Keynote Speaker - 2010 ACORD LOMA Insurance Systems Forum

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Steve Wozniak

Steve Wozniak

A Silicon Valley icon and philanthropist for more than thirty years, Steve Wozniak has helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple’s first line of products the Apple I and II and influenced the popular Macintosh. In 1976, Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer Inc. with Wozniak’s Apple I personal computer. The following year, he introduced his Apple II personal computer, featuring a central processing unit, a keyboard, color graphics, and a floppy disk drive. The Apple II was integral in launching the personal computer industry.


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In 1981, he went back to UC Berkeley and finished his degree in electrical engineering/computer science. For his achievements at Apple Computer, Wozniak was awarded the National Medal of Technology by the President of the United States in 1985, the highest honor bestowed on America’s leading innovators. In 2000, he was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame and was awarded the prestigious Heinz Award for Technology, The Economy and Employment for “single-handedly designing the first personal computer and for then redirecting his lifelong passion for mathematics and electronics toward lighting the fires of excitement for education in grade school students and their teachers."

After leaving Apple in 1985, Wozniak was involved in various business and philanthropic ventures, focusing primarily on computer capabilities in schools and stressing hands-on learning and encouraging creativity for students. Making significant investments of both his time and resources in education, he “adopted” the Los Gatos School District, providing students and teachers with hands-on teaching and donations of state-of-the-art technology equipment. He founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and was the founding sponsor of the Tech Museum, Silicon Valley Ballet and Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose.

Wozniak currently serves as Chief Scientist for Fusion-io and is a published author with the release of his New York Times Best Selling autobiography, iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon, in September 2006 by Norton Publishing. His television appearances include reality shows “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” and season eight of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.”
 
Ross Shafer

Author, Speaker, Television Personality Ross Shafer to Speak at Forum

On Wednesday, May 26, Ross Shafer - author, speaker, seminar leader, television personality and emcee - will present a special session at the 2010 the ACORD LOMA Insurance Systems Forum.

Shafer will be speaking on the topic Is Your Business Staying Relevant? He focuses on the one question that should keep businesses up at night. The organizations that constantly respond to their relevance, and keep reinventing themselves, spend a lot less time worrying about the competition and more time counting their profits. Shafer will leave attendees with the solutions they need to stay relevant in the marketplace today and tomorrow.

Today, Ross is one of the most sought after speakers and seminar leaders on the subjects of customer empathy, personal motivation, and business relevance following his successful days in comedy and television.

His business has roots back while he was an advertising manager for the 28 store Squire Shops retail clothing chain in Seattle, Washington where he was writing ad copy and concocting campaigns. It paid the bills, but at night Ross haunted local comedy clubs in search of a career in joke telling. After years on the comedy circuit, he won the Seattle International Comedy Competition and immediately became an opening act for performers like Crystal Gayle, Eddie Rabbitt, Nel Carter, Neil Sedaka, and Dionne Warwick.

In 1985, ALMOST LIVE was born, a Letterman-like comedy talk show that ran and for 5 seasons and earned 36 Emmys. At the same time, Shafer was also headlining all of the leading night clubs and casinos. He produced a highly acclaimed comedy album about the Clinton administration titled Inside The First Family. He also wrote a comedy cookbook that became a best seller; Cook-Like-A-Stud contained 38 recipes men can prepare in the garage with their own tools.

By l994, Ross heard Bill Gates give a speech where he said, Someday you will all be watching television on your telephones. Ross took that message to heart and he made the decision to leave TV and get back to his corporate training roots.  Human nature and the human condition were always fascinating to him because that’s what comedians do. They study the laughter and tears business. To date Ross has produced (14) Human Resource training films on Customer Service, Motivation, Leadership, and Peer Pressure. He has authored the business books, Nobody Moved Your Cheese, Customer Empathy, The Customer Shouts Back, and his newly released Are You Relevant? 12 Reasons Smart Organizations Thrive in Any Economy.

 

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