SPEAKERS

Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker, Business Leadership Coach, a Twelve-time New York Times Best-selling Author, Host of the top-rated Corporate Competitor Podcast, National Geographic’s “Storyteller in Residence,” and longtime Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated

As a recent inductee to the National Speakers Hall of Fame, a twelve-time New York Times Best-selling author, host of the top-rated Corporate Competitor Podcast, Publisher of Forbes Books, Storyteller in Residence for National Geographic, Executive Leadership Coach, and longtime Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated, Don Yaeger has fashioned a career as one of America's most provocative thought leaders.  

He is primarily sought to discuss lessons on achieving Greatness, learned from first-hand work alongside some of the greatest sports and business legends in the world.  Additionally, Don has been retained by companies and organizations to coach their leaders on building a culture of Greatness, using the framework built through his exhaustive study of Great Teams in sports and business, discerning the lessons we can learn from them.  Throughout his writing career, Don has developed a reputation as a world-class storyteller, in fact, renowned thought leaders such as John Maxwell and Simon Sinek have called Don the best storyteller they have ever worked with! Because of these achievements, Don has been invited as a guest to every major talk show - from Oprah to Fox Business News, from CNN to Good Morning America.

In 2020 Don launched the Corporate Competitor Podcast, which Podcast Magazine quickly recognized as one of the Top 50 Podcasts in America. By 2022 Spotify had listed Corporate Competitor Podcast in the top five percent of the most followed and shared podcasts in the world. Among the guests interviewed by Don for episodes of the podcast have been former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the CEOs of Disney, Delta Airlines, Bank of America, Hendrick Motorsports, KPMG, FanDuel, Chick-fil-A, Insight Enterprises, TopGolf, Mayo Clinic, BET Media and Ritz Carlton.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Don has traveled extensively through his career.  A graduate of Ball State University where he was selected as one of the university's “50 Graduates of Distinction” over its first century and subsequently was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2022, Don now resides in Tallahassee, Florida. He and his wife, Jeanette, have a son (Will) and a daughter (Madeleine).

Learn more at www.donyaeger.com  or contact don at donw@greatnessinc.com.

Senior Manager, Baker Tilly

Presentation: “Evaluating a Business Transition – the Human Side”

Dominic has provided financial planning solutions and investment advice to his clients since 2013. Primarily serving closely held businesses, executives, and families, he helps them prepare for transactions, retirement, and other complex wealth management needs by leveraging his expertise in cash flow planning, investment diversification, and risk management.

CISO, Hoop5

Presentation: “Navigating Cybersecurity: A Guide to Threats, Defenses, and Compliance”

As Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Russ provides strategic guidance and security consulting to Hoop5 customers by working to align business objectives with technology solutions. Russ works to meet the unique needs of each client by developing IT Security strategies with a focus on DFARS, CMMC, ITAR, & NIST compliance.

Russ has over 20 years of IT and industry experience including procurement developer with a focus in security for SDG&E, and as a government contractor. Russ’ technical training and background include: Microsoft, VMware, Duo, Webroot, InTune, Meraki, Barracuda, Perception Point, SentinelOne, Citrix, and Fortinet. Russ has earned his CMMC Registered Practitioner (RP) and Certified CMMC Professional (CCP) certifications.

Principal, FMI Consulting

Presentation: “Hard Hats & Headwinds: What’s Next for Construction Markets?”

Will’s career at FMI focuses on corporate strategy and operational improvement with firms serving the built environment. Will partners with private equity investors and equity holders to understand the state of operations and organizational potential in their targets and holdings. He provides operational assessments and value-creation mapping to support (or challenge) investment theses. Post acquisition, he helps design and implement value-creation strategies. Common areas of operational improvement focus are work-in-progress reporting, cost-to-completes and project controls. 

Will’s experience includes working with mid-sized single location and large multi-branch field service providers specializing in mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP), underground utilities, excavation, overhead utilities, roofing, heavy civil, clearing, and inspection and testing. Two areas of particular operational focus are information management and fleet management. With a background in information technology consulting focused on project management, analytics and business strategy, Will ties operational capabilities with organization information flow.

Associate Professor, Colorado State University

Presentation: “Concrete Cash: Navigating Project-Level Cash Flows in Construction”

John Killingsworth is an Associate Professor at Colorado State University, teaching in the Department of Construction Management.  His teaching and research are centered in construction finance, economics, and managerial accounting.

He has served on the CFMA Bencharker Committee for nearly eight years, and often speaks at CFMA conferences on the results of the survey. Some of his published work can be found in CFMA’s Building Profits magazine including a recent article, “Mitigating Risk & Uncertainty: Capital Concerns when Choosing a GC as a Building Partner” (Sep/Oct 2023 issue).

Austin Bridge & Road

Presentation: “The New Ledger: Cultivating Culture in the Accounting Department”

Counsel, Gray Reed; Member, Texas House of Representatives

Presentation: “The Legal Landscape: Texas Legislative Changes and Their Impact on Construction”

Jeff Leach focuses on commercial and civil litigation, construction law and real estate. He was reelected to serve his seventh term in the Texas House of Representatives, representing House District 67 in Collin County. Since taking office in 2013, Jeff has served on the House Committee on Economic and Small Business Development, the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, the House Committee on Government Transparency and Operations and the House Committee on Rules & Resolutions. He has served as Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Urban Affairs and on the Texas House Republican Caucus Policy Committee. Additionally, Jeff was assigned to chair the House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence for the 86th, 87th and 88th Legislative Sessions.

At Gray Reed, Jeff serves as outside general counsel for general contractors and various other construction clients. Jeff’s philosophy is to be an effective advocate by advising clients on the various options to resolve disputes and communicating directly with opposing parties and their counsel, judges, arbitrators and mediators to resolve disputes efficiently without the need for trial or arbitration. If necessary, he will leverage his experience to fully protect his client’s interests in adversarial proceedings, be it in the courtroom or in arbitration.

Executive Vice President, Lockton Dunning Benefits

Presentation: “Prescription Hazards: Medication Risks on the Jobsite”

Christian joined the Lockton Dunning team as Vice President and Producer in 2011. With more than 20 years of experience, Christian specializes in designing health plans that are fully integrated with wellness solutions, helping employers manage the demand side of healthcare. He served previously as co-founder of Health at Work Wellness Actuaries and, most recently, as Vice President and Executive Director of Cooper Benefits, where he developed the business model for Cooper Aerobics Center’s entrance into group employee benefits and corporate wellness consulting.

Christian sold some of the earliest consumer-driven health plans in the United States while working at Destiny Health (now The Vitality Group). He also gained international experience at NMG Consultants and Actuaries in South Africa and Southeast Asia. There he helped implement consumer-driven health plans and wellness solutions to employers in the large- and mid-market before similar insurance models began launching in the United States.

Christian speaks frequently to human resource professionals and corporate financial managers about managing healthcare costs with both insurance plan designs and wellness programs. Christian has been featured several times in the Dallas Business Journal for his innovative insurance plan designs and wellness solutions.

Advising Consultant, Epic Rivers Leadership

Presentation: “Managing Tough Conversations in Construction”

Ed is a seasoned consultant with over 35 years of experience helping companies across six continents solve their most significant challenges. Specializing in leadership development, succession planning, and business strategy, Ed leverages his extensive background in consulting and business ownership to identify clients' needs and provide long-term solutions.  

Having worked in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors, Ed has owned several businesses and developed a keen understanding of the obstacles faced by today's organizations. At Epic Rivers, Ed demonstrates a commitment to partnering with clients and creating comprehensive plans that foster long-term success. 

With expertise in leadership development at all levels, strategic planning, communication enhancement, and personnel transition, Ed offers tailored programs and consulting services grounded in the latest research. His dedication to client success has made him a trusted advisor for companies seeking to foster strong leaders and enhance team dynamics.

Principal, Baker Tilly

Presentation: “Evaluating a Business Transition – the Human Side”

Michelle has practiced public accounting since 1993. As a member of the Private Clients team, she serves as a senior technical advisor specializing in estates, gifts, and trusts.

Throughout her career, Michelle has dedicated herself to serving closely-held businesses, their owners, and families, providing tailored solutions to meet their unique financial needs. She is widely recognized for her technical tax knowledge, particularly in relation to flow-through entity structures, business succession and transition issues, and comprehensive income, gift, and estate tax planning.

Partner, Gray Reed

Presentation: “The Legal Landscape: Texas Legislative Changes and Their Impact on Construction”

Clients rely on J.P. to guide them through every phase of sophisticated, time-sensitive commercial construction projects and resolve disputes when they don't go as planned. J.P. focuses on brainstorming new ways for clients to seize opportunities and overcome challenges – whether he's helping an international company manage the chaotic construction of a Gulf Coast industrial facility, negotiating the high-leverage construction contracts for an office building project or defending clients during complex construction defect litigation. His clients are major players across the entire industry, including owners, general contractors, specialty subcontractors, suppliers and manufacturers.

As clients grow and their projects become more complex, J.P. and his deep bench of construction lawyers are there guiding and protecting them every step of the way. While J.P.'s clients value his ability to solve problems after they've already taken shape and damage control is the only option, where he truly makes an impact is when a project is already underway, a problem is just starting to develop, and the client trusts him to find the right solution before it's too late. This proactive approach often requires J.P. to look beyond the contract and find a creative strategy that not only enables the project to move forward but also minimizes risk.

Founder, First Rule Contract Training

Presentation: “Blueprint for Success: Avoiding Pitfalls in Construction Contracts”

Eliot is a teacher and a national public speaker as well as being a seasoned (37 years and counting) and fairly cynical construction lawyer. In 2018, he founded First Rule Contract Training because he realized that teaching construction professionals how to avoid problems was vastly preferable to profiting off of those problems as a lawyer. In 2022, Eliot was engaged by Crowe, LLP, a national accounting and consulting firm, to teach construction law to its proprietary AI which has now been relaunched as First Rule Contract Manager. 
 
In addition to his passion for teaching, Eliot is equally stalwart in his absolute refusal to shave until he is accepted by polite society.