CXps 2018 Speakers

Evan Carroll is an author, speaker, and experience architect. In his Opening Keynote, Evan will tell you how to combine big data trends and small data insights to fuel your client-centric approach to marketing and client experience. He will give attendees a full toolbox of strategies, tactics, and practical advice to create win-win-win experiences that are better for clients, better for your brand, and better for the bottom line.

Evan is the author of two books and has appeared in major news outlets including The New York Times, CBS Sunday Morning, NPR's Fresh Air, The Atlantic, and Popular Science. He specializes in helping companies stay relevant in an increasingly digital and connected world.

Stan Phelps inspires brands and businesses to be remark-able. Traditional marketing is fixated on the eyes and ears of the prospect. According to Stan's research, it is the client and employee experience that drives referrals. He believes you can’t have happy enthused clients without happy engaged employees. Culture is an ongoing commitment, not a campaign. In his Closing Keynote, Stan will share the nine key drivers of overall performance from the Golden Goldfish project.

Stan Phelps is a Forbes Contributor, IBM Futurist and TEDx Speaker. His keynotes and workshops offered at PurpleGoldfish.com focus on how to create meaningful differentiation to win the hearts of both employees and customers.

Tim Asimos is a fan favorite who will join us at CXps 2018. A recognized marketing thought leader and catalyst for change, Tim provides keen insights on modern marketing principles and an uncommon perspective gleaned from 15 years of experience both inside and outside the AEC industry. Hear Tim's insights on how to deliver on your firm's brand promise through an engaged client-centered culture. Discover a framework to align Client Experience (CX), Employee Experience (EX) and your brand. Learn how each of these areas support and strengthen one another to deliver on your brand promise and amplify your impact.

As Vice President and Director of Digital Innovation at circle S studio,  a strategic marketing agency, Tim leads the digital team to develop innovative strategies in web development, content marketing, social media and online lead generation.

As the lines between products, services, environments and industry categories continue to blur, leading professional services firms are looking to transcend traditional B2B boundaries in the service of create a better experience. In the past, professional services marketing was focused on achieving visibility and consistency of brand message and design. Today, the focus has shifted. Firms are seeking to find the right balance between the brand's and the clients' needs understanding their ability to do so will impact firm growth in the decade ahead.

Ida Cheinman uses her 20+ years of experience as a brand strategist, designer, marketer and educator to help professional services firms position their firms for success in this extremely competitive marketplace.

In today's marketplace, client experience is king. Your clients have more choices and louder voices than ever before, and providing a seamless red-carpet client experience is your competitive advantage. However, you can't provide that  experience unless your team is on board. In Donna's workshop, you will take away actionable tools you can use in your firm immediately. You'll learn how to: create clear expectations and a vision for your client experience initiative, engage your team to buy-in to the vision, and empower your team with tools, training and decision-making ability.

Donna Cutting, CSP is the author of two books on customer service. Her most recent book, “501 Ways to Roll Out the Red Carpet for Your Customers,” was named by Forbes columnist Shep Hyken as one of the best business books of 2015. Donna leads a team that train organizational leaders on how to turn prospects into delighted customers; and delighted customers into raving fans. 

To deliver a sustainable and differentiating experience for your clients starts with developing a clear definition of your firm's CX Culture. Real delivery of client experience goes beyond 'being nice.' It is not about saying yes to whatever your clients ask you to do. That approach can hurt the overall CX your client experiences working with your firm. In Heather's session, you will learn what McDonald York has done to design their clients' experience. You'll learn how to: measure CX on your project, create a playbook (strategy) for your firm with the types of touchpoints you want your clients to experience, and how to engage multiple team members with clients to create a holistic experience of relationship.

Heather Denny is President and CEO of McDonald York Building Company. She is the driving force behind MYWay(r), a McDonald York client-focused philosophy and tailored delivery process. She has had strong success in growing key relationships for the company and continues to focus on fostering intentional CX behavior throughout the firm. 

Discover a new way of thinking about social media by leveraging your online presence into a positive client experience. Social media is more prevalent today than it has ever been with new platforms being constantly introduced. Make sure your social resume provides you and your business with the upper hand when it comes to communicating with your clients. David and Lee will introduce the concept of 2-way client communication in an online social setting something which can be tricky because of how public these conversations can be.

Lee Phillips is a Senior Marketing Coordinator at Fast Lane. Besides a specialization in Social Media Marketing, Lee focuses on graphic design, coding and Email Marketing. David Mantica is an economist and Product Manager with more than 23 years of B2B services consulting, coaching and training industry experience.

Karl Feldman will take a deeper look into professional service firms' research and how using research can help your firm grow, and improve relationships with your clients. Hinge's research on professional services firms indicates that firms that conduct frequent research realize higher growth. Karl will share the critical components of client-centered research and provide attendees with the practical tools they need to conduct their own research regardless of firm size.

Karl is a Professional Services Marketer and Nerd Whisperer at Hinge. According to Karl, his Nerd-Whisperer title is earned as he enjoys translating the complex and tech-y nitty gritty into “human” speak because not everyone speaks geek!

When it comes to selling - your product, your ideas, your CX goals - we often fail to convince others of the passion and commitment we feel inside. Since passion, confidence, and enthusiasm are inferred from our actions, it's crucial to SHOW these critical components and not rely on our audience to INFER from our content or implications. The outcome: misunderstanding, loss of buy-in, and missed opportunity. This is a highly interactive session, Alan Hoffler gives attendees the chance to demonstrate how small changes can have a BIG impact on the reception of our message.

Alan is the founder and director of MillsWyck Communications, is an accomplished keynote speaker. Alan shows audiences how communication opens doors and how YOU can be an insanely great communicator!

Steven Keith leads two sessions this year at CXps 2018. An ardent systems thinker, Steven is passionate about helping executives and managers solve their most complex business problems in Marketing, Sales and Operations, His first session is a CX Mini Clinic designed for those new to building a CX initiative in their firms. Attendees will brainstorm on a CX pilot they would like to try in their firm, vote, and then work with Steven to create an implementation strategy. In his Advanced (or Master) Workshop, Steven will focus on how to build and execute modern client experience programs. He will provide insight into how to think about and build a CX governance model ensuring program success and methods to measure performance to keep it all on track.

Over the past 15 years, Steven has focused on advising companies in the services sector to wrap their minds around their entire value delivery ecosystems to find their best path forward in the age of digital/social/and customer experience.

Kate Lucey's workshop at CXps 2017 was a huge hit. Evaluations after her session overwhelming told us to bring her back to CXps2018.  According to one attendee, "I actually was completely slammed with work and almost didn't come back for the second day of the conference but I really wanted to see this presentation and it was well worth it!!" Applying linguistic theory to every day business communication, Kate helps companies and individuals strengthen their relationships, establish their brand, and hone their message.

A recent addition to the Client Savvy team, Kate is a Sociolinguist and language analyst consultant. She earned her Master's degree in Language and Communication from Georgetown University, and her Bachelor's in Linguistics from Boston College. 

Erin Meszaros joins us from Eversheds Sutherland. Erin has spent more than two decades working with her teams to turn business strategies into business successes. Like many professional services firms, the sales force at Eversheds Sutherland are seller - doers. In her session, Erin will present a case study about how her firm has identified the traits, personalities, and habits of the firm's top producers to identify what skills they need to look for in new hires and which behaviors they can train on to increase success across the firm.

Erin's career includes numerous successful marketing initiatives, such as implementing and executing a firm's business development program, initiating and completing a re-branding campaign, and conducting an in-depth client relations coaching program for firm partners. She focuses on developing innovating solutions and programs to enhance client satisfaction and increase brand awareness.

Patricia Ellard and Dan Pulka join us from Pepper Hamilton, LLP as CX innovators from legal professional services. In their session, Dan and Patricia will present a case study on how their firm built a strong CX initiative as part of their implementation of a client feedback program. You will learn how they achieved their results through a discussion of best practices, communication strategies, and tips for overcoming roadblocks like strong personalities and hesitant clients.

Patricia is a competitive intelligence professional with a strong focus on client service. She uses competitive intelligence sources and tactics to identify gaps in clients' legal needs and to recommend opportunities. Dan is the chief marketing officer and, as a key resource and leading influence, has led the firm's marketing and business development efforts since 2014.

Mike Phillips is the president and founder of Phillips Architecture PA, a 27 year-old multidisciplinary design firm in Raleigh, NC. Mike spoke to a standing-room only crowd at PSMJ Thrive in 2017. During his session at CXps 2018, Mike will tell you how to win the race for talent by creating superstars within your firm. He has used these techniques and assessments in his own firm driving unprecedented employee satisfaction and profitability. Mike is a powerful speaker who holds nothing back. You won't want to miss this session.

Phillips Architecture has been awarded the “Leading by Example” Premier Award for Client Satisfaction, Best Architectural Workplace and Best Collaborative Firm awards and was named to the PSMJ Circle of Excellence. 

Greg Crowe and Jim Holz join us from MSA Professional Services. MSA has committed to enhancing the client experience journey provided by all their employees. In their session, Greg and Jim will highlight the client experience framework they are implementing from client onboarding, through project management, and enduring client experiences. They will share best practices, lessons learned and next steps.

Greg is a Client Service Manager with MSA with special expertise in community engagement, urban planning and sustainability,and improvement of quality public services. Jim is the Director of Client Services. Jim has played an important role in leading MSA's Client Experience Program.

Sally Obernolte and Tim Schroeder from Neumann Monson Architects share their firm's CX journey which began as an internal grass roots effort and has led to their client experience initiative rising to the top of their firm's strategic plan's focus. Learn the strategies they used to gain buy-in from their team, the results they have achieved, and their next steps.

Sally is an architect who believes in the power of designing an authentic experience. For the past nine years at Neumann Monson she has sought opportunities to influence an outward focus that aligns with the firm's design excellence. Tim's balance of tenacious drive and empathetic listening has provided purposeful and influential leadership at Neumann Monson for the past 24 years. Named COO in 2012 to lead aggressive organizational change, Tim has recently deepened his contributions by setting strategic direction for the firm.

Eddy Smith with SCS Engineers and Mel Lester with BizEdge share responsibility for leading SCS’ far-reaching Client Success initiative, which seeks to transform this national environmental firm’s culture and work practices toward greater client focus. In their session, they will outline the vision, strategy, and challenges of guiding the firm through this ambitious change process. You will learn how they are helping SCS employees see their work differently, integrate more client-centered approaches into it, and tackle the inevitable cultural and organizational hurdles.

Eddy was recently appointed to a new position in SCS—Senior Vice President of Client Success. His selection for this role was largely based on his success as a regional director in improving growth and profitability by instilling greater client focus. Mel has assisted SCS in this effort as a consultant. He specializes in helping A/E firms improve business performance and create competitive advantage through client-centered, value-added strategies.

Wright Sullivan lives the reality of building a client-centric firm while still watching the bottom line. In this session, Wright will share the practical approaches he has used for balancing client-centricity efforts and the day-to-day realities of running a business. He has found that becoming a truly client-focused firm does not mean asking your team to do "one more thing." Instead, it requires an evolution in thinking about "how" your team does business.

Wright is President of A&E Engineering located in Greenville, South Carolina. He is also a member of the Client Experience Mastermind Group which meets quarterly to learn from each other and move the professional services industry forward on its CX initiatives. 

Chandra Storrusten is recognized for propelling performance to unprecedented levels while ensuring the continued achievement of stakeholder goals. To achieve this success, she believes it is critical to understand that clients select the firm that best demonstrates an understanding of them, their needs, and their situation. In the Client Empathy Mapping workshop, Chandra gives attendees a clear framework they can duplicate in their own firms. This process enables firms to quickly recognize opportunities for differentiation with uniquely tailored service while addressing the exact concerns of their clients.

Chandra is Managing Director and Chief Value Creation Officer of Visible Value, a member of the Content Evolution global federation of companies helping clients ask better questions to pursue purposeful growth and success. 

Some believe that clients are a firm’s most asset, while others argue that employees are more valuable. This is like the dilemma “did the chicken or the egg come first?”  The truth is they are equally important. Treating employees as customers reframes the employee career model, designed to attract and engage (rather than manage) employees. In Kristi's workshop you will gain a deeper understanding of the critical crossover points in the client and employee journey. And, walk away with the tools to build a culture of energized and engaged employees.

Kristi focuses her extensive expertise on helping clients create a unique human resources architecture, applying practical solutions that complement strategic goals and company culture. Her deep human resources knowledge enables her to help companies overcome their struggles by providing strategic direction on implementing and improving policies and procedures.