Featured Speakers

Robin Crowis a speaker, author, entrepreneur, business owner and one of the most innovative guitarists in the world. With over 2,000 presentations to his name, his expertise on leadership and customer service comes from 30 hard-won years in the trenches as an entrepreneur. For the past 13 of those years, he has led his company, Dark Horse Recording, a four studio complex he built from the ground up, to set the gold standard for customer service, and excellence in the recording industry and is home to Faith Hill, Neil Diamond, Michael W. Smith, Jewel, and Alison Krauss to name a few. He has had ten albums released and four books published, including Jump and The Net Will Appear, which has become required reading for many high schools and universities. Robin has been a contributor on CNN and Canada AM, and has made over 55 other national and major market television appearances. He is also a feature speaker for Nightingale Conant. Robin lives in Franklin, TN and serves on the boards of several organizations. He loves spending time enjoying some of his greatest passions – hanging out with his four children, throwing large barbecues for his studio clients and friends, and spending as much time as possible in the Rocky Mountains.

"Evolve or Die - Seven Steps to Rethink the Way You Do Business"
August 15 Opening General Session 8:00 - 10:00 am
With resource shortages, financial uncertainty, and global hyper-competition in full swing, it's a big scary world out there. Business is changing every day, and those changes are coming faster and faster. That's why entrepreneurs and business leaders who best adapt to those changes are the ones who will win the biggest. Going forward we must adapt to those changes, because creating more efficient business systems will become the Holy Grail of professional success. In this keynote (based on his new book Evolve or Die), Robin will show you how these problems are actually huge opportunities and he'll share solid examples of companies that have successfully reinvented themselves by adapting to ongoing events as they occur. Also in this presentation Robin Crow will present his Seven Step Challenge, which will serve as a powerful tool to revitalize your business.
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Roxanne Emmerich, CEO and Founder of The Emmerich Group works with banks that are in the top 5 percent and those who want to get there and stay there to double their profitability in half the time. New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week bestselling author, her many books include Profit-Growth Banking, which has been called "the bible of successful business" and Thank God It's Monday! How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love.

"Breakthrough Strategies of Smart Bankers"
August 15    Opening General Session    8:00 - 10:00 am
Sure, times are challenging. But an opportunity for those who know the rules have changed and are playing the right game. Roxanne Emmerich, CEO of The Emmerich Group, has worked with more than half of the top 1 percent performing banks and has taken many banks from "we have to sell" to number one or number two performer within their state. Based on her experience, she will share with you, regardless of your current situation, how you can:
1) Be a magnet to high-profit accounts while increasing your net interest margin by 40 basis points in a year...even while your compeitors give away the farm
2) Get everyone on your team accountable to the critical drivers for their positions that will move cross sales, net interest margin, core deposit, and loan growth dials quickly
3) Create high-profit low-risk loan demand while all your competitors complain that loan demand has dried up
4) Discover how to capture the 1 out of 3 dollars (according to Gallup) lost due to employee disengagement
5) Have more fun...really, it doesn't have to feel like a Mongolian Goat Rodeo every day!

"Breakout session - "Breakthrough Strategies of Smart Bankers Brought to Life"
August 15    Breakout Session    10:15 - 11:45 am
This is a "roll up your sleeves" session to get your questions answered about how to implement the top strategies of the top performing banks. Based on the history of Roxanne's sessions, this session will max out so get there early...you won't want to miss this!
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Dorothy Rich is a Consumer Affairs Senior Examiner with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. During her eleven years with the Division of Supervision, Regulation, and Credit, she has examined member banks for compliance with consumer protection laws and regulations. Prior to her work with the Federal Reserve Bank, Dorothy worked at a number of commercial banks in the credit and compliance areas, including as a compliance officer. She is a Certified Community Bank Compliance Officer through the Independent Community Bankers of America. Dorothy has a paralegal certificate from the Minnesota Paralegal Institute and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota.

"Managing Compliance Risk in Challenging Times"
August 15    Breakout Session    1:15 - 3:00 pm
   Managing compliance risk has likely become more challenging for your community bank in recent years. New regulatory requirements, more complicated product offerings, and safety and soundness-related demands have stressed institutions' compliance management programs. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Senior Examiner Doroty Rich will discuss how to identify and manage your institution's compliance risks effectively, even in these challenging times. She'll address the importance of your compliance management program and how compliance risk management can fit effectively within an enterprise-wide risk management program. Ms. Rich will also discuss some of today's more significant compliance risks, including the compliance implications of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
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Tony Cole has a lifelong focus on helping people and organizations achieve their personal best. As a former educator and university coach, Tony helped individuals learn how to improve their game not by 'running faster' but with significant and tactical behavioral changes. After 10 years in direct sales and sales management, Tony transitioned his passion for extraordinary performance and in 1993 began to ignite the fire with other firms. In working with hundreds of organizations on their sales leadership and sales training for more than 15 years, Tony has helped companies to understand the essential components of an effectively driven sales managed environment. These include setting standards and accountability, coaching, motivating, upgrading your sales force and growing by managing the numbers.

"The 5 Keys to Successful Sales Teams"
August 15    Breakout Session    3:15 - 4:45 pm
What does it take to be a great sales coach? If you've figured that out, you have mastered the most important job of every manager. In the end, a great coach and leader help their co-workers achieve their personal goals and dreams which lead to achievement of goals for the company. But how? This session will teach you how to identify the skills every sales coach/leader must have as well as how to change sales behavior by using specific coaching techniques. You will leave with the tools you need to bring out the best in your co-workers in order to hit and exceed your revenue targets. Attendees will also learn how to approach the coaching discussion with your co-workers - there is a best process for best results; utilize a 'coaching drill down' question technique in order to uncover sales obstacles and action plans; and implement a 'sales success formula and 10% difference' process that will increase sales immediately.

"Ignite the Fire Within"
August 16    Annual Prayer Breakfast Keynote    8:30 - 9:30 am
Life changed forever on September 8, 1998 for Linda and Tony Cole, the day their 12-year old son suffered a heart attack and devastating brain injury. "Nothing prepares you for that dreaded phone call telling you that your 12-year old son is being air-lifted to the hospital. Nothing prepares you for the meeting that you have with neurosurgeons when they tell you that your son will only have a very small chance of leading a normal independent life. Nothing prepares you for this. Not even God. God has not promised us anything other than that He gave up His only Son for us and that we should fear not for He would be with us." (spoken by Tony Cole) And so it has been over the last 12 years and with their strong faith, Tony and Linda Cole have managed to survive. They have done everything possible to help their son Anthony lead a meaningful life maximizing the limited capabilities that he has. They have also raised their talented daughter, Alex, who is currently a sophomore in college. And perhaps most significantly, they have managed to keep their marriage of 25 years together. God did not prepare them for that one moment, but God has prepared them for all the moments since then. Tony will share this very personal story of how to find the courage to do whatever it takes regardless of the circumstances you face. His message of strength, courage, fun and love will leave you crying, laughing and striving to cherish and live each day to the fullest. Tony and Linda's recently published book, "Resurrecting Anthony", will be on sale after his presentation.

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Jim Nowak is Vice President-Risk Management with United Bankers' Bank. Jim received his B.S. in Finance from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Prior to joining UBB in 2002, he had eight years of Asset Liability Management and Economic Forecasting experience working for several institutions, one with $5 billion in assets. Jim developed and manages, ALMEdge, UBB's asset liability modeling product. Jim is a former member of the faculty at the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, teaching courses in Asset/Liability management. Jim is a guest commentator on Fox9 news on matters of finance and economics.

"Economic Fact vs. Economic Fiction"
August 16    9:45 - 10:45 am
This session will take an unbiased look at the reality of our current economic situation and what it means for the rest of 2011 and beyond. Separating economic fact vs. economic fiction will hopefully help bankers avoid potentially critical mistakes in positioning/managing your balance sheet and your liquidity in what is to surely be a volatile next couple years.
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Jim Reber is President and CEO of ICBA Securities. He has over 25 years of financial services experience, and is a frequent speaker and lecturer at bank investment seminars and workshops. Jim also writes a monthly investment column for Independent Banker magazine. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Financial Analyst. Jim holds a BS degree in Accounting from Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee.

"No Credit Risk Lending and Investing"
August 16 11:00 - Noon
Community bankers are faced with a menu of unappetizing choices in 2011. They have more liquidity than anytime in the recent past, and credit quality remains iffy. Also, yields are expected to remain low for another year or more. Further, many lenders are risk-averse due to regulatory or capital issues. This session will discuss the current lending and investment landscape for community banks and will offer some suggestions for balancing risk versus reward to find the optimum. Included are bonds that are issued by GNMA and SBA.
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Corey Perlman is the author of a social media and Internet marketing book, eBoot Camp, which became an Amazon.com bestseller and is in major bookstores worldwide. Corey's company, eBoot Camp, Inc., is a social media marketing company that builds and manages online marketing campaigns for businesses. In 2010, Corey conducted his critically acclaimed eBoot Camp Workshop at more than 25 conferences and events in cities across North America. Corey and his wife reside in beautiful Royal Oak, MI and recently welcomed their first child,Talia, into the world. In her first year, Talia has already tweeted, posted a youtube video, and has a Facebook page.

"Expand the Digital Footprint of Your Community Bank"
August 16 Closing General Session 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Corey Perlman, bestselling author of the social media and Internet marketing book eBoot Camp, will share social media strategies to help you engage and create deeper relationships with your customers. You'll leave with concrete action steps on how to use tools like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to increase your local reach and build trust and credibility within your community.
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Rory Aplanalp has impacted the lives of more than one million people across the globe. Known for his high energy and ability to make people laugh, Rory's heart-touching presentations are interspersed with humor and personal anecdotes. Rory has lived and worked in the real business world. He began his career as an Evans Training personnel franchise owner and later become the national Training Director. He then founded his own company, Human Resource Development, a leader in the sales training field. In 1984, Franklin Quest bought Human Resource Development. For more than fourteen years, Rory was affiliated with Franklin Quest/Franklin Covey and was distinguished as their top seminar and keynote speaker. Today he is president of Rory Aplanalp & Associates, which offers value-based time management, sales, and human potential seminars and keynote addresses. Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, Rory resides in Houston, TX and enjoys spending time with his family. He believes that his greatest success is being able to have a lasting positive impact on others and gains his greatest satisfaction in helping people gain control over their lives.

"Time Tactics for the Electronic Age"
August 16 Closing General Session 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Ben Franklin said, "If you value your life; value your time, because time is the stuff life is made of." Time Tactics is a whole-life approach to time management that integrates the multiple and complex demands of an overloaded lifestyle. Taught with humor and real-life examples, participants will enjoy learning skills they can apply to their own conflicting priorities and begin to find direction to their daily lives.
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James Wedgewood's show is simply "The Most Fun You Can Have Without Moving Your Lips!" James uses amazing comic ventriloquism, outrageous characters, and hilarious audience participation to bring truly memorable entertainment to your event. Like a one-man variety show, James makes virtually everything talk - from hilarious wooden "associates," to purses, bottles, and even audience members (yes, they just open their mouths and James provides the surprising words)! A game show, singing, (without moving his lips) and much more are all part of the fun.