David Salyers defines remarkable at ExxonMobile Lecture Series!
David Salyers
Author of "Remarkable", and VP of National and Regional Marketing for Chick-fil-A
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David Salyers
Biography
David Salyers was one of the original two marketing executives at Chick-fil-A. He spent 37 years in the Chick-fil-A Marketing Department and most recently served as a Vice President before his recent retirement. Having worked at Chick-fil-A his entire career, he saw the principles of servant leadership and compassion play out in the growth of more than 2,300 Chick-fil-A restaurants around the country. Chick-fil-A, one of America's most successful, powerful and beloved brands, is a multi-billion dollar company built almost entirely on culture. Chick-fil-A has experienced over 50 consecutive years of sales growth and is at, or near, the top rankings of U.S. brands across all sectors. David has invested his entire career working in and helping to build a culture only to be described as remarkable.
Having graduated from college on a Saturday morning, David started his career with Chick-fil-A before the day was over. David started in Chick-fil-A's training program on his graduation day in 1981, whose headquarters was located in a converted air freight warehouse at that time. "Talk about getting in on the ground floor," says David. "I've held so many jobs at Chick-fil-A that I can't count them all . . . and no job that I've held had ever been done before I did it. When I started at Chick-fil-A, we had a two-person marketing department. Today, we have more than 200 people in our marketing department, we have a 97 percent retention with people we hire throughout the company -- and we'll do $10 billion in sales this year."
Over the course of 20+ years, David was instrumental in the growth and development of the iconic 'cow campaign' at Chick-fil-A and helped champion a marketing department that rose to international prominence and prestige. David is known for his marketing mind, his servant's heart, and his entrepreneurial spirit.
His 2016 book, Remarkable, in which he co-wrote with Dr. Randy Ross, imparts leadership lessons that can transform one's workplace culture. David is the co-founder of Champion Tribes, which exists to help fathers and sons connect in meaningful ways.
David attended Wake Forest University, the Universidad de Madrid (Madrid, Spain), and graduated from the University of Georgia. He is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School (AMP166).
David serves as a board member for numerous organizations and has helped launch several startups and nonprofits, including:
Board of Directors, CenterState Banks, Inc.
Board of Directors, ExecuTrain Corporation
Partner and Board Member of Rocky Mountain Ventures LLC, a venture capital partnership
Co-founder and Board Member of ROAM
Board of Directors, Atlanta Sports Council
Board of Directors, The Growing Leaders Foundation, an organization dedicated to developing the next generation of leaders
Board of Directors, reThink, a non-profit organization behind the Orange Conference, dedicated to character development in children
Some of David's community involvement includes:
Original Director of Eagle Ranch, Inc., serving a term as chairman of the board
Co-founder, Board of Directors, Davar Partners International
Selected by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games to serve as the envoy to the 1996 New Zealand Olympic team.
Board of Trustees for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Salyers has been an enthusiastic supporter of the University of Georgia's Terry College's Institute for Leadership Advancement. He spearheaded a $1.2M campaign to raise endowment funds for ILA in honor one of his principal mentors, Chick-fil-A founder S.Truett Cathy. David is also a member of the Terry Dean's Advisory Council. In 2017, David was awarded the University of Georgia Terry College of Business Distinguished Alumni Award.
David Salyers
Featured Keynote Programs
Remarkable
How many businesses do you come across in a day that are just plain unremarkable? They have nothing unique that sets them apart from their competitors, and they exist only to extract value from their customers. To put it simply, there’s nothing about these types of organizations that’s worth remarking about.
But what if we could shift the paradigm? What if we could truly understand what makes certain businesses “remarkable” and apply those principles to our own organizations? In this signature talk, David Salyers powerfully does just that. In “Remarkable,” David will walk through how the shift from extracting value from other people to creating value for other people can radically change your business and the impact it will make to your customers, employees, stakeholders and even your bottom line. Exploring key themes on culture, values, and mission, “Remarkable” is an engaging and memorable speech that has the potential to impact you and your organization to the very core.
Meaningful
Every business exists to make money; there’s no question about that. However, the bigger question is - is that all your business exists to do? The reality is that most businesses don’t have a purpose beyond financial success, and the result is that they become commodities that can be easily replicated or, worse still, easily forgotten.
However, what the world’s greatest organizations know is that having a purpose beyond money is one of the most critical components of lasting success. In “Meaningful,” David masterfully shares how great brands attach meaning to their basic product and service offerings, which in turn multiplies the value they are creating for customers. Using compelling service and marketing examples from businesses like Chick-fil-A, Nike, The Ritz Carlton, and Uber, “Meaningful” will both inspire and instruct your organization to think beyond making marginally more money, and instead to realizing your limitless potential.
Leadership Calling
What is the purpose of great leadership? Is it to have the most power? Get the most credit? Have the most followers? Be the best? Or is it something deeper, richer… Is it to create a lasting impact for your organization that is far greater than you and lasts far beyond the scope of your life?
In this memorable leadership talk, David explores the connections between leadership, stewardship, and culture, and discusses the idea that each of our “leadership calling” is to be good stewards. Using powerful visual examples as well as concepts from the world of physics, David shares how a leadership mindset focused on service, collaboration, and inspiration can create a wave for good that will impact your organization - and maybe even the world - in an unforgettable way.
Remarkable Dad
Think about the moments that make up your life to date. The big moments and the small, the funny and the heartbreaking, the memorable and the ones you’d rather forget. Now think about which moments you would include in your life story - the ones that are not only noteworthy but the ones that are truly defining. The moments that made you who you are today.
What David, a father of three, realized is that he didn’t want to just be a part of his kids’ life stories - he wanted to play an active role in shaping their most defining moments. Through a powerful experience at a neighbor’s bar mitzvah, David realized one way to do this was to do this by crafting a key milestone experience for his sons that would transition them to and prepare them for adulthood - a program that became what’s now known as Champion Tribes.
In “Remarkable Dad,” David explores the principles behind Champion Tribes as well as lessons that all fathers can learn from and be inspired by. He shares about the importance of blessing and affirming children, and inspires dads to not just coach their kids on the soccer field but in life, guiding them on what it means to truly be a success from both a dad’s and God’s perspective.