John Spence is the author of four books and co-author of several more, a business management consultant, executive trainer and keynote speaker with a client list that includes numerous Fortune 500 firms, small to medium-sized businesses and other organizations around the globe. At 26 he was the CEO of an international Rockefeller foundation, overseeing projects in 20 countries. Just two years later he was an Inc. Magazine Up and Coming Young Business Leader. Today, John is recognized as one of the Top 100 Business Thought Leaders in America, one of the Top 100 Small Business Influencers in America, one of the Top 5 Small Business Experts in America and one of the top 500 Leadership Development Experts in the World. John is also one of the American Management Association’s Leaders to Watch in 2015 along with Sergey Brin, Larry Page and Jeff Bezos. He has been a guest lecturer at more than 90 colleges and universities including MIT, Stanford, Cornell and the Wharton School of Business, the owner or CEO of 8 companies and has made a career out of “Making the Very Complex… Awesomely Simple”.

Managing Partner @ Professional speaker, corporate trainer and executive coach to firms worldwide. John has delivered thousands of speeches in the past 20 years to groups as large as 15,000. He has created special training programs for Allstate, Microsoft, IBM, Merrill Lynch, Coca-Cola, Fidelity Investments, Abbott Labs, State Farm, Apple, Dominos as well as numerous smaller private companies and professional associations. While under a global contract with Merrill Lynch John delivered training to 4,000+ employees and was recognized as one of the top trainers ever to present at this corporation. Also chosen to present special one-day seminars on Business Excellence to small groups of CEOs of companies between 20M and 500M and was selected as an instructor for the Entrepreneurial Masters Program at MIT and a guest lecturer on strategic thinking at the Wharton School of Business. Keynote speeches / workshops / breakout sessions / executive training in the following areas: advanced leadership, high performance teams, strategic thinking, strategic planning, business excellence, dealing effectively with change, building a winning culture, accountability, disciplined execution, how to get more referrals and superior customer service. For more information on John's programs go to: http://bit.ly/JohnSpenceOverview International experience includes: New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan, Mexico, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, Bahamas, and Latin America. Please visit www.JohnSpence.com. From March 1994 to Present (21 years 8 months) Gainesville, Florida AreaAwesomely Simple - Essential Business Strategies for Turning Ideas into Action @ Book that describes the key characteristics of the best companies in the world and how to implement them in your organization. Winner of the Reader's Choice Award as one of the Top Ten Small Business Books of the Year in 2009 - the year it was released. From September 2009 to September 2010 (1 year 1 month) WorldwideManaging Partner @ Owner / Managing Partner of this boutique advertising firm that specialized in the marine industry. Acted as trusted advisors delivering a full spectrum of branding strategy, marketing strategy, print design, web design, mystery shopping, sales training, strategic planning and leadership coaching to clients including: Edgewater Boats, Albemarle Boats, Hunter Marine, Cummins MerCruiser Diesel, Jeanneau Yachts, Monterey Boats, Hatteras Yachts and several other highly prestigious marine companies. Won numerous awards for advertising campaigns and design. Dissolved the firm when the recession devastated the marine industry and we advised our clients to terminate us and move most of their marketing in-house to save money. From June 2003 to September 2008 (5 years 4 months) Alachua, FLExcellence By Design: Leadership - The Six Key Characteristics of Outstanding Leaders @ A self-published book on the key characteristics of highly effective leaders. Have sold more than 50,000 copies worldwide, mostly to clients and at conventions. From June 2006 to June 2007 (1 year 1 month) CEO @ Consortium of consultants and executive trainer's that delivered leadership development programs and strategic planning retreats at an 86,000-acre wildlife reserve in the Ocala National Forest. Hosted programs for numerous city leadership programs, state organizations and companies. Guests stayed in eco-friendly cabins and when not and workshops were treated to horseback riding, birdwatching with Audubon guides, canoe rides, hiking, fishing and incredible stargazing in the evenings. Organization was disbanded when the owner of the property, an ecotourism company based in the Virgin Islands, sold the facility to the state of Florida. From March 1999 to October 2002 (3 years 8 months) Ocala, FloridaCEO @ Maker of high-end travel humidors. Custom teak humidors laser engraved with sports team logos, boat names and various custom art. Started this company to take advantage of the cigar craze in the late 90s, sold humidors to top sports celebrities and numerous sportfishing / hunting enthusiasts. Ran the company profitably until it became evident that the cigar "bubble" was about to burst and shut the company down in order to avoid the downturn. From February 1995 to September 1998 (3 years 8 months) Miami, FloridaPartner @ Partner/Instructor at this international strategic sales planning consultancy. John traveled worldwide to assist top-level sales executives in closing deals in excess of $100 Million. Clients included GE, IBM, Lanier, ITT, NCR. Responsible for delivering programs focused on consultative sales skills, strategic account planning, sales call planning and presentation skills. After two years with the firm left to go independent. From June 1994 to June 1996 (2 years 1 month) Miami/Fort Lauderdale AreaStand-in CEO @ Acted as temporary CEO of this Marine research facility located on a private island in the Bahamas. Oversaw projects dealing with spiny lobster, Florida grouper and other key fisheries. Managed delivery of large-scale research projects and assisted in locating and hiring a permanent CEO. From July 1994 to March 1995 (9 months) Palm Beach, FloridaCEO @ Maker of high-end ceramic products such as lamps, mugs, serving platters and other items distributed to upscale home decoration/design businesses in south Florida. Purchased this business because it had a quality product but was struggling. Instituted professional management practices, increased efficiencies, increased quality, increased sales by 600% – returned the company to profitability and sold it back to the original owner. From October 1991 to June 1994 (2 years 9 months) Miami, FloridaCEO / Executive Director @ At the age of 26, John was named Executive Director of the foundation and was responsible for all direction and management of this international marine conservation organization. Total staff and volunteers of 100+, including field representatives in 14 countries. Reported directly to the Chairman of the Board: Winthrop P. Rockefeller and other key Directors such as Don Tyson of Tyson Foods and professional golfer Greg Norman. In this role John Spence negotiated international fishing regulations with foreign governments, testified before Congress, helped to raise millions for fishery conservation and was a contributing writer to several marine publications such as Sport Fishing, Marlin, Power and Motor Yacht, Boating, Salt Water Sportsman and Tournament Digest magazines. From August 1989 to June 1994 (4 years 11 months)

BS, Public Relations / Marketing @ University of Florida From 1987 to 1989 Associate of Arts (A.A.), Business @ Santa Fe College From 1985 to 1987 High School Graduate @ Gulliver Preparatory From 1970 to 1982 John Spence is skilled in: Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Strategy, Leadership, Business Strategy, Training, Organizational..., Strategic Planning, Team Building, Public Speaking, Management, Business Planning, Management Consulting, Personal Development, Strategic Thinking, Sales, Consulting, Customer Service, Customer Service..., Professional Speaker, Published Author, Executive Development, Employee Training, Staff Development, Executive Education, Business Coaching, Executive Management, Thought Leadership, Training & Development, Strategy Development, Performance Improvement, Organizational..., Coaching, Workshop Facilitation, Executive Coaching, Marketing Strategy, Motivational Speaking, Marketing, Business Development, Small Business, New Business Development, Mentoring, Public Relations, Team Leadership, Presentation Skills