Small Giants Leadership Academy Learning Session 

8:30 AM - 3:00 PM

*This session is for current Small Giants Leadership Academy members only

Bamboo Detroit

The Small Giants Leadership Academy Class of 2022 will be coming together for the first time in person with Diana Wong for a compelling session about leadership development.

Diana will guide our Leadership Academy cohorts through an energetic day of exercises called Liberating Structures. With a combination of left and right brain activation, these exercises allow people of different learning types and social comfort levels equal participation, with the goal of incorporating fun into the experience. Our participants will walk away with stronger bonds, as well as tools to facilitate engaging and effective working sessions with their own teams. 

Small Giants Leadership Academy Alumni Mixer 

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

*This session is for current Small Giants Leadership Academy members and Alumni only

Aloft Hotel Lobby

For Small Giants Leadership Academy participants old and new, this mixer is just for you! Current participants and alumni can meet up to share their experiences as well as engage in some fun activities that will be sure to get the giggles going. 

Opening Reception

6:00 PM - 9:00PM

*This is our first event with all Summit attendees. We can't wait to see you!

Aloft Hotel Lobby

Set the foundation for your Small Giants Summit experience by getting to know fellow attendees, while enjoying hors d’oeuvres and drinks!

Breakfast

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

One Campus Martius

Fuel up for the day with breakfast and coffee and get settled before we kick things off.

Opening Remarks

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

One Campus Martius

We’ll set the stage for the day and introduce you to the Small Giants Community Team.

The Sweetest Journey
Kuda Biza

Keynote

9:15 AM - 10:00 AM

One Campus Martius

Kuda Biza is a serial entrepreneur who started his first business venture when he was 9. Since then, he’s never slowed down, and is constantly finding new ways to be resourceful and creative. 

Follow along as Kuda walks us through his journey as a kid from a loving yet underprivileged family in Zimbabwe, all the way to the co-founder of a delicious business with a cause that has impacted millions of lives. His story is one filled with passion, optimism, resourcefulness, and even some star-studded moments. Throughout his endeavors, Kuda has been able to bring things back to what really matters: making a positive impact for those who need it most.

Break

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

One Campus Martius

Stretch your legs out on the beautiful balcony, chat with your new friends, or sign up for a 1-1 speed coaching session (see bottom of agenda for more details).

Destination Enculturation
Haley Rushing

Interactive Session

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

One Campus Martius

The last couple of years have been a time for introspection, both as individuals and employees of our companies. So this can be a perfect time to review and reconnect with your organization’s purpose.

In this session, you will learn from The Purpose Institute’s co-founder and Chief Purposologist, Haley Rushing, on how to use the power of your organization’s purpose to revitalize your culture and re-engage your people. She’ll cover a wide range of purpose enculturation strategies that ensure you attract the right people, with the right levels of engagement, and the right relationship to the purpose—as champions AND as beneficiaries.   

Takeaways include:

• Attracting Talent: Understanding the overwhelming desire for meaningful work
• Feeling the Purpose at Work: How to connect the work that you do with the difference you make
• Purpose-driven EVPs: How to make your employees not just champions of the Purpose, but beneficiaries of the Purpose
• The Purpose Flywheel: Mastering the 3Cs: Communication, Cultivation, and Celebration of your Purpose on an ongoing basis

Staying in the Game
Drew Patrick

Long Story Short

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

One Campus Martius

Drew Patrick is no stranger to “reboots."

Drew began working at Skidmore Studio 13 years ago, and while he appreciated working with his good friend who owned the company, he had an itch to start something on his own. Shortly after Drew told his friend that he was leaving to carve his own path, his friend suddenly and tragically passed away. With a new reality in front of him, Drew rebooted his career plans and took over Skidmore. 

Ever since that moment, Drew’s personal and professional life have been full of curveballs, but he’s done the most important thing that a leader can do: he’s stayed in the game. Listen as Drew walks us through his journey of courage, compassion and resilience.

Lunch

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

One Campus Martius

Take a break and make some new connections over a delicious lunch. You can also take this time to sign up for a 1-1 speed coaching session.

For Founders & CEO's

If you are a founder or CEO, this is your Day 1 afternoon schedule!

Scaling with Intention the Service Express Way
Gretchen Murphy
Bill Golder

Presentation

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

One Campus Martius - Founders & CEO's

While many companies still struggle to retain their current employees, Service Express has been on a growth spurt. As a matter of fact, during the pandemic, they added 250 new employees! Amidst this exciting development, the leadership team had to take a hard look at how to maintain their culture amongst this rapid expansion.

Service Express’ long-time commitment to its people has resulted in a single core value: to cultivate a culture of growth that allows their people to achieve their personal, professional, and financial goals.

Get excited for this comprehensive look at how one company is scaling with intention. Bill and Gretchen will talk all about how implementing processes around numbers, while keeping the focus on people, drives a successful, sustainable culture.

Takeaways include:

• How Service Express tracks metrics using their customized system called SR5
• How Sales and Marketing come together for a harmonious and intertwined process
• How to utilize these processes to navigate change and growth while maintaining a healthy culture

Break

One Campus Martius

Building Culture Through "Connected Work"
John Burns

Presentation

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

One Campus Martius - Founders & CEO's

Imagine how great your team would be if you were able to open your recruiting to the best people in every state, and have them perform even better than if they were in the office every day. While it sounds too good to be true, new technologies and a very intentional focus on a “connected culture” have made it work for John Burns Real Estate Consulting.

Prior to the pandemic, roughly half of John’s employees worked remotely and they developed tools and tricks through many lessons learned. In April 2020, as the Great Resignation started, the firm doubled down on the strategy, resulting in a 50% increase in talented people and top percentile scores in both the Gallup Employee Engagement survey and Great Place to Work certification.

John will talk about what he likes to call “connected work”, how they made the remote setup work, and how their culture is stronger than ever. Even if you have zero intent of allowing remote workers, you will learn some amazing tips for excellent communication, training and collaboration.

Takeaways include:

• How to establish compassionate, candid and clear communication tools prior to and during onboarding
• How to attract talented people, from interns to executives, who will reward you for offering flexibility
• How to train and grow the careers of those who work remotely
• A unique JBREC leadership structure that is inclusive and designed to identify and embrace change

Strong Back, Open Heart
Beth A. Smith

Long Story Short

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

One Campus Martius - Founders & CEO's

As the CEO of StickerGiant, Beth Smith has seen the company through many changes recently - not just rapid growth and a change in ownership, but also the pandemic and a devastating local fire. For Beth, their culture is constantly rebooting.

Sometimes as leaders, the biggest step in addressing culture is to voice aloud that things are challenging, and to seek the counsel of your employees. Beth will take us through the StickerGiant journey of dynamic change, along with how the practice of mindfulness has helped them become a more trusting and attentive leader. 

 For Emerging Leaders

If you are an emerging leader, this is your Day 1 afternoon schedule!

Generous Acts of Attention
Elaine Ezekiel

Interactive Session

1:00 PM - 2:00PM

One Campus Martius - Emerging Leaders

After a couple of years of showering her team with tangible gifts of appreciation to keep morale going, Elaine came across a quote that challenged her assumptions: “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.”

Now, she’s on a quest to be generous with her attention instead of gifts—and she's looking to apply this concept across her professional life. Elaine will break down some best practices from Atomic Object and guide us in engaging exercises. You’ll have no problem paying attention to this session!

Takeaways include:

• Tools to be more self aware when offering attention—even over Zoom
• A process for bringing structured attention to employees' career aspirations
• Ways to create a culture of active listening among fellow leaders

Break

One Campus Martius

Stretch your legs out on the beautiful balcony, chat with your new friends, or sign up for a 1-1 speed coaching session.

Tasty Trust: Resilience & Compassion Despite Trying Times
Tom Walter

Presentation

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

One Campus Martius - Emerging Leaders

The early days of the pandemic and lockdown were stressful for everyone. And for certain industries like hospitality, that anxiety was amplified. Yet CEO Kornel Grygo, CEO, and his leadership team at Tasty Catering did something that at the time, many thought was crazy - they remained open for business.

Join Tom as he walks us through how his company not only survived, but with the implementation of careful strategy and psychological safety, came out as one of the top catering businesses in Illinois. 

Takeaways include:

• The heightened importance of psychological safety in today’s workforce
• Tasty Catering’s secret sauce (key ingredients - trust and compassion)
• How to creatively utilize resources and people to keep business going in uncertain times

Throwing Calculated Risk to the Wind
Beth Spiegel

Long Story Short

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

One Campus Martius - Emerging Leaders

On paper, Beth Spiegel is a risk-taker with an adventurous life: breaking free from her insular small town upbringing, going to a college that required study abroad, and even moving her family to Belize with no jobs lined up. But in actuality, these were all calculated decisions. Until she quit her job last year.

With honesty and vulnerability, Beth will walk us through the build up to, and her “why”, for leaving the company she had spent nearly a decade with. Even though she admits to going about the process the wrong way at times – and has practical tips for us to learn from her mistakes – Beth ultimately trusted her gut, and it led her on to her latest adventure. Whether you’ve toyed with the idea of leaving your company, or want to heighten your awareness of employees who may feel this way, Beth will share useful insights so that both parties can benefit, no matter the outcome.

Now, we will all come back together to wrap up Day 1!

Beer Break

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM

One Campus Martius

It's time for a quick break to wet our whistles and chat about the day. 

Evening Reception

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

The Detroit Institute of Arts

The Detroit Bus Company will be shuttling us from our hotels to one of the city's greatest treasures, the Detroit Institute of Arts. You'll be able to enjoy a fantastic meal, walk through some of the galleries, and continue your conversations with like-hearted leaders.

Breakfast

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

One Campus Martius

Fuel up for the day with breakfast and coffee and get settled before we kick things off.

Opening Remarks

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

One Campus Martius

Setting the tone for the final day of the Small Giants Community Summit.

Dear Small Giants Friends
Mel Gravely

Keynote

9:15 AM - 10:00 AM

One Campus Martius

Mel Gravely, CEO of TriVersity Construction, has built a successful business and is an active civic leader. He admits that he avoided engaging in the often-thorny conversations about race. He preferred to let his performance do the talking. But in the wake of the civil unrest, the quality of the dialogue about race continued to degrade. “People seemed to be more interested in lobbing labels than talking, hearing, and working together to solve challenges.”  

Mel believed the perspective of a business and civic leader was missing. The outcome is his latest book, Dear White Friend: The Realities of Race, the Power of Relationships and Our Path to Equity. Mel’s approach to this challenging topic is forthright yet collegial; thought-provoking and at the same time judgment-free. 

Topics such as race, which may have felt taboo to discuss in a business setting, are now an essential conversation for our collective progress. This open-hearted discussion is a call to action, and a blueprint for how as Small Giants leaders, we can be positive change makers.  

Takeaways include:

• A look at our country’s current imbalanced systems, and how we got here
• The multi-faceted importance of inclusion
• Concrete, actionable ways we can be intentional about making things better

Break

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

One Campus Martius

Stretch your legs out on the beautiful balcony, chat with your new friends, or sign up for a 1-1 speed coaching session.

The Great Collaboration
Rich Armstrong

Interactive Session

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

One Campus Martius

The way you produce your business plan is just as important as the plan itself. Join Rich Armstrong from the Great Game of Business in this interactive workshop as he describes a new approach called "High Involvement Planning.” This 10-step process will help you get organized, be flexible yet intentional with your strategy, and involve more voices along the way. 

Rich will walk us through each of the 10 steps, then zone in on developing your strategic growth pipeline.

Takeaways include:

• Learning the 10 steps of High Involvement Planning
• Working through exercises that will strengthen your strategic plan
• Tools for engaging the entire team in the process

Adventures in Meditating
Hai Nguyen

Long Story Short

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

One Campus Martius

Hai Nguyen wants to offer us all something thought-provoking. Utilizing personal experiences, Hai will weave storytelling elements into his presentation on the power of mindfulness and meditation, and his steady actualization of the art of letting go. 

From silent retreats, to light-hearted lunches that turned heavy, to contemplating his own life’s purpose, Hai will take us on a journey that is highly personal, and yet incredibly relatable. By the end, you may just be inspired to take some time and reflect on your own personal and professional journey and how to move forward with genuine intention.

Lunch

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

One Campus Martius

Take a break and make some new connections over a delicious lunch. You can also take this time to sign up for a 1-1 speed coaching session.

Exit Smart
Bo Burlingham
Paul Spiegelman

Interview

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

One Campus Martius - Founders & CEO's

Every founder/CEO is going to exit his or her business at some point. When do we start thinking about it and how do we prepare? Small Giants Community co-founder Bo Burlingham wrote about the good, bad, and ugly of exits in his book, Finish Big. One of the companies he wrote about was BerylHealth, the company founded by our Community co-founder Paul Spiegelman.  

Bo will interview Paul about how he made a successful exit from BerylHealth, and we'll also hear from several other audience members about their experiences.

Takeaways include:

• The do’s and don'ts of setting up an exit strategy
• Who to get involved in the process and how to prepare for the transition of responsibilities
• What it’s really like after you leave your baby behind

Think Tanks

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

One Campus Martius - Founders & CEO's

We'll select one or two attendees to share a challenge they've been facing, and break it down in a supportive, problem-solving discussion. 

Breaks

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

One Campus Martius

We'll all take one more break before we come together for our final session.

If you are an emerging leader, this is your Day 2 afternoon schedule!

The Benefits of Caring

Lisa Whealon
Heidi Baumgart
Sabrina White
Karen Kromrei

Panel Discussion

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

One Campus Martius - Emerging Leaders

Competing for talent these days is really hard, and there is no relief on the horizon. Do we need to match or beat other offers that include higher compensation or flashier bonuses?  

Compensation is certainly important. But there are other ways to make your employees feel cared for that don’t necessarily break the bank. We’ll hear from several panelists on how they provide their employees with benefits and working environments that make lasting impressions.

Takeaways include:

• The monetary benefits that you shouldn’t skimp on
• Creative, budget-friendly perks
• How to make your company culture a benefit in and of itself

Two's Company, Three's a Cohort
Andrew Barry

Interactive Session

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

One Campus Martius - Emerging Leaders

• Assessing your current learning culture 
• Understanding the adjustments to be made and what teaching elements are important to your organization
• Deciding who to involve in the process

Break

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

One Campus Martius

We'll all take one more break before we come together for our final session.

Hard Lessons Learned
Khalilah "KO" Olokunola

Long Story Short

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

One Campus Martius

Listen in as KO takes us on her incredible personal journey, from the gangs of New York and jail time all the way to her current role as Chief People Officer at TRU Colors Brewing. Through it all, she has held fast to her passion for making a positive impact on the lives of others.

Happy Trails!

Rich Armstrong
Dave Haviland
Jess Lilly
Bill Flynn

Speed Coaching Sessions

Throughout the Summit, we'll have a few coaches available for 30-minute, 1-1 speed coaching sessions on the topics of team building, strategic planning, growth and scaling, financial literacy, transparency and open book management. You'll be able to tackle your challenges and opportunities with these experts. Check them out here.

Coaches include: Rich Armstrong, Bill Flynn, Dave Haviland, and Jess Lilly.

Sign up before April 15 for your coaching session here.