After 32 years in the industry and 12 years at FIVE STAR, beloved account executive Barbara Byrnes has announced her retirement.

“I know everyone joins me in thanking her for her 30+ years of service to the industry and for her quiet and steady demeanor throughout all the ups and downs.  She has been a tremendous asset to the company,” said CEO Steve Gardner.

Barbara has been a wonderful teammate and friend to everyone at FIVE STAR and has rightfully earned the respect of the coworkers, clients and speakers who’ve seen her quality and professionalism firsthand.

Though we are all sad to see her departure, we thank Barbara and wish her only the best.

Congrats Barb!!! We will miss you!!!

“I cannot begin to tell you how many positive comments we have received about Tom’s presentation.”

–      Radiant Global Logistics – 6/11/10

With an impeccable ability to both entertain and communicate clearly and effectively, business leadership speaker Tom Flick is having a sensational year.  The former NFL quarterback has combined his knowledge of teamwork and performance with business savvy to produce insightful, compelling presentations for numerous top-level organizations and businesses.

At a recent keynote, Leigh Stanton of MassMutual was blown away. Here’s what he had to say –

“Tom was outstanding today.  He is a great storyteller who connects deeply with his audience.  He reminded us of what was truly important in our lives, and I found my eyes welling up a couple of times. He received a standing ovation at the end of his presentation!”

Tom’s capacity to appeal to audiences on both visceral and intellectual levels sets him ahead of other leadership speakers, which is why clients regularly send FIVE STAR glowing responses after Tom’s presentations.

Flick’s high-performance strategies address a multitude of issues including leadership, teamwork, change, and personal growth.   His most requested speaking topics are At the Heart of Leadership, Getting to Your “Go” Side, Leading Legacy Teams and Heart of a Champion.

For more information on Tom Flick, or if you’d like to inquire about him speaking to your organization, contact FIVE STAR.

The speakers, whose areas of expertise included motivation, business, social media and humor, touched on a variety of exciting, relevant topics, trends and issues.  At times, they even had audience members in tears of laughter!  All speakers received overwhelmingly positive reviews from the attendees.

To see who spoke at the Dallas Showcase, click here.

FIVE STAR will be hosting its second spring showcase on Thursday, June 24, in Chicago at the Hilton Lisle.

Here is the lineup for Chicago:

Mack Dryden
Greg Lederman
Amilya Antonetti
Greg Hahn
Durwood Fincher
Robyn Benincasa
John O’Leary
Jeff Havens
Michael C. Anthony
Dr. Larry Ohlhauser
Brian Biro
Jerry Mills
Jay Baer
Vernice Armour
Al Lautenslager

All details of the Chicago Showcase can be found here.

If you are interested in any of the outstanding speakers in either of these lineups, or any other of our array of speakers, trainers and entertainers, please contact FIVE STAR.

Brian Biro, who was ranked the # 1 speaker at four consecutive INC. Magazine International Conferences, has amazed audiences everywhere with his dynamic presentations, which focus on leadership, teamwork, motivation and creativity.

While many speakers are known for being lively, few have the ability to connect with an audience and transfer their enthusiasm like Brian.

At the 2010 Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, the wise, bubbly motivational speaker was, as always, a huge hit.  Creed Crowder, the TVPPA’s conferences director was blown away – here’s what he wrote in a letter to Brian:

“As expected, you did a fabulous job for us with your energetic presentation, giving attendees advice and principles they can apply in all aspects of leadership.  On top of that, I’ve come to know that you care about and are genuinely interested in everyone you meet.  I consider you an excited missionary, changing lives for the better, from a stage, in a book, on the telephone, and through every other communications medium.  I will recommend you highly, without reservation.”

Brian’s most requested speaking topics are Beyond Success, Breakthrough Leadership and The Unstoppable Spirit.

For more information on Brian Biro, or if you’d like to inquire about him speaking to your organization, contact FIVE STAR.

With over 30 years of corporate experience and an infectious, enthusiastic presentational style, communication speaker Kelli Vrla has enlightened and entertained audiences in Europe, Central America and the U.S.

Last week, at an event for a government agency, Kelli’s funny and insightful presentation had a profound, lasting effect on her audience.

Here are a few comments from the event’s coordinators –

“She incorporated our theme into her material covering all points we needed emphasized.”

“We were so impressed with her professionalism and ability to re-group in the presence of a possible disaster.  Due to security requirements that we didn’t anticipate, we were not able to hook up her equipment for her PowerPoint presentation.  Kelli didn’t let that get in the way!  Kelli was dynamic in presenting the material verbally and developed a couple PowerPoint slides on the spot to emphasize some of the material she presented.  She was awesome!”

“From the CPE feedback she consistently received the highest rating along with comments that she should be rated higher than our scale.”

“Several individuals have commented that Kelli was an excellent speaker/trainer and they were putting her material into practice.  Those candid comments a week later tell you that people are still thinking about her presentation.”

After working as a broadcasting sales executive for sixteen years, Kelli served as CEO of her own people development firm for fourteen years. Now she shares her extensive knowledge and experience as a communication speaker for audiences everywhere.

Kelly’s most requested presentations include the following:

-  Preventing A.D.D. (Accountability Deficit Disorder) in Your Workplace: Getting Your People to OWN Their Jobs!

-  Put on Your Big Girl Panties & Ride, Cowgirl: StressBusting Success Tips for Today’s Women Leaders!

-  Stress Busting with Humor: How to Stay Laser Focused, Get More Done & Have More Fun!

-  Are You Talking to Yourself in Your Car? : Assertive Communications Tips for Busy People

For more information on Kelly Vrla, or if you’d like to inquire about her speaking to your organization, contact FIVE STAR.