Alex Charfen

CEO, Charfen Institute

Alex Charfen—entrepreneur, teacher, author, speaker—is on a mission. Though not yet 40 years old, he has spent 3 decades on the front lines of entrepreneurialism and business. His journey has taught him many things, but he believes he has discovered one key that could change everything for small business owners. "I think everyone knows in their heart that they have to align their business with their personal values," he says. "But the big question is HOW? How do you do that? It sounds simple, but getting there is the hard part. I’ve learned that there are very specific steps." He calls the concept ‘Congruency’, and his ideas are starting a revolution.

Jay Papasan

Vice President of Publishing & Executive Editor at KellerINK

Jay is the executive editor and vice president of publishing at Keller Williams Realty International. Professionally, Jay’s ONE Thing is writing. He attempted to write his first book on an electric typewriter in junior high. At least one high school teacher thought his short stories had promise and circulated one to the entire school. Jay paid the bills in college by working in a bookstore. He got his undergraduate degree in writing and later, his master’s. After graduation, Jay took a job in publishing. During his years at HarperCollins in New York, he worked on bestselling titles like Body-for-Life by Bill Phillips and Go for the Goal by Mia Hamm. More recently, in the ten years he’s worked with Gary, Jay has coauthored ten award-winning or bestselling titles, including the Millionaire Real Estate series.

Outside of work, Jay co-owns a successful real estate investment business and sales team with his wife, Wendy. They enjoy life in Austin, Texas, with their children, Gus and Veronica.

Dave Lineger

Chairman of the Board & Co-founder at RE/MAX International Inc.

Dave Liniger is the visionary leader of RE/MAX, which he co-founded in 1973 with his wife, Gail. He is respected worldwide for his knowledge and leadership. During the recession, he urged agents to adjust their business models and become educated in the distressed property space. As a result, more than 15,000 RE/MAX agents earned the CDPE, far more than any other real estate brand. Dave also met with Washington policymakers to advocate for a streamlined short sale process, and collaborated with major lenders to find real solutions for distressed consumers who desperately needed them. Nobody sells more real estate than RE/MAX, which today comprises 90,000 agents in more than 85 countries.

Dave spent much of 2012 recovering from a life-threatening infection that surfaced in late January. After multiple surgeries, weeks in intensive care, and months in the hospital, he returned to RE/MAX World Headquarters in July. Though he has limited mobility, he continues to make progress through physical therapy and the strength of his positive mental attitude.

Ashton Gustafson

Co-owner of Bishop Realty Group & Professional Speaker

When you meet Ashton Gustafson you will quickly learn he has two passions: challenging the status quo and changing the world as we know it. Fueled by these two passions, Ashton is in the early stages of producing world changing Real Estate, Marketing, Writing and Speaking careers. He currently owns two real estate companies, speaks across the country at numerous events, authors a daily blog, and is working on his forthcoming book Let The Music Play.

Ashton has taken the Real Estate industry by storm and is creating quite a buzz while doing so. He's known by many as "The HOMEboy", his version of a Realtor/Real Estate Agent, and was selected by Realtor Magazine into the 2010 "30 Under 30" class. Ashton was also nationally recognized again in being selected by Star Power Systems in 2010 to be a Star Power Star.

Jason Schechterle

Police Officer & Professional Speaker “Beyond the Flames”

Jason's story is one of life, rebirth and transformation. Growing up, he had one dream – to serve as a Phoenix police officer. After serving four years in the Air Force, Jason achieved his goal to work on the streets of Phoenix as a rookie police officer. Then, only 14 months into what was supposed to be a life-long career, Jason's life took an unexpected turn.

On the night of March 26th, 2001, a taxi cab traveling over 100 miles per hour crashed into the rear of Jason's patrol car. Upon impact, Jason's car burst into flames, trapping him inside with temperatures reaching over 1200 degrees. Jason survived the crash. He suffered severe burns to over 40% of his body which drastically altered his appearance. He has undergone more than 50 surgeries just to the simple things we take for granted. Jason represents the human experience at its very best – an ascent from despair to describing himself as the luckiest person alive!

Dennis Welch

President & CEO of Articulate

Dennis is President and CEO of Articulate, a company specializing in freelance writing, editing, marketing, communications, idea development, and training. He has written and edited blogs and guest columns for Forbes.com, CNBC.com, Change This and others, and is excited about helping business people communicate more clearly.