Speakers

Summit Keynote Speaker

David Ward David J. Ward, President and founder of NorthStar Economics, was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He earned a BBA, MBA and Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Dr. Ward completed a thirty-one year career in the University of Wisconsin System in July, 2000. He held teaching positions at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay and University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh, which recently honored him by awarding him the Chancellor's Medallion.

In May of 2000, Dr. Ward established NorthStar Economics. Since that time, he has given presentations on Wisconsin and the New Economy to over ninety groups. This presentation highlights the economic challenges facing Wisconsin as the New Economy emerges.

NorthStar Economics was a consultant on the Northeast Wisconsin Economic Opportunity Study, published in 2004. Dr. Ward will review the strategies outlined in the study and bring us up to date on the state of Wisconsin’s economy.

NEW END Speakers

NEW END Keynote Speaker

LeRoy Butler In a leap from football to the business of selling cars, former Green Bay Packers all-pro safety LeRoy Butler and a partner purchased a Ford dealership in Waupaca earlier this year. The dealership in Waupaca had been scheduled to close until Butler and his friend and partner Scott Wilson decided to buy it. The pair met while Butler was playing for the Packers and Wilson was working with Bergstrom Automotive, the largest car dealership company in the state.

Butler has remained visible in Wisconsin after his playing days, doing public speaking and work for his charitable foundation and appearances in advertising.

Butler and Wilson are exploring opening more car dealerships and some non-automotive ventures, including an affordable housing development in Waupaca and the opening of Subway franchises in Milwaukee's central city, he said.

Social Media 2.0 Panel

(Glossary of social media terms)

Building on the introduction to social media that attracted 350 seminar attendees at NEW END 2008, the 2009 event will also convene a panel of social media experts – and business owners – to highlight the next level of engagement with social media tools in a panel called Social Media 2.0. You’ll learn cutting-edge tips and techniques that will help you use these constantly evolving tools to engage your market and create customer experiences on the web.

Cindy Herbert is the Vice President of Marketing for Hoffmaster® and has over 25 years experience in the Foodservice industry. She has held several positions, including Director of Marketing, Business Development Manager, Customer Service Manager, Procurement Manager, and Business Integration Manager. In her current role as Vice President of Marketing, she is responsible for Marketing, Customer Service, Art & Graphics, Sales Administration, and New Product Development. She has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree with a minor in Marketing from Cardinal Stritch University.

Cindy is actively involved in the Food Service Professionals Network, National Restaurant Association Professionals, IFMA, the High Powered Food & Beverage Forum, and Sales and Marketing Professionals of Northeast Wisconsin.

She works closely with the sales team at Hoffmaster® as well as with customers to develop market-driven programs. Her passion for bringing new ideas to the business has led her to launch a unique social media program. Her internal team as well as Weidert Group of Appleton created a fictitious character, Nate Gladmann, and introduced him as their company spokesperson at the National Restaurant Association show in May of 2009. Nate was featured in three You Tube videos, has over 900 followers on Twitter and 142 friends on Facebook. This social media approach was designed to be incorporated with the traditional Hoffmaster® marketing materials and has been well received by the sales team.

Mark Gehrke is an entrepreneur, visionary and thought leader currently empowering small businesses and organizations to social media marketing success through his consulting business, Mandala Life Media.

An entrepreneur since the age of twenty two, Mark has been a first wave participant in the ever evolving realm of Social Media Marketing. Before the inception of the term Social Media, Mark was utilizing the web to strengthen relationships and build brand loyalty while leveraging potential across and between networks.

 

 

Cheryl Detrick, President/C.E.O. of the De Pere Area Chamber of Commerce, is dedicated to De Pere’s success. Since her appointment in 2008, she has worked to establish the DPACC as a strong organization providing support to the business community.

Cheryl’s experience began with the Reno/Sparks Chamber as a business owner. Her family moved to the area 8 years ago when she was a staff member for the GBACC for several years where she managed the Bay Area Community Health Partnership serving as VP of Community Health & Government Affairs.

She believes there is no “one solution” and no big fixes, and ascribes to the philosophy “for every solution there is a brand new set of problems.”

 

Greg Linnemanstons is the president and co-owner of Weidert Group, an Appleton, WI based marketing strategy and communications firm. Greg’s experience includes 18 years in corporate marketing and brand management for companies like HJ Heinz and Pillsbury, and almost 10 years with Weidert. He earned a BA in Economics from Lawrence University in Appleton, and an MBA in Marketing and Finance from JL Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Greg lives in Appleton with Meg Hoppe, his wife, business partner, and Weidert creative director.