Valley Business Keynote

Valley Business Keynote announces Kim Scott as speaker, author of Radical Candor

Last night at the Harrisonburg branch of Bank of the James, Valley Business Keynote announced their 2018 speaker line up. This annual event has become a must attend for all the business leaders and future leaders in the Shenandoah Valley.

About Valley Business Keynote

Valley Business Keynote is a gathering of local leaders around an engaging idea for one dynamic presentation. We believe that with the right speakers, this forum can add real value to business leaders and community members in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.  Of paramount interest is the speaker’s ability to help business leaders discover ways to fulfill the vast potential of the Shenandoah Valley, and take advantage of its attractive assets. 

This year’s Keynote Speaker is KIM SCOTT!!!

Kim Scott is the author of the NYT & WSJ bestseller Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss without Losing your Humanity. Kim led AdSense, YouTube, and Doubleclick Online Sales and Operations at Google and then joined Apple to develop and teach a leadership seminar. Kim has been a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and several other tech companies.

Previously, Kim was the co-founder and CEO of Juice Software, a collaboration start-up, and led business development at Delta Three and Capital Thinking. Earlier in her career, she worked as a senior policy advisor at the FCC, managed a pediatric clinic in Kosovo, started a diamond cutting factory in Moscow, and was an analyst on the Soviet Companies Fund. Kim received her MBA from Harvard Business School and her BA from Princeton University. She is the author of three novels; she and her husband Andy Scott are parents of twins and live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This year’s opening speaker is Dave Urso. 

Dave Urso has been teaching seminars and developing leaders for almost 18 years. In that time, he’s developed an approach that sets him apart. His naturally energetic and interactive style carries over into his sessions and makes listening to him a pleasure. No matter the context of your interaction, two things are pretty much guaranteed – he’s going to talk really fast and he’s going to do something unexpected! His mission is to serve as a catalyst of change by engaging others in inspired leadership.

Mark your calendar for Valley Business Keynote – July 18, 2017 – JMU’s Forbes Theater #VBKengage

Valley Business Keynote facilitates engaging ideas for local leaders to help them fulfill the Valley‘s vast potential by bringing excellent speakers to our area. 

The premier leadership event in the Valley returns to Harrisonburg on July 18, 2017. Valley Business Keynote is a must attend event. VBK inspires business leaders in the valley from Lexington to Winchester. Steve Rizzo, a former professional comedian and an executive coach will speak about the importance of quality of life for a healthy local economy. Steve is a self-proclaimed “attitude adjuster.” Most of all He provides common sense strategies to harness the power of your “humor being” to make the most out of every day. Steve is a hall of fame comedian turned motivational speaker. In conclusion, you will come away from this keynote with a fire in your belly for making life more enjoyable and productive. 

VBK organizer Andy Vanhook states “I think Steve brings a message that is important to everyone in the valley. It can tie us all together. There is a lot going on in our world that could pull us apart and divide us. Steve’s humor is one of those things that brings us together and builds community.”

Jennifer Owen-O’Quill will kick off #VBKengage this year. She will help local business leaders understand how to leverage change and conflict to deliver constructive results. Hence, this power packed duo will inspire, challenge, and invigorate you.

VBK organizer Cari Orebaugh states “Jennifer is a great fit for VBK. She speaks to how we are trying to help business leaders in the valley find ways to thrive.”

Finally tickets this year are $25 and sponsorship opportunities are available. Just go to valleybusinesskeynote.com for more information. 

Valley Business Keynote (#VBKeynote) was an incredible event this year with a focus on living your life on purpose, doing what you love, and loving others in your life. 

Valley Business Keynote is an annual event that facilitates engaging ideas for local leaders to help fulfill the Valley’s vast potential. This year’s event featured Mark Fernandes, Chief Leadership Officer with the Luck Companies in Goochland, VA. He discussed how leaders should impact others in a positive way through igniting their potential. He said that leaders have to be intentional about their actions in order to set the culture they want – in every word spoken and action executed.

“Life is about choices, the culture of your business is a shadow of the leader.”

Mark says that leaders need to get up each day and think about how to build the environment they want in their company. Not only how they act and what they say, but how the company acts as a whole to make positive meaning in the lives of others. Mark told us that he believes everyone has a mission in life that they, given the right opportunities, will fulfill. As a leader it is your job to build the right environment to provide those opportunities for everyone encountered to fulfill the potential they have inside of them.

Three big rules to follow to be a great leader:

1. Love your associates with all your heart

2. Give them something to believe in

3. Obsess about their future

I believe we all struggle finding out voices, trusting our hearts, and fulfilling our potential. The encouragement that Mark shared with 400+ people in the room to “have the life you want by being present in the life you have” was a powerful message. If we took it to heart and extended grace to each other just imagine the beauty we would find in our valley! I am looking forward to seeing these ideas grow and spread throughout the valley and to next year’s #VBKeynote.

Valley Business Keynote 

July 24 | 11am-1pm
JMU Festival Center Ballroom
1301 Carrier Drive | Harrisonburg

The Second Annual Valley Business Keynote event will take place on Thursday, July 24, 2014, from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at James Madison University’s Festival Conference Center. The Valley Business Keynote is open to the public and is a cooperative initiative of the area Rotary clubs, The Association of Young Professionals and the HR Chamber of Commerce.  Lunch will be provided at no charge to members and guests of the sponsoring organizations.

This year’s event will feature Mark Fernandes, the Chief Leadership Officer with  Luck Companies in Goochland, Virginia. Mark is a dynamic speaker who has spoken to business leaders around the world, and was recently named as a “Top 100 Thought Leader in Trustworthy Business” for 2014.

For more information and to RSVP, visit: http://www.valleybusinesskeynote.com.