Keppler Power Speaker Bios
Chester Elton
Best-Selling Author of The Carrot Principle
Called the "apostle of appreciation," by the Globe and Mail, Canada's largest newspaper, and "creative and refreshing" by the New York Times, Chester Elton is co-author of several successful leadership books. The Carrot Principle by Simon & Schuster has been a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller and The 24-Carrot Manager has been called a "must read for modern-day managers" by Larry King of CNN. In 2006, The Invisible Employee, from John Wiley & Sons also made the New York Times best-seller list. Elton's books have been translated into over 20 languages and have sold over half a million copies worldwide.
As a motivation expert, Chester has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Fast Company magazine, and the New York Times, and has been a guest on CNN, Bloomberg Television, ABC, Money Matters, MSNBC, and on National Public Radio. A sought-after speaker and recognition consultant, Chester is the senior vice president of the Carrot Culture Group with the O.C. Tanner Recognition Company.
Chester has spoken to delighted audiences from Seattle to Singapore and from Toronto to Istanbul Turkey. In 2005 he was the highest rated speaker at the national Society for Human Resource Management annual conference (Bill Cosby was the number two rated speaker). He serves as a recognition consultant to Fortune 100 firms such as DHL, KPMG, Wal-Mart and Avis Budget Group.
Adrian Gostick
Best-Selling Author of The Carrot Principle
Adrian Gostick is the author of several best-selling books on corporate culture, including the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal best-seller The Carrot Principle. He also wrote the best-sellers The Integrity Advantage and The 24-Carrot Manager. His research on employee engagement has been called a “must read for modern-day managers” by Larry King of CNN, “fascinating” by Fortune magazine, and “admirable and startling” by the Wall Street Journal.
Gostick’s books have been translated into 20 languages and are sold in more than 50 countries around the world. As a leadership expert, he has appeared on numerous national television programs including NBC’s Today Show, and has been quoted in dozens of business publications and magazines.
Gostick is vice president of the Carrot Culture division, the consulting and training arm of the O.C. Tanner Recognition Company. Gostick earned a master’s degree in strategic communication and leadership from Seton Hall University, where he is a guest lecturer on organizational culture.
Ken Schmidt
Branding Guru and Former Director of Communications for Harley-Davidson
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.”
Today, Schmidt shares his expertise with many of America’s leading brands, but happily states that he is “semi-retired,” which allows him to pursue his other passions. He calls working with the grandson of one of Harley-Davidson’s founders to create the book, 100 Years of Harley-Davidson, one of the greatest highs in his lifetime. After all he has accomplished, his philosophy of life and business hasn’t changed: “Never do what’s expected, make yourself as noticeably different as possible, and have a lot more fun than you’re supposed to.”
| Speakers services are provided and sponsored by: |  |