2018 Small Giants Summit Agenda

Day 1: Tuesday, May 15th

Event	Time & Location	Description
	Journeyers & Virtual Peer Group Members 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM AIREA (1048 Woodward Ave)	Calling all Journeyers and Virtual Peer Group members! Enjoy a happy hour and light snacks at AIREA and catch up with fellow group members.
	5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Westin Book Cadillac	If you’re new to the Community, you may know that Small Giants are companies that choose to be great instead of big…but what does it really mean to be a Small Giants company? Kick-off your Summit experience with an overview of the history of Small Giants and what it means to be a part of the Community today.
	6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Westin Book Cadillac	Set the foundation for your Small Giants Summit experience by getting to know fellow attendees, while enjoying some light hors d’oeuvres and drinks!

Day 2: Wednesday, May 16th

Event	Time & Location	Description
	Time: 6:30 AM - 7:30 AM Location: Westin Book Cadillac	For those of you who want to break a sweat, feel free to utilize the Westin's workout facility or check out local yoga classes at Citizen Yoga (.4 miles away). Special drop-in rates are available for locals and out-of-towners. We also recommend running on the Detroit Riverfront or renting bikes to explore the Dequindre Cut.
	Time: 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM Location: Westin Book Cadillac → Garden Theater	Meet in the lobby of the Westin Book Cadillac and volunteers will guide you to the bus. We will host the content portions of the event at the Garden Theater, a separate venue from our hotel block at the Westin Book Cadillac.
	8:30 AM - 9:00 AM Garden Theater	Enjoy breakfast catered by the Garden Theater vendors. Take this time to stretch your legs, ask individual questions of speakers, and build relationships with your fellow Small Giants Community members.
	9:00 AM - 9:15 AM Garden Theater	We will kick-off day one with a welcome that will set the stage for the day. Hear from Small Giants Leadership on what’s in store for the coming days.
	9:15am - 10:00am Garden Theater	OPENING KEYNOTE: After 30 years of work, Michael Brennan, Co-Founder and CEO of Civilla, realized he had to “squint” to recognize himself. Motivated by this realization, he enrolled in D-Leadership; a 10-week, human-centered design program at Stanford University. There, he felt more alive than ever — so alive, in fact, that his wife and kids were wondering, what happened to Dad? In this opening keynote, Michael will share how he found his "no matter what" and built an authentic work culture where employees can bring their whole selves to work
	10:00 AM - 10:15 AM Garden Theater	Enjoy a little time to stretch your legs, grab a snack, ask individual questions of speakers, and build relationships with your fellow Small Giants Community members.
	10:15 AM - 11:15 AM Garden Theater	INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP: How you show up physiologically as a leader matters more than you think. Research in human physiology is revealing that when the heart and brain are working together, we enter a coherent state and our frame of mind shifts. By applying this research and newfound techniques, leaders can consistently develop a more authentic context which inspires continual innovation, fosters adaptive and highly collaborative cultures, and integrates new technologies without neglecting the human factor. In this interactive workshop, you will discover the science of authentic leadership and how to apply it in your work environment to inspire, influence and innovate.
	11:20 AM - 11:40 AM Garden Theater	LONG STORY SHORT: Laura Boone started turnerboone in 2004 with an art background and the intention of creating a better place to work without sacrificing an underlying foundation of community, respect and emotional well-being. Laura, along with her business partner Ellen Turner, made many mistakes, survived a culture crisis, and grew as business leaders to become one of Forbes Small Giants 2017 and a nationally award-winning commercial furniture dealer. Emotional intelligence and business intuition were major factors in the success of turnerboone. .
	11:40 AM - 12:00 PM Garden Theater	LONG STORY SHORT: When we look back on our lives, all of us have certain people, events, challenges, and books that have shaped us. For Joe Cirulli, Owner and CEO of Gainesville Health and Fitness, some of those pivotal moments include moving to Gainesville, Florida on a whim (even though it meant sleeping in his car), making a list of the things he wanted to accomplish in life at a very young age, continuing to work for fitness centers despite financial challenges in the industry, and then having the courage to start his own with less than $1700 in his pocket. Today, Gainesville Health & Fitness is a Forbes Small Giant — but Joe is most proud of his people and their culture that inspires.
	12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Garden Theater	Enjoy a nutritious and energizing lunch. Take this time to stretch your legs, ask individual questions of speakers, and build relationships with your fellow Small Giants Community members.
	1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Garden Theater	Choose from two of six breakout sessions for a sharing of best practices led by experts on a variety of topics. Topics so far include: The Power of Open-Book Management, Growing Your Sales Team & Strategy, How to Build a Family-Friendly Workplace, Transitioning to & Managing Virtual Teams, developing your Company Purpose and Mindful Employee Transitions.
	1:00pm - 1:45pm Garden Theater \| Mainstage	The best, most efficient, most profitable way to operate a business is to give everybody in the company a voice in saying how the company is run and a stake in the financial outcome, good or bad. In this break out session, Steve Baker, Vice President of The Great Game of Business, and Michelle Brosey-Gardner from Venturity Financial Partners, will give you a live case study of how Open Book Management educated, engaged, and empowered Venturity's employees and increased their profitability.
	1:00pm - 1:45pm Garden Theater \| Upstairs, Room 1	W.S. Badger believes in running a business that is close-knit, fun, fair, and profitable, where money is the fuel, but not the goal. They also recognize that a company's growth and success is directly tied to the health and well being of its workers. Therefore, they created programs to support employees throughout their life stages: including a babies at work program, Calendula Garden Children's Center, opportunities to care for their elderly, and many wellness benefits. In this breakout session, you will learn what it means to be a family-friendly workplace, how much it actually costs, and how to put these programs into action.
	1:00pm - 1:45pm Garden Theater \| Upstairs, Room 2	Baskin Robins is known for their little pink spoon that offers customers a taste of deliciousness. That spoon is a beacon, calling out to the masses, “If you love ice cream so much that you want to try each and every flavor before making your decision... then YOU are our people!” Consider that spoon in relation to their purpose: to nourish the quality of childlike enjoyment. Find your pink spoon in this 45-minute workshop. Join the founder of storytelling company RTC as he shares how he creates unexpected tastes of a company’s purpose, and then supports you in uncovering your own customized approach to creating fanatical stakeholders.
	1:45pm - 2:30pm Garden Theater \| Mainstage	Even companies with strong, award-winning cultures struggle with how to deal with an employee leaving –especially when they seemed happy in their job. Global performance marketing company, Acceleration Partners, has found a better way for handling employee departures, something they call Mindful Transitions. For companies that truly care about the health and well-being of their culture, it’s time to say farewell to the dreaded two weeks notice and take a better approach to this broken paradigm; one that builds trust and keeps the relationship strong, even long after an employee leaves the company.
	1:45pm - 2:30pm Garden Theater \| Upstairs, Room 1	Small Giants value people over profits, but know that in order for their businesses to thrive and to continue providing growth opportunities for their employees, they need to grow. In this breakout session, Executive Advisor & Business Coach, Jon Dwoskin, will show you how to grow and train your sales team to sell effectively.
	1:45pm - 2:30pm Garden Theater \| Upstairs, Room 2	With a digital economy, more and more companies are going virtual. But how do you build culture in a remote environment? In this breakout session, you will hear from three panelists with lots of experiencing managing remote teams: Seth Derner, Co-Founder of Vivayic, Anna Brozek, Operations Director at Big Cartel, and Candice Gouge, Culture & Talent Cultivator at Pegasus Logisitcs. They will share practical systems and examples of how to drive leadership and culture know matter where you are.
	2:30 PM - 3:00 PM Garden Theater	Enjoy a little time to stretch your legs, grab a delicious snack from a local business, ask individual questions of speakers,and build relationships with your fellow Small Giants Community members.
	3:00 PM - 3:25 PM Garden Theater	LONG STORY SHORT: At age 17, Susan Leger Ferraro decided to open her first business instead of enrolling in college. This decision, like many others in Susan’s life, were meant with much resistance from those around her. However, Susan had a sense she must remain authentic to herself, while respecting what may be authentic to others. By being the author of her own life story, Susan has founded several multi-million dollar social enterprises in fields inducing early childhood education, business development and real estate.
	3:25 PM - 4:00 PM Garden Theater	LONG STORY SHORT INTERVIEW: The highest calling in life is to help others. That’s why Bill Roark, CEO and Founder of Torch Technologies, realized that as his company grew, so did their responsibility to positively impact both employees and their community. In 2005, Torch Technologies began the process of becoming an ESOP and also established Torch Helps, a 501(c)(3) arm of the company that is solely focused on supporting non-profits in their community. Today, Torch is a 100% ESOP and has granted over $650K to local nonprofits. In this interview, Bill will share how employee ownership and community engagement has had a powerful impact on employees, culture, and their community.
	4:00 PM - 4:15 PM Garden Theater	Small Giants event staff will wrap up the day and deliver housekeeping notes for your convenience.
	4:15 PM - 5:00 PM Garden Theater	Take another opportunity to mix and mingle with Small Giants at the Garden Theater's bar over a locally-brewed beer.
	4:30 PM - 5:00 PM Garden Theater → Westin Book Cadillac	Enjoy the short ride back to the Westin Book Cadillac in style on a signature bus.
	5:00 PM - 6:45 PM Up to you!	Whether you'd like to go back to the hotel room and refresh by yourself, or explore the city with fellow Small Giants, this time is yours!
	6:45 PM - 7:00 PM Westin Book Cadillac → Madison Building Rooftop	Meet in the lobby of the Westin Book Cadillac to walk to the Madison Building Rooftop.
	7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Madison Building Rooftop	Enjoy a spectacular view of downtown Detroit and Comerica Park while enjoying gourmet pub food and drinks with fellow Small Giants.

Day 3: Thursday, May 17th

Event	Time	Description
	6:30 AM - 7:30 AM Westin Book Cadillac	For those of you who want to break a sweat, feel free to utilize the Westin's workout facility or check out local yoga classes at Citizen Yoga (.4 miles away). Special drop-in rates are available for locals and out-of-towners. We also recommend running on the Detroit Riverfront or renting bikes to explore the Dequindre Cut.
	8:00 AM - 8:30 AM Westin Book Cadillac → Garden Theater	Meet in the lobby of the Westin Book Cadillac. We will host the content portions of the event at the Garden Theater, a separate venue from our hotel block at the Westin Book Cadillac.
	8:30 AM - 9:00 AM Garden Theater	Enjoy breakfast catered by Garden Theater vendors. Take this time to stretch your legs, ask individual questions of speakers, and build relationships with your fellow Small Giants Community members.
	9:00 AM - 9:15 AM Garden Theater	While most people think that leadership, influence, and creating results are about skills, actions, and doing; what actually creates more impact than anything are your intentions, your energy, and your presence. Join Anese for 15 minutes to set the tone for your day (and perhaps the rest of your life!) by up-leveling your presence, your intentions, and the way you Show Up.
	9:15 AM - 10:15 AM Garden Theater	Go behind the scenes with Chip George, Founder & Ambassador of Awesome at Comfort Research, Amy Simmons, CEO & Founder of Amy's Ice Cream, and William Vanderbloemen, President & Founder of The Vanderbloemen Search Group, during this dynamic and interactive panel moderated by Forbes Senior Editor Loren Feldman.
	10:15 AM - 10:30 AM Garden Theater	Enjoy a little time to stretch your legs, grab a snack, ask individual questions of speakers, and build relationships with your fellow Small Giants Community members.
	10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Garden Theater	INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP: Culture eats strategy for breakfast — especially when you build a culture of performance. Ron Alvesteffer, President and CEO of Service Express, will share how they have achieved double digit growth every year since 2001, while helping his employees accomplish their personal, professional, and financial goals along the way.
	12:00 PM - 12:45 PM Garden Theater	Enjoy lunch catered by Garden Theater vendors. Take this time to stretch your legs, ask individual questions of speakers, and build relationships with your fellow Small Giants Community members.
	12:45 PM - 2:15 PM Garden Theater	Two Small Giants leaders will be selected to share a real-time business challenge to the audience interview-style, led by SGC member Chris Hutchinson. The audience will work together in roundtables to crowd-source solutions.
	2:15 PM - 2:35 PM Garden Theater	LONG STORY SHORT: In 2006, Shawn Askinosie left a successful career as a criminal defense lawyer, started a bean-to-bar chocolate factory, and never looked back. Through his personal story, Shawn will share how he discovered "reverse scale," a discipline of not only resisting the allure of exponential growth, but using it as a practice to stay in the present moment and connected to his work, no matter the obstacle.
	2:35 PM - 3:00 PM Garden Theater	Enjoy a little time to stretch your legs, grab a delicious snack from a local business, and build relationships with your fellow Small Giants Community members.
	3:00 PM - 3:25 PM Garden Theater	LONG STORY SHORT: There’s no gentle way to describe it: JT McCormick grew up with a black father who was a pimp and drug dealer , and a orphaned white mother who loved him, but had no family, money, or support. His childhood was a hardscrabble affair marked by dramatic incidents of racism, sexual abuse, and neglect. Despite overwhelming odds against him, he learned a very important lesson early on: to find personal gratification in being successful in every job he ever had, whether it was cleaning toilets, sorting mail, selling software, or leading the people-first company, Book in a Box, as CEO today. In this Long Story Short, JT will share his personal story and his framework for success.
	3:25 PM - 4:10 PM Garden Theater	CLOSING KEYNOTE: At Tuthill, a 125-year family-owned manufacturer of industrial products, they believe that you first have to focus on people before you can focus on business. Their cultural journey of over 10 years has brought many learnings, and none more impactful than CEO Tom Carmazzi's. As a leader, Tom had to learn that being vulnerable was not a sign of weakness. He also had to face his biggest fear: not being the “hero." Ultimately, Tom had to learn how to go from being a “head” leader to a “heart” leader.
	4:10 PM - 4:30 PM Garden Theater	Allow the Small Giants Leadership team to thank you for your attendance and wrap up the content portion of the event.
	4:30 PM - 4:45 PM Garden Theater → Westin Book Cadillac	Meet in the lobby of the Garden Theater and follow pre-communicated transit instruction.
	4:45 PM - 6:45 PM Garden Theater	Whether you'd like to go back to the hotel room and refresh by yourself or explore the city with fellow Small Giants, this time is yours!
	6:30 PM - 7:00 PM Westin Book Cadillac → Ford Piquette Plant	Meet in the lobby of the Westin Book Cadillac and follow pre-communicated transit instruction. We will ride together to a special social event at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, where we will also celebrate the announcement of the 2018 Forbes Small Giants.
	7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Ford Piquette Plant	Celebrate the the announcement of the 2018 Forbes Small Giants! Enjoy gourmet passed and stationed foods while exploring the birthplace of the Model T. Sip great wine and local beers, enjoy special exhibits and antique cars, and converse with fellow Small Giants while listening to live performances of 1920s music.
	9:30 PM - 10:00 PM Ford Piquette Plant → Westin Book Cadillac	For those ready to head back, we'll provide transportation to the Westin Book Cadillac. Those looking to stay out and explore the city are welcome to at their own leisure.

Day 4: Friday, May 18th "Day of Mojo"

Event	Time & Location	Description
	9:00 AM Westin Book Cadillac	Meet in the lobby of the Westin Book Cadillac. Volunteers will guide you to the correct bus or walking tour based on your assigned company visit! Breakfast will be served at the company visit!
	9:00 AM - 9:30 AM Westin Book Cadillac –> Day of Mojo Visit	Ride in style with the Detroit Bus Company or walk to your Day of Mojo Company Visit. Volunteers will help you find your way!
	9:30am - 11:30am Day of Mojo Company Visit	Tour a Small Giants Company in Detroit with like-minded purpose-driven leaders. Hear from the founders of the company and see what makes their organizations great Small Giants! You will be assigned either Macro Connect, Skidmore Studio, or Civilla.
	11:30am - 12:00pm Day of Mojo Company –> Westin Book Cadillac	Enjoy the ride or walk back to the Westin Book Cadillac. Gather your bags and head off to your next destination!

For questions, please email hello@smallgiants.org.

2018 Small Giants Summit Agenda

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