After working 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry in senior management, including being one of the 10 original founders of Glaxo, a pharmaceutical company in Raleigh, NC, Tom Hudgin retired in 1991 and formed his own company, Wilmington Quality Associates. With Bachelor’s Degrees in chemistry and mathematics from Muskingum University and an MBA in marketing from Xavier University, he specializes in successful business management. His focus is helping companies improve competitive performance by teaching effective leadership skills, improving company image, having highly motivated employees and creating delighted customers. He has been Chairman of The Board for a North Carolina Credit Union and speaks at 10-15 conventions and educational conferences per year as a keynote speaker and breakout-session presenter on business management topics. He is also Chairman of the Board for the Southern States Llama Association. Tom has written several novels, including a high adventure mystery novel called “Incident at Cat Island” and an international mystery thriller called “The Andros Connection”. He also wrote the book “Winning At Packaging – Keys to success from the human side” published by the Institute of Packaging Professionals.

Kordell Norton knows sales. He started selling box lunches on the sidewalk to tourists as a 12-year old. Remember the no-name generics phenomenon in the grocery stores in the 1970s and 1980s? That was Kordell. Ever hear of a little device called the personal computer? Kordell was in charge of marketing for the number 1 reseller of PCs in the US as they sold 5,000 to 7,000 personal computers per day for names like IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Apple. He has managed retail sales, been regional sales manager and called on "C" level executives for Fortune 500 companies . . . Kordell knows sales. He has been a teacher of selling skills to bankers, educators, computer sales people, consultants, small businesses, associations and the list goes on and on. A professional member of the National Speakers association and author of “Throwing Gas on the Fire - creating drastic change in Sales and Marketing” and the soon-to-be-released book titled “Customer Insights - A Sales Guide for Discovering the Customer’s Problems, Passions, and Priorities”. Kordell speaks to organizations across the country with his high energy, humorous, interactive style.

Mary Kaye Denning is an expert in identifying new markets and business development opportunities for manufacturing organizations. She has established and built businesses and product lines including designer shoes and heavy earth-moving equipment, and has worked internationally with leading engineering and product development resources. In the course of her career, Mary Kaye has helped clients significantly grow their business. She currently serves as president of The Manufacturing Mart, a regional permanent manufacturing engineering services trading center. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, The Mart distinguishes manufacturing and inventing as evolving lifestyle services. It showcases cutting-edge manufacturers and inventors who have the know-how and flexibility to satisfy the customer. The Manufacturing Mart is where buyers come to uncover manufacturing opportunities — new relationships, new products, new processes and new profits.

Anthony Huey has years of experience in editorial management, media relations, marketing communications and business strategy. His career includes tenures as a news reporter and editor, crisis management specialist and media relations consultant. As the Senior Editor for Ohio Magazine, Anthony was charged with developing, implementing and managing special editorial projects for the nation’s second largest privately-owned state magazine. In addition, Anthony was the managing editor of several Central Ohio city magazines and served as the Associate Publisher of Buon Giorno Magazine. An expert on interviewing techniques, Anthony has written for many publications throughout his career, and has authored hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. Anthony owns and operates Reputation Management Associates, one of the nation’s leading communications training and crisis consulting companies. His past client work includes a wide variety of advertising, public relations and communications initiatives for companies and organizations such as Nike, Planet Hollywood, Eli Lilly, Nationwide Insurance, The Kroger Company, The Limited, Deloitte & Touche, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, The State of Ohio, and Ashland Inc., among many others. Anthony holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from The Ohio State University.

Robert Zaruta has successfully helped companies bring clarity and direction to their goals, strategies and action plans. Specifically, he has assisted owners and management teams in developing and implementing strategic plans and can help your company become a strategy-focused organization. “The strategic plans that result from my involvement are not binders collecting dust, but rather workable, highly visible tools that can be used every day to implement existing strategy and to link strategy to operations and people’s jobs. The fact is a strategy-focused organization is better able to make the changes necessary to compete and to take advantage of changing business conditions and new opportunities.” Robert helps businesses grow their top line through sales training and sales management services. He has a proven record of accomplishments in sales, sales management and sales training, working with premium products and services across multiple highly competitive industries.

Gerry Weinberg is one of the fortunate people who actually discovered and made his way to his true niche in life. He found that niche to be in sales training, and his dedication to the Sandler Sales System is unparalleled. Never satisfied with things that just stay the same, he has an incredible passion for growth. His commitment to helping his clients improve results is never-ending, but he does admit to some frustration if he observes that he is more committed to his client’s growth than the client itself. He has been called dynamic as well as an overachiever and exhibits a mental toughness that has yielded more than 35 years of success in sales, sales management and business development.