Innovation Conference Business Track
Creating Financial Impact: It Comes Down to Confidence
Michael Cordaro
Alliance Wealth Advisors
There are lots of reasons why topics involving money make people uncomfortable. From the financial industry to the education system, there is room for improvement across the board. In particular, the financial industry does not do enough to help people filter out the noise and headlines from what actually matters.
At the core of this issue is a lack of confidence. People simply don’t feel confident that they are making the right decisions. The result is a tendency to put these decisions off, or worse, making big mistakes.
The Center for Investor Education is the Alliance Wealth Advisors’ strategic response to improving financial confidence. The goal is to change the way people think and talk about money. Join Michael as he explores the Alliance vision to create a movement to help people improve personal finance outcomes while eliminating the anxieties associated with personal finance decisions.
Confidence is a strategy.
Michael Cordaro has over a decade of experience in the financial services industry. He feels it is vital to build strong relationships with each of his clients so he understands their unique goals, and to ensure they understand the strategies and tools being employed on their behalf. Michael takes pride in his role as a fiduciary and believes that putting the clients’ interests first should be at the foundation of every advisor’s investment decisions.
Prior to joining Alliance Wealth Advisors, Michael resided in Philadelphia where he was an assistant vice president and relationship manager at Brown Brothers Harriman and Company (BBH), the oldest private bank in the country. In his role, Michael worked as a trusted advisor to ultra-high net worth business owners, families, endowments, and foundations to address their investing, banking, and wealth planning needs.
Prior to joining BBH, Michael was an associate at J.P. Morgan in New York City. He started with J.P. Morgan in 2011 and began his career as part of the firm’s Corporate Development Analyst Program in the investment bank. He received a B.A. in political science with a certificate in management studies (finance/accounting) from the University of Rochester, and his M.B.A. from the Villanova University School of Business.
Before returning to Northeastern PA, Michael maintained strong ties to home, and continues to serve on the board of directors for the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties and the Dunmore Educational Foundation. Michael enjoys spending time with family and friends, and is a native of Dunmore, PA where he currently resides with his wife Melissa and daughter Ainsley and Emilia.
Leading Through Transformational Technology: A Hospitality Industry Case Study
Abe Salam
Epic Revenue Consultants
This talk explores how cutting-edge technologies will transform the hospitality industry, enhancing guest experiences and reshaping operational efficiency. We’ll delve into key technologies like AI, VR and data analytics, highlighting their impact on personalized guest interactions, data driven decision-making, and industry competitiveness. Discover how embracing these technologies can unlock new opportunities for hospitality businesses in a dynamic market.
Who’s in Charge?
Sue Reilly
Family Business Alliance
Have you ever asked “Who’s In Charge Here?” at a retail establishment or possibly in your own organization?
Whether you are an entrepreneur with family funding, or a multi-generation business, you are making decisions with others. Join Sue Reilly, Executive Director of the Family Business Alliance, as she explores five tools for leadership in a family business.
Finding Your Golden Thread
Maria Traino
Inspired Studio
Is it possible that the very thing driving your success is also what’s holding you back from achieving the next level? In this session, learn how neuroscience can help uncover your individual success-blocker—your Golden Thread.
Having worked with hundreds of business owners and CEOs for two decades, Maria will weave the science of achievement and the art of fulfillment together in a way that leaves you curious about your own automatic belief system and how that can impact your personal leadership and innovation aspirations.
Maria Conigliaro Traino is the daughter of third-generation Italian restaurant owners–learning hustle, service, and adaptability from a young age. These qualities served her well as she built and elevated her award-winning design and marketing agency, Inspired Studio, now in its 10th year.
Over the last decade Maria has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, executives, and marketing directors to craft one-of-a-kind brand identities for businesses throughout the country. Maria engages with her clients fueled by curiosity and creative problem-solving, helping others to discover and communicate their authentic purpose.
As a certified NeuroCoach, her work is much the same. She partners with motivated entrepreneurs and business leaders to define and design their version of success with intention, using a brain-based framework that rewires neuropathways through bespoke counsel and action.
Maria is active within the business community where she resides in northeastern Pennsylvania with her two daughters.
Navigating Cyber Risks in an Age of Flexibility – A Leadership Call To Action
Marc Gonzalez
Site 2
As a leader, you don’t have a choice – you must respond to the innovation happening around you whether you like it or not. Innovation, like mobility, work from home, and now artificial intelligence, are changing how people work. As leaders, we must respond to change and emerging threats with the corporate governance and cyber tools to protect our sensitive information, our employees, and our stakeholders.
Marc Gonzalez is a cyber-security and business risk advisor with over 30 years of experience. Marc co-founded and co-owns Site2, a data management company serving regulated industries for the past 15 years. As the company’s Information Security Officer, Marc leads a team of security engineers and ethical hackers that perform security audits, security awareness training, vulnerability assessments, and penetration tests.
Marc’s clients are organizations that have been or could be hacked (ok, just about everyone!), but primarily those which are required to develop or maintain cyber security programs that comply with federal and industry frameworks including the CSC 20, HIPAA/HITECH, NIST 800-171 and ISO 27002.
Marc’s expertise comes from a broad range of formal education and practical experience that helps him keep up with current and emerging trends in the ever-evolving world of Cyber Security. Marc’s value to his clients comes from a passion to help stop the “bad guys” from winning.
Prior to launching Site2, Marc’s career included leadership positions with Prudential Financial, Metlife, and IBM Global Services.
Beyond Algorithms: The Art of Unearthing Talent
Dave Yeager
Showcase
Showcase, a revolutionary music discovery platform, reimagines the industry by spotlighting emerging artists and fostering human connection. Led by Dave’s visionary approach, it aspires to transcend entertainment and become a transformative movement. By uniting artists, fans, and music lovers, Showcase aims to redefine the industry, igniting a new era of leadership innovation.
In this session, Dave will share how his team’s vision at Showcase empowers artists, drives innovation, and redefines music discovery at its core. Join Dave as he shares his personal journey of merging aspiration with action, driving this powerful movement forward.
Dave Yeager is an accomplished music and technology executive with over 25 years of experience in driving digital innovation and transformation.
Dave spent eight years at Universal Music Group, where he played a critical role in designing, implementing, and overseeing the digital supply chain during a pivotal time in the industry. As Director of Content Operations for Beats Music, Dave was instrumental in the company’s acquisition by Apple for $3.2 billion in 2014. Post-acquisition, he served as Global Business Analyst for Apple, leading the company’s strategy and overall growth of the Apple Music subscription service. Dave then founded Dave Yeager Consulting, offering strategic insights on the music and podcast industry landscapes, before being recruited by Zoom Video Communication to lead music licensing and operations, where he executed multiple licensing deals and developed Zoom’s proprietary music app that was released in early 2023. He parted ways with Zoom in February 2023 to lead Showcase full-time.
Dave holds an MBA from Loyola Marymount University with a concentration in Marketing, a B.S. in Communications Media from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, an A.S. in Recording Arts from Full Sail University, and a Project Management Certification (PMP).
Bringing a New Aerospace Vision to NEPA
Michael Bloxton
Michael Bloxton, a self-made telecom finance real estate investor, is now the Founder and CEO of Nebula Space Enterprise, Inc and its subsidiaries. Nebula’s mission is to provide humans with access to deep space and infinite resources. Each organization plays a pivotal role in Phase 1 of the great plan to help preserve Earth and its precious resources and propel humanity into a thriving future. Now a multi-million dollar enterprise, Nebula Compute will work alongside the US DoD to put data centers in space.