Business Insights Series

About the Business Insights Series

The Business Insights Series (BIS) is presented by the School of Business and Economics. Speakers address topics of interest and concern to business leaders in the Southern California region. The distinguished speaker series is held quarterly showcasing experts in their fields. This program provides strategic insights for growing businesses and developing high-performing leaders, contributing to one’s professional and personal growth while contributing to the economic vitality of the region.

The BIS provides

Timely insights from leading business and academic experts
Best business practices
Continuing education for professional development and your personal leadership capabilities
Specifically designed for business owners, and senior executives and emerging leaders of growing enterprises

“I want to thank you for leading and hosting the Business Insight Series this morning. It is a great opportunity for me to receive some good insight on business topics written by the business leaders of our day. In addition, it is an opportunity for me to minster to my team that I work with and bring them to a Christian event that they may not otherwise attend. The topics are relevant to our lives as businessmen and in a Christian setting, expose some to the gospel that may not have come on their own. I just want to send a quick note of appreciation and let you know that I look forward to participating in future events. Thank you”
Mark, VP

Contact

For more information regarding the Business Insights Series, to suggest speakers or topics or become a sponsor, please contact: [email protected] or call Avery B. Casteel at 949-214-3488.

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Past Events

Dean Stoecker

Speaker: Dean Stoecker (Author)
Date: September 22, 2022
Time: 7:00am-8:30am
Location: Concordia University Irvine Grimm Hall North, H.E. Durbin ’93 Family Conference Center 1530 Concordia West, Irvine, CA 92612

Presentation and Breakfast Prices:

Attendee: $30
CUI Alumni: $20
Group of 4: $100
Table of 8: $300
Sponsorship VIP (Table of 7): Premium front-row seating
- Includes sitting with the speaker at the table
Breakfast Sponsor (Two tables of 8): $1,250

MASTERPIECE: The Emotional Journey to Creating Anything Great...Anything

Published – February 17, 2022

by Dean Stoecker (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

Purchase Book

Dean Stoecker is the co-founder and executive chairman of Alteryx, a multi-billion dollar data analytics company. But his path to that success was not linear or logical or without its deep swamps of despair. Dean had many entrepreneurial false starts before he finally found his path. In this candid, engaging book, he describes the emotional journey that inevitably accompanies any success in life. We all want to create something great—a great marriage, a great friendship, a great career, a great family, and if you’re as fortunate as Dean, a great business. But building any masterpiece is as difficult as it is rewarding. People give up. They lose confidence. They can’t get through the tough parts. But, as Dean’s own story shows, most failures are not failures of vision or talent, but of belief and will. In fact, they’re not even failures at all. If you can learn to navigate the often overwhelming obstacles and dark moments, your efforts will be rewarded. Based on Stoecker’s years of hard-earned wisdom, Masterpiece is much more than a window onto the founding of a tech giant. It offers universal and timeless lessons for any journey you might be on.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dean Stoecker was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He earned his undergraduate degree in International Business from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1979, and in his senior year became a Shellback, the nautical designation for having sailed around the world during a Semester at Sea, a program then sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh. He earned his MBA from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.Dean caught the entrepreneurial bug working with his father and siblings as a teenager, which ultimately led him in 1997 to become the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board of Alteryx, Inc. Twenty years after he started his journey with Alteryx, Dean took the company public on the New York Stock Exchange. Dean retired his CEO role 23 years after founding the company and currently serves as Executive Chairman.Today, in addition to visiting with the grandkids and walking Truman, their Australian Shepherd, Dean and his wife Angie devote time to their i-Rise Foundation, which seeks to increase opportunities for underserved youth around the world.For coaching, mentoring, or just a conversation about your journey, feel free to reach out to Dean at [email protected] or via LinkedIn.

Publisher: Gatekeeper Press (February 17, 2022)
Language: English
Paperback: 184 pages
IBSN-10: 1662923147
IBSN-13: 978-1662923142
Item Weight: 9 ounces
Dimensions: 6 x 0.42 x 9 inches
Best Seller Rank: #376,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,480 in Business Professional's Biographies
- #3,181 in Entrepreneurship (Books)
- #6,173 in Education Theory (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.7 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

Storytelling: The Future of Marketing

Speaker: Sonya Lee
Date: January 23, 2020
Time: 7:00am-8:30am
Location: Concordia University Irvine Grimm Hall North, H.E. Durbin ’93 Family Conference Center 1530 Concordia West, Irvine, CA 92612

Networking and breakfast: 7:00 a.m.

Speaker: 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.

It all starts with the shifts your business is trying to make, your growth strategy, and the aspirations for your product. We can address these through product & brand strategy, positioning, design development, visual identity, customer and user experience, and software, app, platform development.

Learning Opportunities:

Best practices to attract, retain and engage customers.
The difference between user experience (UX) and customer experience (CX).
How to instill design-thinking, journey maps to lift your revenue by 40%

About the Speaker: Sonya Lee is a keynote speaker, startup consultant and UX design expert. By age 26, she became an award-winning web designer and has the honor of being called “disruptive” when helping Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, launch Disney.com. She has worked on brands for Warner Bros, AT&T, TrueCar, Adobe, and Cisco, and launched several companies.

With more than 20 years of experience in branding, product design, technology, and marketing, she now helps Fortune 100 companies and business owners tell better stories for visibility, momentum and growth. Sonya is also the founder of UX Your LifeTM and the UserXTM Method; frameworks designed to maximize growth and revenue.

Communication is a Contact Sport

Speaker: James McPartland
Date: Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Master the challenging art of communication! James dives deep into exactly what is required for effective connection, underlining the importance of intentional interaction between those involved. He shares how to enter into conversation with focus and a willingness to share the space. You will gain a fresh perspective on the meaning of full engagement and how to connect in a way that is authentic and purposeful, allowing for mutual understanding despite potentially differing points of view. Learn healthier approaches to communication that will strengthen both personal and professional relationships. Understand the value of listening, the power of silence, and walk away with inspiring new strategies for achieving greater communication success.

James McPartland has over 25 years of experience working with CEOs and executives in such companies as Bank of America, IBM, Nespresso, Kellogg’s, Dow Chemical, Athletes First, and 24 Hour Fitness. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Unopened Gifts, a non-traditional business novel series aimed at helping leaders recognize how their personal issues and style contribute to their business’s challenges and how to change them.

Emotional Intelligence for Improving Your Leadership

Speaker: Steve VerBurg
Date: Thursday, June 6, 2019

The Emotional Intelligence for Improving Your Leadership workshop focused on how you can lead with Emotional Intelligence to help identify your own strengths and weaknesses in order to take control of your actions and feelings. Then you can focus on understanding others and on using effective approaches to build collaboration.

Participants Empowered to:

Build an atmosphere of enhanced trust, credibility and respect.
Identify your style and how you react under pressure
Modify your behavior to influence the attitudes and actions of others.

Steve VerBurg is the co-owner of Dale Carnegie of Orange County. He specializes in helping organizations plan and implement employee engagement programs that guide teams to increase profitably, production and performance. He is also an author, speaker, consultant, coach, and corporate trainer.

Leading Generation Z

Speaker: Jake Aguas
Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Jake Aguas is an organizational consultant, entrepreneur, and professor of management. With nearly three decades of experience in the banking and market research industries, Jake has held leadership positions with Fortune 100 companies as well as with one of the country’s top polling firms. He spent 15 years with JPMorgan Chase as a leader in its retail bank division, notably serving as its Human Resource Manager for Talent Acquisition for the Western United States.

His work has been featured in academic journals, industry conferences, and he is the author of an upcoming book on generational difference to be published by Kendall Hunt Publishing.

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Creating a Culture of Happiness: Transform Your Organization’s Culture and Improve Business Outcomes

Speaker: Nancy Drew
Date: Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Nancy Drew is an accomplished health and wellness expert and cable TV reporter for the Wellness Channel. Her energetic, fun and fresh approach has made her the go-to authority for inspiring business leaders and giving them the tools to create healthier, happier and more successful companies and employees. Nancy’s memorable and action-packed presentations take audiences on a journey filled with laughter and tears as she shares her own experiences, from being homeless to rising to the top of the health and wellness industry, and working with the likes of Interpol Policing, Waste Management and Chevron. Ms. Drew’s accomplishments include winning the San Diego Business Journal Women Who Mean Business Award and regular television appearances as a fitness and health coach on Wake-Up San Diego and the Wellness Hour. Nancy also spends endless hours working with high risk teens and foster care kids teaching healthy life skills including how to build resiliency and live happy fulfilled lives. Nancy captivates audiences and leads them through a transformative experience, empowering them with exciting and easy-to-implement strategies for enhancing health and happiness, increasing performance and productivity, and realizing that in business and in life you really can have it all!

How to Understand & Mitigate the Unintended Consequences of Your Business Decisions

Speaker: Richard Franzi
Date: Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Richard Franzi is the Founder and CEO of Critical Mass for Business, a premium social/peer learning firm for executives who lead firms with annual revenue between $5 million and $50 million. He is a business partner with Renaissance Executive Forums, a leading international advisory board firm founded in 1994 and currently chairs CEO Peer Groups' throughout Los Angeles and and Orange County, CA. Richard's work and research have been featured in national media: Forbes.com, INC.com, CNBC.com, American Express OPEN Forum, and various talk shows, as well as Southern California publications: Orange County Business Journal, Orange County Register, and OC Metro Minute. His business talk show, Critical Mass Radio Show, has showcased over 1,200 interviews and is available on iTunes, iHeart Radio, Sticher and various podcasting platforms.

Intrapreneurship: Changing Business Culture from the Inside Out

Speaker: Justin Nimergood
Date: Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Business Coach, Organizational Consultant, Motivational Speaker/Trainer, Former Western U.S Leader, CISCO Author of Intrapreneurship: Changing Business Culture From the Inside Out Learn the best at your craft by mastering yourself and taking massive, determined action. How to be an effective leader intentionally helping others and adding value to their lives. How to interpret trends and apply them within your organization to create alignment. Justin Nimergood is a high-energy, competitive and methodical channel sales leader who is well versed in leading cross-functional, matrixed teams to achieve measurable growth objectives by fostering collaboration and communication.

"Make Big Happen: How to Live, Work, and Give Big"

Speaker: Mark Moses
Date: Friday, January 12, 2018

Founding Partner, CEO Coaching International, Speaker

Author of the international bestselling book, Make Big Happen: How to Live, Work and Give Big.

Learn what it takes to be a top performer and build the life you want, to overcome adversity in your business and life, and ask better questions to get better results. Mark Moses’ firm coaches clients on how to dramatically grow their revenue and profits; implement the most effective strategies; become better leaders; grow their people; build accountability systems and evaluate their own performance.

"The Secret to Top Level Performance in Business and Life"

Speaker: Dr. Betty Uribe
Date: Friday, October 27 2017

Founding Partner, CEO Coaching International, Speaker

Author of the international bestselling book, Make Big Happen: How to Live, Work and Give Big.

The Power of Emotional Connection in Leadership

Speaker: Lola Gershfeld, PsyD
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2017

Board Dynamics Specialist, Founder, and CEO of Level Five Executive, Newport Beach (Orange County, CA). Author of TRUSTMAKERS and Effective Board Dynamics Guide for CEOs and Directors. Everyone wants to be a more effective leader – becoming one starts with emotional connection. Understanding emotion allows you to increase trust, collaboration, and results.

Building Blocks for Breakthrough Results (Or 52 Hot Tips to Get You Started)

Speaker: Joan Smith
Date: Thursday, January 28, 2016

Over 100,000 business leaders have learned business-changing breakthrough strategies from Joan over the last ten years. Using her “straight talk” approach, she has enabled people to go beyond their expectations. And she can help you get your new year started off right.

The 4 Essentials of Entrepreneurial Thinking: What Successful People Didn’t Learn in School

Speaker: Cliff Michael
Date: Thursday, November 5, 2015

Entrepreneur, NY Times bestselling author, Strategic Coach & Venture Consultant---Essential Trainer for Business Leaders & Entrepreneurs

Pick Up Stix: The Making of a Brand - The Founder's Insights

Speaker: Charles Zhang, Founder, Pick Up Stix and Founder/CEO, Zion Enterprises
Date: Thursday, September 17, 2015

Entrepreneur, NY Times bestselling author, Strategic Coach & Venture Consultant---Essential Trainer for Business Leaders & Entrepreneurs

"The Business Case for Servant Leadership-How Culture Trumps Strategy"

Speaker: Art Barter
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2015

Owner and Cultural Architect, Datron World Communications, Inc.

CEO & Founder, Servant Leadership Institute

"The Leadership Challenge: How To Make Extraordinary Things Happen In Organizations"

Speaker: Barry Posner
Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Featured world-renowned leadership expert, speaker and author Dr. Barry Z. Posner, named as one of the nation’s top management and leadership educators.

"Startup Leadership: How Savvy Entrepreneurs Turn Their Ideas Into Successful Enterprises"

Speaker: Dr. Derek B. Lidow
Date: Thursday, October 30, 2014

Leadership expert, CEO, Entrepreneur, Princeton University Entrepreneurship Professor, and Start-up Coach, Dr. Derek B. Lidow, founder/CEO (iSuppli) and authority on the global electronics industry, will shared findings from his research and book, “Startup Leadership.”

"Ego vs. EQ – How Top Leaders Beat 8 Ego Traps With Emotional Intelligence"

Speaker: Jen Shirkani
Date: Thursday, September 18, 2014

Emotional Intelligence Expert and Author Jen Shirkani Offers Insights from Her Book “Ego vs EQ,” nominated for a 2014 USA Best Book Award

"What Great Brands Do, Seven Brand Building Principles That Separate the Best from the Rest"

Speaker: Denise Lee Yohn
Date: Friday, October 27 2017

Business leader and Author of What Great Brands Do, Seven Brand Building Principles That Separate the Best from the Rest

"The Three E's of Entrepreneurship: Experience, Enthusiasm, & Excellence"

Speaker: Tracey Jones
Date: Thursday, September 12, 2013

President, Tremendous Life Books (Pennsylvania)

"Fire Your Excuses and Perform at a Higher Level. It's Time!"

Speaker: Dr. Bill Dyment & Associates (Costa Mesa, CA)
Date: Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Author, Fire Your Excuses

"Entrepreneurism: Insights on Increasing Corporate Value and Speeding Growth in Today's Global Economy"

Speaker: Dave Berkus, Berkus Technology Ventures, LLC
Date: November 15, 2012

Author of Basic Berkonomics, Berkonomics, & Advanced Berkonmonics

"Learn How To Make Your Ideas Fly"

Speaker: Charles Lee, CEO, Ideation
Date: September 27, 2012

Author of Author of Good Idea. Now What?

The presentation was to help individuals, companies, and organizations that are seeking to better implement their ideas.

"7 Practices of a Godly Business Leader"

Speaker: Rick Boxx, President and Founder of Integrity Resources Center
Date: August 23, 2012

In the fast-paced, secular business world, many Christians leave their faith at the door. Businessman, author, radio personality, and speaker, Rick Boxx, had some Biblical insights to share.

Special thanks to our sponsors