November 11-12, 2023: Tampa Convention Center

Steven Cooper has 25 years of benefits consulting and pension administration experience. He was the first to evangelize the essential exit strategy that popularized the ERSOP(TM) Plan. Beginning in 1999, he successfully marketed the concept to franchisors and business brokers. In 2001 he coined the term "ERSOP (Entrepreneur Rollover Stock Ownership Plan)".

Chris Conner has spent the last twenty years working in the franchise development field working primarily with startup and emerging franchise systems. Mr. Conner's work covers a variety of franchise categories including strategic planning, franchise operations, franchise training system development, franchise marketing and franchise sales. In 2009, Mr. Conner founded Franchise Marketing Systems based out of Atlanta, Georgia which today has grown to a team of 34 team members located in markets across the United States and Canada. Franchise Marketing Systems has developed over 700 franchise brands and supported clients in selling over 8,000 franchise units in North and South America, Asia, the Middle East, Canada and Southeast Asia. Franchise Marketing Systems has worked with a variety of well known brands and significant franchise systems including Baxter Healthcare, Anytime Fitness, Costco, Ford Motor Company, Delta Airlines, UPS Stores, European Wax Center, Junk King and others.

Mr. Conner’s vision was to develop a model that allowed for efficient, effective and performance based franchise development work to be completed for new and emerging franchisors. The combination of providing consulting and franchise development support along with the franchise sales and marketing model for new brands created more opportunities to more brands to scale and grow through franchising. Chris Conner holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Miami of Ohio and an MBA in Finance from DePaul University in Chicago. He is married to an amazing wife, Dr. Alaina Conner and has two great kids, Ashton and Jameson.

Diane has been working in the pension industry/consulting/customer service areas for over 30 years. Currently assisting clients, lenders, brokers, and franchisors across the country find the best funding options for their business(es). One of the ways Diane has helped a majority of her clients, a specialty of Tenet Financial Group, is working with clients that have retirement funds. Diane helps educate her clients on the process of accessing those funds for a business.

Her experience at MassMutual Life Insurance in the Pension area provided an excellent foundation for her knowledge of 401(k) and Profit Sharing Plans. Diane worked in the Sensitive Plan Unit at MassMutual, handling administration, training, compliance, and customer service. Other positions Diane has held over the years include Senior Account Executive at CIGNA and Senior Project Manager for Robinson Consulting, a firm specializing in project management and customized software development in the healthcare industry. Diane is a Senior Consultant and has been with Tenet Financial Group since 2009.

Irving Chung is senior franchise consultant driven to help people take control of their lives and create freedom for themselves through business ownership. My goal is to help others discover More Passion, More Money, More Freedom and Control by becoming their own Boss. As a Professional Franchise Consultant, I help the people I work with understanding franchising, and determine if it might be a good fit for them. If it is, then I take them through a proven, and methodical process to develop a custom model, tailored to them based on their background, skill sets, financial and lifestyle goals, that we then use to match them up with the best franchise business that's a perfect fit for them!

Mark Goodman, VP Retail Channel Development – Hunter Douglas, Fabrication Division

An experienced entrepreneur himself, Mark has been launching, developing and supporting small businesses for over three decades. Although new to Hunter Douglas, his experience and accomplishments were the perfect fit for a company that considers themselves a culture of professional entrepreneurs…a key competitive advantage when fast decision-making is needed in order to respond to a fast changing business environment and the needs of new start-ups.

Jenny is a franchise consultant and owner of FranNet of Greater Tampa Bay. Jenny consults people through the franchise discovery process. She works with them to identify if a franchise makes sense for them and helps them find the right one that will meet their professional and personal goals.

Jenny started with FranNet as a client who had a vision of owning her own business. When the opportunity presented itself to become a FranNet consultant, she jumped at the chance to help others become entrepreneurs by coming one herself. Prior to joining FranNet, Jenny spent more than 15 years in the Corporate Marking arena. She has a vast understanding of the franchise world since both of her formor employers were also franchise organizations. Jenny and her family currently reside in north Pinellas County. She is a rare Florida native and a proud graduate of the Universort of South Florida.

Scott Mann is an Emmy-winning marketer and COO of ERC Provider. His organization has helped hundreds of businesses get over $300 million in tax credits in the last 12 months. He's a national speaker and expert on Employee Retention Credits. He's a notable fractional Chief Marketing Officer and business coach that's helped thousands of businesses and franchises increase revenues across dozens of industries.

He's served on numerous non-profit boards and currently serves on the board of the Downtown Orlando Partnership. He is an advocate for a Non-profit called Be The Match that helps save lives around the world.

Neil Hershman owns a desert empire in NYC. Danny Duncan has over 6m followers on Youtube, and generates of $25m in annual revenue in merchandise sales. The duo have teamed up to aquire 16 Handles Frozen Yogurt Franchise, and are using new online strategies to engage with he next generation of consumers.