Opening Ceremonies
Opening ceremonies will take place on Saturday, January 16.
CTMUN 2010 is proud to announce the keynote speaker for opening ceremonies will be Steve Harper. Steve Harper has become one of the most sought after speakers and business strategists on the power of deepening and strengthening the power of connections through a process he calls “Rippling.” Steve’s unique and refreshing approach to how and why individuals, organizations and even our society can and must reach outside the box to connect, is literally changing lives and impacting corporate bottom line dollars.
A serial entrepreneur, professional speaker, author and leading business strategist, Steve has successfully uncovered the secret to creating powerful long-lasting connections and their impact on one’s personal and professional life. Steve has transitioned his years of business experience and unyielding customer focus into a successful consulting practice appropriately named The Ripple Effect after his successful first book by the same title.
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico Steve credits his passion and fiery personality with the green chili that is an apparent part of his DNA makeup. Steve attended the University of New Mexico on a DECA Marketing Scholarship, where his studies focused on marketing and business management. Through his early involvement with a startup while going to school, Steve developed a strong interest in entrepreneurship and vowed to own his own company one day.
That dream became a reality when Steve was selected by Xerox Corporation to be their Austin, Texas sales and service agent in 1993 starting Innovative Office Solutions, Inc. Steve, the youngest Xerox agent in the country, successfully ran I.O.S. for the next five years amassing numerous corporate recognitions from Xerox and serving on several agent advisory boards. In 1996 Steve and his team were recognized by the Austin Business Journal as one of Austin’s 50 Fastest Growing Companies and award that still holds a special place in Steve’s office today.
In 1998, Steve decided to leave the Xerox agent program in pursuit of new, more challenging opportunities. He opened a new company called Complete Digital Solutions, Inc. and successfully used the new company and its unique platform be an early market leader in the emerging digital imaging and scanning field. It was through this new venture that Steve began to define his unique approach to building his client base and utilizing the power of the Ripple to his advantage. C.D.S. quickly grew almost entirely from referral, because of Steve’s respected resource mentality to helping all people that crossed his path in life or business. His efforts were capped off by his recognition by Office Dealer Magazine selecting C.D.S. as their Elite Dealer for 2003.
Steve enjoys helping companies and business leaders recognize the importance of building strong relationships with their clients, prospects and employees. He speaks professionally to a variety of groups, both corporate and civic, about creating a Ripple-centric strategy and the power it can bring to one’s personal and professional life.
Steve resides in Austin with his wife Kathy and their two boys Zachary and Joshua. He maintains that his children are his greatest teachers and his wife his biggest inspiration.