Speaker Biographies

Chris Daum
Chris is a senior managing director and officer with FMI Capital Advisors, Inc., FMI Corporation’s Investment Banking subsidiary. As co-leader of the Investment Banking group, Chris has oversight of the Raleigh IB team. Chris has extensive experience representing companies for sale and providing valuation and ownership transfer planning services.

Chris has worked with all types of contractors, and he is especially familiar with specialty contractors in the power, industrial, telecom and technology sectors. He has successfully managed the sale of many companies and has created numerous internal ownership transfer programs for his clients. Chris works with his clients to develop ownership exit approaches that will meet the needs of the owner and the employees and ensure the long-term success of the business.

Chris has been involved in M&A transactions for over 20 years, first with KPMG Peat Marwick, then in Europe and South America on behalf of a multinational industrial company, and for the past 10 years as a member of FMI’s investment banking group.

Chris earned a bachelor of science in business from Virginia Tech and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of North Carolina. Chris also holds General Securities Representative (Series 7) and General Principal (Series 24) licenses from the Securities and Exchange Commission and FINRA.

Alex Freytag
Alex Freytag is on a mission to eradicate entitlement. His company, Ownership Thinking, has helped hundreds of companies to diminish or defeat the entitlement that is so pervasive and so devastating in our culture, and to replace it with cultures of earning, of employees who think and act like owners. He believes that human beings do not gain self-esteem through unearned compensation, empty praise or false security, but rather through achievement. His company provides employees and organizations with the tools and training they need to realize their potential, and to create wealth where wealth might never have been created.

Alex Freytag has spent 15 years helping employees think and act like owners, initially at Profitworks, Ltd., an employee training firm he founded, and now at Ownership Thinking in Columbus, OH, where he is a Partner and Vice President. Alex has a BA in psychology from Hamilton College and an MBA from the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University where he was valedictorian of his class. In addition to his consulting work, Alex spreads his mission and message by speaking to audiences of all types.

Rex Havens
Rex has been delighting comedy audiences for 20 years, in world-famous comedy clubs like The Improv, Catch-A-Rising Star, Funny Bones and Zanies, on television for Showtime, Comedy Central and Comic Relief, on radio with Bob & Tom and NPR, cruise ships worldwide, and corporate clients including GM, American Express, Texaco, 3M, Coca-Cola, IBM, Toshiba, Lowe's, Johnson & Johnson, Ameritech, Proctor & Gamble, State Farm, Quaker Oats, Verizon and the IRS ("Working for the IRS is the only sure way to get money from them."), and numerous non-profit and charitable organizations, such as St. Jude's and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

A former college professor who made the unusual transition to the standup comedy stage in the '80's, Rex has always believed that laughter is the best defense against a confusing and challenging world. Rex's take on marriage and family has propelled him to performances in all 50 states and around the world, including London, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Bermuda, Montreal, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Aruba, Rome and Cannes.

Ask for a copy of Rex's book and CD, "Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned From My Wife!" It's a laugh-a-minute look at men, women, love and marriage, done with clean, clever, positive humor and tasteful sophistication. Rex's show is suitable for all ages, and he has performed for audiences of 50 people to arenas of 5,000.

Cameron Herrold
Cameron is one of the most sought after business minds in North America. Herrold, the founder of BackPocket COO, mentors a select class of CEOs, entrepreneurs and their teams, helping them make their dreams happen. He’s reached a huge global audience through his educational and inspirational presentations.

His direction, support and proven strategies, have these companies super-charging their growth and profitability, while nurturing the kind of unique workplace cultures that attract top talent.

Cameron is renowned as the driving force behind 1-800-GOT-JUNK?’s spectacular growth from $2 million to $106 million in revenue in just six years. He has been an entrepreneurial innovator since launching his first company at the age of 21 as well as coaching and mentoring hundreds of others.

He’s mentored companies such as Nurse Next Door, I Love Rewards, Media Temple, Red Balloon Days, Grasshopper and Headsets.com. Cameron has been instrumental in the successful sale, branding and integration of a remarkable 450 franchise locations with three major franchisors.

His expertise across all aspects of business covers operations, sales, marketing, advertising, PR, strategy, growth, call centers and franchising. There are few business challenges he hasn’t faced.

Scott Klososky
Scott Klososky, a former CEO of three successful startup companies, specializes in looking over the horizon with how technology is changing the world. Scott’s vision and ability to see trends in emerging technologies allow him to be a thought leader who applies his skills to help organizations thrive, leaders prosper, and entire industries move forward. His love of being a technology entrepreneur assures that he continually works in the trenches of building his own companies.

His unique perspectives on technology, business culture, and the future allows him to travel the globe as a speaker and consultant, working with senior executives in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to universities and nonprofits. Including: Cisco, Newell Rubbermaid, Lockheed Martin, Ebay, Volvo, The Hartford, Great Clips, Marriott, Sterling Commerce, AGCO Corporation and national associations such as: International Franchise Association, Korean Ministry of Information, Mortgage Bankers Association, American Payroll Association, Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

Currently he serves as the founder and the Chairman of the Board of Alkami Technology, his latest technology startup. Alkami has developed a second generation online banking platform that provides many new features that do not exist today in current online banking systems. It is a privately-owned software company focused on providing online account management solutions to the financial services industry. He also consults with many organizations on how to integrate social technologies into their organization’s strategic direction as well as how to improve their utilization of technology as a tool.

Ira Koretsky
Ira Koretsky, The Chief Storyteller, has delighted audiences around the world turning communications into tangible, top-line results. From your elevator speech to your presentations, proposals, website, capability statement, and everything in between, Ira develops and implements high impact strategic messaging programs. With 23 years of experience, he is a sought-after speaker, consultant, columnist, trainer, and professor.

Follow him on Twitter @chiefstorytellr.

Lee McPheters
Lee McPheters is a Research Professor of Economics in the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, and Director of the School’s JPMorgan Chase Economic Outlook Center. The Center specializes in economic forecasts for Arizona and the Western states. Dr. McPheters is editor of the Arizona Blue Chip Economic Forecast and the Western Blue Chip Economic Forecast newsletters, published monthly by the Center.

His writings on the Western region have been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Economist, BusinessWeek, The New York Times, and Newsweek, as well as major metropolitan area newspapers throughout the nation. He has appeared nationally on “Good Morning America” and CNN news, commenting on the economy of the Western states.

Dr. McPheters has published numerous articles in books and professional journals, including the Review of Economics and Statistics, Land Economics, the National Tax Journal, and Journal of Long Range Planning. His recent research has emphasized transportation issues in economic development, with support from the U. S. Department of Transportation, the Arizona Department of Transportation, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Boeing, and other public and corporate sources.

He has been named a Distinguished Faculty Researcher in the School of Business, and received the Faculty Service Award in 2008, presented annually to one recipient for innovative and effective service. Dr. McPheters was recognized for the best research article in Economic Inquiry with an award from the Western Economic Association. He is a member of the National Association of Business Economists, the American Economic Association, the Western Economic Association, the Western Regional Science Association, and is past president of the Arizona Economic Roundtable. 

Dr. McPheters completed his undergraduate studies at San Francisco State University and received his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech. He has been at ASU since 1976.

Cathy Mrosko
Cathy has been NSCA’s Director of Government Affairs since 2007, providing the NSCA membership with valuable information on legislative and regulatory initiatives affecting the low-voltage electronic systems industry.

Mrosko has worked in the commercial electronics sytems industry for 10 years, having previously worked at the Security Industry Association. She also worked for the former Congressman Jim Nussle. Mrosko graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 2000 with a BA in Communications.

Jay B. Myers
Jay is the Founder/CEO of Interactive Solutions, Inc. (ISI), a Memphis based firm that specializes in video conferencing, distance learning, telemedicine and audio-visual sales and support.

Myers started ISI in 1996 and in the past 15 years has built it into a $30 million company with 61 employees and offices in Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville as well as Birmingham, AL, Oxford, MS and Little Rock, AR.

ISI has received numerous corporate awards and recognition in the past several years including being named to INC. magazine’s list of the fastest growing private companies in the United States 6 times in the past 11 years and was recently featured in the Small Business section of the Wall Street Journal.

ISI was also named the Memphis Business Journal Small Business of the Year in 2001 and in 2003 was the first recipient of the Kemmons Wilson (founder of Holiday Inn) Emerging Business Award. Prior to starting ISI, Myers earned numerous sales awards while working for international corporations such as Eastman Kodak and Hewlett Packard.

In 2007, Myers published his first book” Keep Swinging” An Entrepreneurs Story of Overcoming Adversity and Achieving Small Business Success and was recently awarded the 2010 Ethan Award for success as an entrepreneurial author.

Myers is active in numerous local community organizations including Junior Achievement and Leadership Collierville and currently serves on the board of the Chickasaw Council (Boy Scouts of America), executive board of the Mid-South Better Business Bureau and advisory board of Bancorp South. In addition, Myers has recently been appointed to the USAV Group Dealer Advisory Council (DAC).

Mark “Rusty” Sherwood
Mark (Rusty) Sherwood is Vice President of McGraw-Hill Construction.  Backed by the power of Dodge, Sweets, Architectural Record, Engineering News-Record (ENR), GreenSource, and MHC’s 11 Regional Publications, McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers within the $4.0 trillion global construction community. 

A senior manager with McGraw-Hill for over 11 years, Rusty has developed, organized and led business development and market strategies for all of MHC’s customer segments including the regional and national AEC community and the national building product manufacturers group.  Most recently Rusty co-led the redesign of Mcgraw-Hill Construction’s sales organization shifting structure and methods from “product-centric” to “voice-of-the-customer” solution teams.

Rusty co-founded and chairs the AEC Business Builder’s Forum a consortium of senior level AEC marketing and business development executives convened for the purpose of debate and consideration of present trends, economic issues and best practices shaping our industry.    

A regular speaker at numerous US construction conferences and events Rusty offers a unique take on the US construction marketplace based on 27 years of industry experience and MHC’s ability to recognize key trends, market potential and what leading organizations do to stay on top.