Minneapolis/St. Paul Executive Summit
Thursday, September 24, 2026 8:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. CDT
Event Overview
Every Decision, Obstacle, and Success Has Shaped the Leader You Are Today
The Vistage Executive Summit is your day to build on that experience through expert insights, meaningful peer connection, and practical tools that drive growth.
My biggest takeaway from the Vistage Executive Summit is the importance of aligning long-term planning with both business goals and personal well-being. Success isn’t just about short-term wins—it’s about building something sustainable over time. When both areas are nurtured, they reinforce each other, leading to more consistent progress and a better quality of life.
— Davinder Harcharan Singh, Vistage member and 2025 Executive Summit attendee
Event Speakers
Connor Lokar
Senior Forecaster and Economist, ITR EconomicsSetting Expectations for 2027 and Beyond
Navigating inflation, interest rate changes, labor challenges, and geopolitical uncertainty will be critical for leaders preparing for what's ahead in 2027. While many markets improved this year, others experienced only muted growth and are at risk of hard landings in 2027. In this presentation, ITR Economics will delve into the key macroeconomic drivers that will take hold next year or carry over from 2026.
With a long and proven track record of “seeing the future first,” ITR Economics will provide their latest forecasts as well as the top economic forces impacting your business and their implications for overall cost structure, workforce strategy, the risk of profitless prosperity, and the timing of resource allocation. You’ll gain a broad view of business cycle changes and sector-level drivers that will help you identify risks and opportunities, align your strategy, budgeting, and investments with forward-looking economic insight — ensuring your organization remains resilient in the ever-changing market landscape.
Rajeev Kapur
CEO, 1105 Media & AuthorLeading Digital Transformation: 6 Key Takeaways for AI Success
The AI revolution is here—but adoption doesn’t happen by inspiration; it happens by execution that starts with you as a leader. In this presentation, Rajeev Kapur, author of AI Made Simple and CEO of 1105 Media, shares the specific steps leaders must take to implement AI successfully, and what they should be worried about. This presentation, tailored to the CEO audience, will include the tools you should use to turn your AI adoption into measurable productivity gains.
Dr. Jeffrey Boone
Founder & Medical Director, Boone Heart InstituteA World Without Heart Attacks
Heart disease has been the world’s leading cause of death for the past century—and it’s only getting worse. Our health care system incentivizes the wrong things, allowing this epidemic to continue to spread. 70% of heart attack victims are considered ‘low-risk’ by traditional measures.
Jeffrey L. Boone, MD, offers a better approach. Using tools that are readily available, he will demonstrate how to find the disease, identify the root cause, and eliminate your risk, so you can become a success story instead of a statistic.
You'll learn the steps you can take now to improve your cardiovascular health and help prevent heart disease before symptoms arise.
Rob Goggins & Sara Dziuk
President & CEO of Great Clips | President & CEO of Junior Achievement NorthBuilding Tomorrow's Talent Pipeline
Finding and developing qualified talent remains one of the biggest challenges facing CEOs today — so what if part of the solution starts long before a candidate ever submits a resume? From bridging the gap between the classroom and the real world, to building the durable skills today's employers need most, learn how Junior Achievement North is working with organizations across the Twin Cities to invest in the next generation and why it matters for your business, your community, and your talent strategy.
Anne Petrik
VP of Research, Vistage Worldwide, Inc. | Summit EmceeAs emcee for this Summit, VP of Research Anne Petrik will share the latest data from the Vistage CEO Confidence Index, adding context about peer sentiment and CEO priorities to the program throughout the day.
Walk away with the exact AI tools and tactics top CEOs are using right now to drive productivity and what pitfalls to avoid.
Learn how to uncover hidden heart disease risk that traditional screenings miss.
Discover how Junior Achievement North is working with organizations across the Twin Cities to invest in the next generation.
See below for a full listing of breakouts
See below for a full listing of breakouts
A deep dive into the economic forecast facing your market.
Celebrate with your community, connect with fellow peers, and raise a glass to the Vistage Member Excellence Award winners and finalists.
*agenda subject to change
Breakout sessions
11:25 AM - 12:25 PM
An Insider's Guide to Vetting & Hiring a Sell-Side M&A Advisor
Presenter: Andrew Hansen, Founder-Owned Investment Banking Advisory | William Blair
A business owner who has spent decades building a company has likely never hired a sell-side M&A advisor before. But private equity knows how the game works—and business owners should know too. This session provides an insider's look at how business owners can vet, interview, and hire the right advisor.
Takeaways:
- How a no-obligation relationship provides market intel and valuation insights
- The questions to ask and red flags to catch
- Interview scorecard for ranking advisors side by side
Topic: Financials - Mergers & Acquisitions
11:25 AM - 12:25 PM
Predictable Marketing ROI: A Framework for Guaranteed Outcomes
Presenter: Lori Turner-Wilson, Founder & CEO | RedRover Marketing
Marketing shouldn’t be a black box. In this workshop, Lori shares her 12 Battles™ Framework—a proven system that reveals hidden gaps costing you growth and replaces gut instinct with data-backed decision-making. Learn how to uncover true customer drivers, conduct perfectly legal competitive surveillance, identify the touchpoints most responsible for a customer's decision to purchase, pressure-test strategies before spending, and build a pay-for-performance team. Attendees receive Lori’s international best-selling book.
Topic: Customer Engagement – Marketing
11:25 AM - 12:25 PM
The CEO’s Guide to Building a High-Performance Sales Culture
Presenter: David Mullins, Strategic Growth Partner | SalesStar
Most sales teams don’t struggle because of effort—they struggle because of unclear plans, inconsistent processes, and gaps in leadership and talent. In this session, CEOs will learn the three essential drivers of a high-performance sales organization: clarity, leadership, and putting the right people in the right roles. Attendees will leave with practical insights they can immediately apply to create more predictable, consistent revenue growth.
Topic: Customer Engagement – Sales
11:25 AM - 12:25 PM
The CEO Blind Spot That AI Can't Fix
Presenter: Scott Schwefel, CEO | Discover Yourself
AI can screen talent. Advisors can optimize structure. But neither solves the executive blind spot quietly slowing growth at the top. Even high-performing CEOs unintentionally create friction that weakens alignment, delays decisions, and erodes enterprise value. In this high-energy session, discover a practical framework to eliminate leadership drag, accelerate execution, and unlock measurable growth—without changing strategy or adding headcount.
Topic: Leadership - Retention & Engagement
11:25 AM - 12:25 PM
What You Do Before the Exit Determines Everything
Presenter: Patricia Hirata, CPA, JD, Senior Wealth Strategy Director, Tax | Mercer Advisors
Some of the most significant challenges C-suite leaders and founders face during a liquidity event begin long before the transaction. This session explores the key decisions that can influence taxes, control, and long-term financial outcomes. Led by David Oh, who advises founders and executives through complex transitions, attendees will gain practical insights on preparing for a liquidity event and positioning themselves for future opportunities.
Topic: Financials - Financial Management
1:20 - 2:20 PM
Ownership Transition Alternatives: ESOPs in Long-Term Planning
Presenter: Anthony Dolan, Managing Director and Shaun McGehee, Managing Director | Prairie Capital Advisors
Business owners evaluating transition options must consider goals, market conditions, and timing. Each path has distinct pros and cons, yet ESOPs (Employee Stock Ownership Plans) are often overlooked. This session offers a clear, practical overview of how ESOPs work, their strategic advantages, and how they compare to other transition options. It will also address common misconceptions, helping you make informed decisions whether you're beginning succession planning or exploring exit strategies.
Topic: Financials - Mergers & Acquisitions
1:20 - 2:20 PM
From Issues to Impact: Your Key to Running Better Meetings
Presenter: Tom Brinson, Head Concierge | Ninety and Sue Hawkes, Expert EOS Implementer | EOS Worldwide
The quality of your meetings depends on the quality of the issues you bring into them. Sue Hawkes and Tom Brinson will share how leaders can use issue-solving to create more productive meetings, surface what matters most, and help teams move from discussion to action.
Topic: Business Operations - Infrastructure
1:20 - 2:20 PM
How to Expand Market Share and Outsell Your Competition
Presenter: Alex Goldfayn, Founder | Outgrow
Based on tens of millions of tracked behaviors across 400+ companies, Alex Goldfayn reveals a proven system for consistent revenue growth. This talk shows how to implement proactive outreach, expand wallet share with existing customers, and track simple behaviors that predict results. Learn how to shift from selling to helping, and apply practical tools including scripts, scorecards, and action plans to drive measurable, sustainable, and repeatable growth in your business.
Topic: Business Operations - Productivity & Execution
1:20 - 2:20 PM
The Practical Case for AI in Sales
Presenter: Gary Braun, Owner & Partner| Pivotal Advisors, LLC
Sales teams don't have the luxury of waiting on AI. While most companies are still dabbling, the ones pulling ahead are already using it to make their teams faster and better. I'll break down the real ROI case for AI in sales, walk through practical tools, and make the case for why CEOs need to be pushing their sales leaders to move past experimentation and into real implementation.
Attendees will walk away with:
- A clear ROI framework for evaluating AI investments in sales
- A short list of practical tools they can implement immediately
- A playbook for the CEO's role in driving adoption across the sales org
Topic: Customer Engagement – Sales
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