Founder/CEO

David Friedman

Prior to founding HPC, David was the President of RSI, an award-winning employee benefits brokerage and consulting firm that grew to become one of the largest and most successful independently-owned agencies in the country. RSI was named one of the Best Places to Work in the region seven times, and was four times named one of the Fastest Growing companies. In 2006, RSI was the only company of any size in any industry to win New Jersey’s highest award for quality – the Governor’s Award for Performance Excellence – Gold Level.

In 2011, he published his first book, Fundamentally Different, which is based on the insights he learned and taught throughout his leadership career, and in 2018 he published his second book, Culture by Design, the definitive “how to” manual for building a high-performance culture. 

Today, in addition to leading HPC, David does more than 100 workshops and Keynote talks per year, sharing his experiences and wisdom with thousands of leaders across the country.  Read more about David.

To inquire about David as a keynote speaker, click HERE. 

Connect with David:
877.HPC.5050, x700

Co-Founder/EVP

Sean Sweeney

Sean is the former Founder/CEO CramerSweeney, a digital/web design, branding, social marketing and instructional design firm, founded in 1990. The firm grew to become one of the most highly regarded marketing communications agencies in the region and gained national prominence for its Instructional Design work with such clients as Intel, Lancôme, JCPenny and the American Management Association.

In his capacity at CramerSweeney, Sean worked with HPC’s founder, David Friedman, at RSI for nearly a decade. During that time, they collaborated on countless communications initiatives in support of David’s renowned corporate culture. Many of those initiatives would eventually form the very foundation of CultureWise. Today, Sean is responsible for product development, branding, corporate communications, digital design and social marketing.

Connect with Sean:
877.HPC.5050, x701

VICE PRESIDENT

Rob Wolff

Rob’s career prior to joining the HPC team focused on key sales and operations management roles at two Fortune 50 organizations in the healthcare space.  In each of these organizations, Rob’s specialty and focus was in turning around under-performing teams through a focus on leadership, personnel development, and the creation and application of success-driving processes and procedures. Rob lead teams ranging in size from 10 to over 400 people, and continues to have a passion for helping teams and team members attain the highest levels of success. Rob is a graduate of Penn State University and holds a B.S. in Business Logistics. 

To inquire about Rob as a keynote speaker, click HERE. 

Connect with Rob:
Toll Free: 877.HPC.5050, x702

VICE PRESIDENT

Al Curnow

Al has over 25 years of experience in the employee benefits industry. His diverse experience includes facilitating employee engagement, corporate training, product development, sales, and sales management. Al has spoken at numerous events on the topic of culture and has worked with more than 80 organizations helping them design and sustain incredible cultures.  In both his professional and personal life, Al is a consummate coach.  He enjoys nothing more than bringing out the best in his corporate clients as well as the youth basketball teams that he coaches. Al is a graduate of The University of Rhode Island. He’s also completed graduate work in Business Administration at The University of Missouri at Kansas City.

To inquire about Al as a keynote speaker, click HERE. 

Connect with Al:
Toll Free: 877.HPC.5050, x703

VICE PRESIDENT

Bill Kaiser

Prior to joining HPC, Bill worked for 20+ years in the employee benefits industry. 13 years at RSI (with HPC Founder & CEO, David Friedman) followed by 7 years with Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG). Bill started in direct selling and later moved into leadership positions as Area President of Gallagher’s Mt. Laurel, NJ office and then MidAtlantic Region VP of Sales & Marketing.

Having lived and breathed the Fundamentals at RSI and championing the Gallagher Way at AJG, Bill can speak experientially to the impact a high performing culture delivers. Bill has worked with nearly 100 organizations helping them to build high-performing cultures.

To inquire about Bill as a keynote speaker, click HERE. 

Connect with Bill:
Toll Free: 877.HPC.5050, x704

CONSULTANT

Jake Friedman

Jake is a former U.S. Army paratrooper, teacher, and coach who joined High Performing Culture in 2016. As a consultant, he’s worked with key leaders from more than 30 organizations and facilitated training for thousands of employees. Jake is a graduate of the University of Florida and lives in Jacksonville, FL with his wife and two kids.

Connect with Jake:

Toll Free: 877.HPC.5050, x708

Catherine Friedman

Catherine works behind-the-scenes at HPC, editing and proofreading the online learning materials.  She is married to David Friedman, and has worked in partnership with him for over 30 years at both RSI and at High Performing Culture.

Connect with Catherine:
Toll Free: 877.HPC.5050

Candace Coleman

Candace is a writer and editor with a background in publishing and public relations. She has been affiliated with HPC since its founding, assisting with its online educational materials and managing annual client surveys.

Connect with Candace:
Toll Free: 877.HPC.5050

Carole Wehn

Carole works behind-the-scenes at HPC, writing, editing and proofreading online learning materials. 

Licensed Consultant

Craig Clark

Craig Clark as dedicated over three decades to helping individuals and organizations find their best performance and then capture it in a model of Cultural sustainability. His track record for generating measurable results in his work with executives and organizations spreads over five continents. His unique background combines marketing, business management, strategy, training, and development. Craig is an expert in understanding the human dynamics required to mobilize and engage leaders and the workforce to perform at a high performance level.

His in-depth background in transformational and breakthrough technology, has taken Craig to many different companies and countries to assist clients in building High Performance Cultures and Teams. His consulting approach has proven effective across diverse groups and cultures from Moscow to Hong Kong, Bogota to London, Johannesburg to Singapore as well as throughout North America.

Receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin, Craig continued his education, specializing in management evaluation, work force engagement, and neural behavior. Craig’s ability to articulate and teach the distinctions between competent versus High Performance in a Culture has assisted CEO’s and leaders in significantly raising employee engagement and gaining competitive advantage through how people work together. An experienced speaker with trade groups and business associations, Craig is known for his energy, sense of humor, expertise, and ability to mobilize people to reach higher to produce unexpected business results. Craig lives in Austin, TX with his wife and two daughters.

Craig Clark
Momentum Consulting
512-327-4990
craig@momentumconsulting.com
momentumconsulting.com

Licensed Consultant

Gary Eskin

As a business owner of three very profitable companies, Gary experienced the joys and frustrations of owning a business. Not knowing where to get the mentoring he needed, he enrolled in many classes, attended seminars. What he learned is that applicability and sustainability was lacking in this type of training. Owners, leaders, and managers would go back to the way they always did things after the excitement of the program wore off.

This interaction brought him in touch with community leaders. This lead to involvement and directorships in many community organizations including several Chambers of Commerce, Building Industry Associations and the March of Dimes among others. He also became Small Business Leader of the Year from the University of South Florida among other awards.

Although this interaction helped in the maturity of his businesses, he knew more was needed and started attending Dale Carnegie Courses and eventually became a 7-course instructor and consultant. This evolved to his current practice working with leaders of a variety businesses. He works with them to help transform the business through process development and people development and growth. He believes that it isn’t what you say or do, it’s about how you say and do it.

As a Certified Consultant of High Performing Cultures, Gary uses proven Fundamentals System™ to help companies create, drive, and maintain high-performance cultures to accomplish the above.

With a background as a 30-year training and development leader, Gary also earned his BA from Ohio Northern University, SPHR and CSP- SHRM Certifications. He has several insurance licenses and certifications. In his past life he earned a Certified Lighting Designer designation.

Gary Eskin
Eskin Business Solutions, LLC
Office: 239-300-4461
Cell: 239-849-1849
gary@eskinsolutions.net

Licensed Consultant

John Foster

John P. Foster has 30 plus years of executive leadership and management experience in multiple industries including; finance, business consulting, distribution, healthcare, commercial real estate and publishing.

John is the Managing Member of PathFinder Group, a Tampa based advisory firm serving Family Business and focused on driving profits through Enterprise Risk Management around, Strategic Planning, Process Improvement, and Development of High Performance Cultures.

John is a life-long entrepreneur and served as Chairman and CEO of Alliance Computing Technologies, Inc. (ACT), a national distribution company that was recognized by the Tampa Bay Business Journal Pacesetters, as the fifteenth fastest growing company in Tampa for 3 years in succession.

John earned his BA in Psychology from Duquesne University and an MBA from the University of Tampa in 1991 and taught Family Business as an adjunct professor at UT’s John Sykes College of Business, Center for Entrepreneurism.

John Foster
813.716.2286
John@PathFinderGroupUS.com

Licensed Consultant

David McGlennen

David McGlennen works with leaders who want to be intentional.  Intentional with their company, their culture and personal achievement. They know that to create a sustainable advantage in the marketplace, deliberately developing their people and themselves is what will put them on top.

David creates a framework for his clients success as a High Performing Culture Certified Consultant so that their team can become world class in their industry.

With a background of over 30 years in the employee benefits and wellness industry, he brings his clients tools to unlock their full potential through leadership and culture development.

David McGlennen
Impact Leadership Consulting, LLC
412-475-8288
david@davidmcglennen.com
DavidMcGlennen.com

Licensed Consultant

Patrick O’Neill

Patrick O’Neill is celebrating his 26th year as President of The O’Neill Group, a risk management and insurance firm located in Wadsworth, Ohio. As a servant leader, Patrick is invested in driving his organizational culture “The O’Neill Way”- and using workplace culture at the core of his company- informing the organization’s strategy and vision, and guiding his interaction with employees, clients, prospects and the community.

A graduate of The University of Akron, Patrick obtained a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and later earned his designation as a Certified Public Accountant. Patrick is currently a Certified Risk Architect, Certified Risk Manager, Certified Insurance Counselor and Certified Workers Compensation Advisor. He is an active member of the community, volunteering for numerous boards including the Summa Health Foundation and St. Sebastian Parish Foundation. In addition, Patrick is an alumni member of Leadership Akron, and current member of Portage Country Club.

Patrick resides in Copley, Ohio with his wife Pamela. He is a proud father to four, and grandfather to two. In his free time he enjoys watching his grandchildren, golfing and going on vacation with his family, using his “scuba diver certification” to swim with sharks.

Patrick O’Neill
The O’Neill Group
(330) 334-1561
poneill@oneillinsurance.com

Licensed Consultant

Sharyn Spitznagel

Sharyn L. Spitznagel, MA, SPHR, grew up on stage and in the performing arts (music and drama). This exposure at an early age (6 years old) developed her view of professionalism and poise. However, performing was not her passion, so when graduating from college, she began her career in non-profit higher education administration (1990) and then moved to human resources (1998); in 2002 she transitioned to the for-profit world by joining an employee benefits consulting firm in New Jersey.

Sharyn served on two Executive Leadership Teams for over 14 years; she was the chief human resources professional on each team bringing her 20+ years of experience with supervision, management, and leadership to the table. She is well-respected by her peers and often sought for counsel by the executives and other senior leaders.

Sharyn completed her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Northwestern St. Paul and her M.A. in Counseling from Eastern University. She completed an Employment Law Certificate Program and has maintained her SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) designation since 2003. In 2013, she augmented her coaching skills with 21 hours of training specifically in corporate coaching models.

Sharyn L. Spitznagel
Abana Coaching LLC
215-840-7673
sharynspitznagel@gmail.com

Translator and Spanish language Facilitator

Arturo Wolf

Arturo Wolf has forty years of experience in the food industry both in the corporate world and as an entrepreneur. He has a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from Texas A&M University. His experience includes Operations, Marketing, Product Development and Sales.

A native of Costa Rica, his professional career spans across several countries mostly in the custom manufacturing of cooked food products serving major national and multi-national  food brands and restaurant chains. He has served on several boards and has been active as an industry consultant and speaker.

He co-founded Five Star Custom Foods in 2000, with 2 plant locations in Fort Worth, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee, and a team of over 400 employees. Early on, the management team at Five Star recognized the importance of creating a winning culture. They re-created the best practices learned from the companies where they had worked. They were successful, but they wanted to take it to the next level.

After meeting with David Friedman, Five Star Custom Foods made the valuable decision to introduce “The Five Star Way” and its set of 29 Fundamentals to its team.  It was a very wise decision. It truly made the company rise to the next level. The name Five Star is intended to indicate your level of commitment to service. The implementation of the Fundamentals made the Five Star team fanatical about service!

Five Star Custom Foods was sold in 2016 to Cargill Corporation.

Arturo Wolf is currently CEO of the Peacock Military Academy Alumni Association, a non-profit organization which among other activities raises funds for College ROTC Scholarships for needy students. He is also involved in the agricultural family business in Costa Rica.

Arturo collaborates with HPC as a translator and Spanish language presenter. He lives in Colleyville, Texas with his wife of 33 years, Giuseppina. They have two sons, Arturo and Eduardo.

Founder and CEO of The Addis Group

F. Scott Addis

Scott Addis is a servant leader, author and coach.  As the CEO of The Addis Group and Addis Intellectual Capital, Scott has  been recognized by the Philadelphia Business Journal as one of the region’s most influential business leaders as well as Inc. Magazine “Entrepreneur of the Year”  finalist.  The award was based upon “ingenuity, hard work and perseverance which created a successful, growing business venture”. 

Scott has served many of Philadelphia’s most prestigious companies and institutions including Comcast Corporation, Aqua Pennsylvania, the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University.    

A graduate of Princeton University, Scott is a Certified Risk Architect (CRA) and a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU).  He is the creator of the Intelligence Quotient for Risk Management (IQRM) author of Summit ..Reach Your Peak and Elevate Your Customers’ Experience.  

Scott is quite active in the Philadelphia community, sits on numerous boards and has been inducted into The Haverford School “Athletic Hall of Fame”.  He resides in Bryn Mawr, PA with his wife Bobbie.  Scott has three sons, Andrew, Jeff and Will.

Scott Addis
Beyond Insurance
610-945-1019
saddis@beyondinsurance.com
BeyondInsurance.com

CEO, Fernley & Fernley

Taylor Fernley

Mr. Fernley is CEO of Fernley & Fernley and is a recognized leader in the field of Association Management field. Founded in 1886, Fernley & Fernley is a Philadelphia-based, fifth generation family firm with the distinction of having founded the association management company industry. Today, it represents 20+ National and regional trade associations and professional societies and remains one of the most recognized brands in the industry.