Express Employment Professionals believes that great leaders don’t just stand on their own; they cultivate and build incredible teams. For the third annual Refresh Leadership Live Simulcast and “Shop Local” Business 2 Business Expo, the lineup of celebrity speakers will focus on this theme. EEP is a locally-owned staffing and human resources company that benefits both employees and employers by matching the right people with the right jobs. 

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Refresh Leadership Live Simulcast by the EEP Fayetteville office, which has been owned and managed by Brad Loase since 2002. In 2014, Up & Coming Weekly publisher Bill Bowman and the Greater Fayetteville Chamber teamed up with Loase to develop and expand the Live Simulcast program into a full day of leadership training and networking opportunities for local organizations and business owners. Three years later, the event is still going strong. This year’s full-day event is hosted by Ramada Plaza (formally the Holiday Inn Bordeaux). It is set for Wednesday, April 12, 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. “Leadership is something that we at Express … feel very strongly about. That’s why we get behind it and put a lot of effort into developing this for the community,” Loase said. 

This year, Loase has added another business development dimension to the Leadership Expo: EEP and Up & Coming Weekly will host the Chamber Coffee Club networking breakfast. The Leadership Live Simulcast will immediately follow the breakfast in three simulcast segments, beginning with internationally-recognized speaker and best-selling business author Patrick Lencioni. Lencioni will speak about “The Ideal Team Player,” expounding on what he considers to be the three essential characteristics of team players: humility, hunger and people smarts. 

After a short break, Lencioni will be followed by the keynote speaker, Jimmy Johnson, American football broadcaster, former player and former NFL two-time Super Bowl winning head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Currently, Johnson is a sports analyst for Fox, hosting the pregame show NFL Sunday. He will draw on the lessons learned from his distinguished coaching career to discuss “Teams That Win: Fundamentals for Success.” 

Robyn Benincasa will round out the Live Simulcast. Benincasa is an inspiration for business owners and a teaching tour de force when it comes to building teams. This CNN Hero has real life experiences in marketing, firefighting and adventure racing and is a best-selling author. She will take viewers on a multimedia adventure that “viscerally imparts the attitude and mindset that allows groups of ordinary people to accomplish truly extraordinary feats together.” 

The Live Simulcast is free, but registration is required. Signing up is easy, and can be done at www.refreshleadership.com/live.

Immediately following the Live Simulcast, attendees will have the opportunity to network and learn from over 40 local Fayetteville businesses and organizations who will be featured in the “Shop Local” Business Expo. Gifts and door prizes will be presented all day. 

Attendees will also have a second exciting option in the afternoon. They are invited to attend the Refresh Leadership Luncheon featuring a special guest, Discovery Channel’s Naked and Afraid star EJ Snyder. Snyder is a highly decorated combat Army veteran who teaches survival skills through team building. Snyder said he feels he has many messages to share with the business community when it comes to how teamwork contributes to life’s successes. “I just have a knack … for finding the good in everyone and capitalizing on their strengths,” he said. “I’ve found that with my teams if I showed them I was passionate about what I was doing and that I had a love in my heart for them and truly cared for them, I had (much better results).” 

Tickets for the luncheon are $40 with a $5 discount for members of the Greater Fayetteville Chamber and Better Business Bureau, military, students and seniors. If available, tickets will be $45 at the door. Contact the Chamber of Commerce or call (910) 391-3859 for tickets and information.

Two business-related team-building workshops will be held after lunch. One will be “Tactical and Practical,” conducted by EJ Snyder, and the other will focus on traditional business development practices and will be conducted by the Greater Fayetteville Chamber in conjunction with the Better Business Bureau of Coastal Carolina. These activities will be followed by a Town Hall-style open discussion with a panel of local experts, featuring five known and proven leaders in the business community. The panel members will share their secrets of success and field business-related questions from the audience. The panelists are: 

Darsweil Rogers, president/CEO of RMC Strategies: Rogers is a seasoned coach and consultant specializing in the development of professional managers and business leaders with an emphasis on growing profitability while delivering value
to customers. 

John D’Ambrosio, president/CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Coastal Carolina: D’Ambrosio has over 40 years’ experience in assisting businesses to build successful teams.

Kirk deViere, president/CEO of 219 Group: As a veteran entrepreneur, deViere is well-versed in team building. He has owned and initiated many successful startup ventures in the technology, consumer products, communications and hospitality industries.

Susanne Pennink, Realtor and co-owner of Coldwell Banker Unity Realty: As a real estate professional, Pennink has been in just about every industry position in Cumberland County and the state. She has also held the position of president of the North Carolina Associations of REALTORS. 

EJ Snyder will round out the panel, and you can be sure he will have hard-earned and unique advice. 

The day will conclude with the grand finale Business 2 Business After Hours Reception, hosted by the Ramada Plaza, Better Business Bureau and Greater Fayetteville Chamber. It will be a celebration where the vendors, special guests, business leaders and city, county and state-elected officials will all come together to network while promoting the “shop local” theme. There will be music, food, fun, prizes and surprises. “The format for this is pretty relaxed but interactive,” Loase said. “It’s important to hear what these people who have had tremendous success have to say. But even more important is to hear what people in our community have to say about that and interact and communicate with each other about it.” 

The leadership event is free all day except for the optional Refresh Leadership Luncheon. Leadership participants must register online at www.refreshleadership.com/live. To register for the luncheon, visit www.eventbrite.com and search “Refresh Leadership Live Simulcast and Business Expo.”

This event is made possible by many organizations in our community. The hosting sponsors are Express Employment Professionals, Greater Fayetteville Chamber, Better Business Bureau, Ramada Plaza, Beasley Broadcasting and Up & Coming Weekly. Other supporting organizations include PWC, Fayetteville State University, Bragg Mutual Credit Union, Bizcard Express, FTCC and the UPS Store, just to name a few.