maximize profitability
    • How to better manage marketing and sales to ensure you are getting a consistent ROI

    SPEAKER:
    Craig Hohnberger
    Buji ActionCOACH

    Craig is a creative, passionate, introspective leader, dynamic speaker, business coach and entrepreneur whose expertise on sales, leadership, team building, business growth and personal development is world renowned. One of Craig’s greatest joys is to help people gain clarity on their future and take control over their careers so they can look back on life with no regrets. But more than just a motivational experience, you’ll learn how to think out of the box in all your efforts as Craig will deliver actual strategies, activities, and exercises participants need to achieve to get more out of life.

    Breakout Session

    The Human Element of Cybersecurity     - (Available in Sessions 1 and 3)

    Sponsored by Central Ohio Insurance Services

    Security attacks are orchestrated by individuals working alone or groups of individuals working in concert to attack an organization and intentionally harm its people, IT resources, data, or some combination of the three. Security breaches may seem random, detached, and faceless. But in reality, most attacks are done by exploiting human trust. During this interactive session, we will simulate a data breach and how to recover from it and discuss ways to keep your business—and data—safe.

    Takeaways:

    • Ways—often unexpected—that businesses are compromised
    • Simple (and free) tools and methods to keep your business safe
    • How to protect data, including customer info and financials

    SPEAKER:
    Matt Connell
    Niten Technologies

    Matt is an IT engineer and the owner of Niten Technologies. He has worked in roles ranging from support to security to management at the local and national level. He is passionate about technology and making sure small businesses have access to the best technology solutions available.

    Breakout Session
    Managing Your Vision One Incremental Bite at a Time - (Available in Sessions 2 and 3)

    Sponsored by Phil King Health Markets Insurance Agency

    The proverb “There is only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time” means, of course, that any task—no matter how difficult—can be accomplished by breaking it down into smaller parts and taking them on one at a time. This “incremental” approach is the latest strategy for businesses in growth planning, achieving more manageable goals that allow for pivoting and adapting more quickly to changing times.

    This workshop will look at how to use incremental vision statements, pivots, and trend analysis for growth and internal planning rather than an overarching vision statement. These tools help to create better and more agile business success as you examine sales, reach, facilities, workforce, or other items that are important for growth. You’ll learn how to use trend analysis through data acquisition (information gained through sources including the Columbus Metropolitan Library system) to anticipate the impact of trends, adjust your vision based on trends and company performance, and/or consider a strategy of pivoting into something new.

    Takeaways:

    • Formula for better internal vision construction
    • Understanding of data usage for decision-making
    • Assessing when to pivot

    SPEAKER:
    Dr. Terri Lechton

    Terri Lechton currently leads a module for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program conducted yearly at Columbus State Community College, Sinclair Community College (Dayton), and Cincinnati State campuses presenting ideas about strategy and vision to help small business owners grow their businesses. She has worked with students and entrepreneurs in the development of over 750 business plans.

    She has over 15 years of university teaching and academic administration experience. She teaches Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Strategy at both the undergraduate and graduate level at Columbus State Community College and University of Maryland Global Campus.

    Her corporate experience spans several industries (education, utilities, healthcare, manufacturing, nonprofit and consulting). Most of her career was spent in introducing process and organizational improvements, change management, strategy development, intraprenuership, and leadership training. In her consulting positions, she has worked with a number of Fortune 500 companies.

    She has a BS in Engineering, MBA and a Doctorate in Management. Her dissertation topic was “Effect of Geographic Migration on the Ability to Leverage Social Capital during Entrepreneurial Startup in the Manufacturing Belt”. In her spare time, she enjoys travel and writing/speaking about adding adventure into your life.

    Breakout Session

    SEO Secrets for Small Business Success: Simple Steps to Get Found Online - (Available in Sessions 1 and 2)

    Sponsored by Pickerington Magazine

    Unlock the potential of your small business with search engine optimization (SEO)! This workshop introduces you to essential strategies that can boost your website’s visibility, get ranked higher on Google, drive more traffic, and attract more customers. You'll learn how to find the right keywords for your ads and website, optimize your website, and use affordable tools to track your performance; all in a way that's practical and easy to implement. (This is not for businesses that only wish to have an online presence through social media.)

    Takeaways:

    • Understand SEO basics
    • Find marketable keywords and analyze competitor website
    • Complete a website audit
    • Optimize your website for user experience
    • Enhance your "Google My Business" profile


    SPEAKERS:
    Beth Backes
    Beth Backes Brand: SEO and Market Research

    Beth Backes is the Director of Market Research and SEO Strategy at Ohio University, where she leads initiatives to enhance the university's online visibility and market reach. In addition to her role at the university, Beth owns and operates Beth Backes Brand, a freelance business dedicated to helping local small businesses boost their online presence. With a keen focus on niche markets, Beth specializes in developing tailored SEO strategies that drive targeted website traffic and improve search engine rankings, empowering her clients to thrive in digital marketing.

    Breakout Session

    Stranger to Friend in 7 Minutes - (Available in Sessions 2 and 3)

    Sponsored by Coldwell Banker Realty

    Learn how to create a conversation with a complete stranger in 7 minutes and become a networking genius. With examples from rideshare driving, networking events, and company outings, understand the 7 skills in D.I.A.L.O.G.U.E., after the Discovery phase. Utilize 2-way communication to enable mutual persuasion, and the stranger you engage will exclaim, "what a great conversation!"

    Takeaways:

    • Develop “conversation detective” skills: looking or listening for clues
    • Keep the conversation going: pivot from topic to topic effortlessly
    • Become attractional: no need to be annoying or pushy


    SPEAKER:
    Adam Gongwer
    7DialogueMoments.com

    Adam has not met a stranger he didn’t like. He draws on his 12 years as a Hostage Negotiator, and 5 years as a rideshare driver, to break down the barriers in starting that conversation with a stranger. Adam has developed a 7-step skill set, implemented over 7 minutes, to remove the fear and anxiety of networking, working the room, or just simply walking up to that unknown person. With the people he meets, Adam leaves them wanting more, and they will say “what a great conversation!”