Upstate New York Executive Summit

11:35 - 12:35 p.m.

CEO's Candid Guide to Right People, Right Job, Right Fit To Scale the Business

Presenter: Mike Hall, Executive Advisor | Culture Index

Join the Culture Index team to reveal the true fit of your executive team and leaders- who is in the right seat and who is not? Do you have the right team in place to scale your business? Not getting the top and bottom line growth by not hiring and obtaining the right team? In this session, you will be prepped to utilize data to make more objective human decisions in securing the right talent in order to drive sustainable growth. Walk away with new insights, tips, and practices to implement into your business and better align your people.

Topic: Leadership - Retention & Engagement

11:35 - 12:35 p.m.

The Dark Side of Private Equity: Missteps that Could Cost You Millions

Presenter: Zane Tarence, Partner and Managing Director & Brian Daley, Director of Strategic Partnerships | Founders Advisors

With more PE firms targeting private companies, business owners must be equipped to navigate this complex world successfully. Using case studies, data-driven insights, and over two decades of M&A experience, we’ll discuss the PE investor ecosystem, how they exploit inexperienced business owners, and strategies to help you protect your equity. You’ll learn:

• 7 reasons your business is not qualified for PE investment (& what to do)


• Essential questions to answer before engaging PE


• The truth about “Minority Investors” and “Founder Aligned” PE


• Why 90% of founders lose in PE negotiations


• Enterprise Value Coaching through Industry Driven Valuation Scorecards

Topic: Financials - Mergers & Acquisitions

11:35 - 12:35 p.m.

Turn on the Financial Headlights: Maximize Your Profitability & Success

Presenter: Bob McDonnell, Business Development Director | Preferred CFO

The future can't be predicted, but with proper tools and strategies, businesses can “Turn on the Headlights,” increasing their opportunity for prosperity while reducing risk of failure. In this session, Preferred CFO presents tools and strategies that help stakeholders elevate their company's fiscal health, confidence, and strategy by:

• Understanding the importance and intricacies of a forward-facing financial strategy—and how to execute it.


• Evaluating a financial teams' capabilities and ability to provide actionable information.


• Tracking the right metrics to better inform the future.


• Harnessing the power of forecasting to more confidently achieve goals through data-backed decision making.

Topic: Financials - Financial Management

11:35 - 12:35 p.m.

Unlocking Business Value: A CEO’s Guide to Exit-Ready Growth

Presenter: Paul J. Brahim, Managing Director, Financial Advisor [Vistage Member] | Wealth Enhancement Group

Most business owners don’t plan to sell tomorrow—but the smartest ones prepare as if they might. Whether you're 2 years or 10 years from stepping away, the decisions you make today will shape your future options—and financial outcomes. In this session, Paul Brahim shares a 6-step framework to drive value, align your business with personal goals, and ensure you’re ready when the time comes. You’ll walk away with tools to:

• Assess and grow the value of your business


• Align personal wealth goals with business strategy 


• Identify and enhance key value drivers


• Evaluate potential exit options


• Build a business that’s ready to sell—even if you're not ready to exit yet

Topic: Financials - Financial Management

1:30 - 2:15 p.m.

Artificial Intelligence For Every Department: Moving Past ChatGPT

Presenter: Chris Tamm, Managing Partner & Founder [Vistage Member] | CAST Services

Do you know how to use machine vision, machine learning, robotic process automation, and large language models to gain efficiencies across departments? Join Chris Tamm, Vistage member, seven-time founder and CEO, and highly sought-after speaker on AI and automation —Speaker of the Year in 2023 and Top Performing Speaker in 2024—, to explore the transformative power of AI. (This is not about ChatGPT!)

Equip yourself with the knowledge to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving technological landscape:

• The latest advancements in AI usage, applications, and robotics


• Practical implementation examples with ROI


• Guardrails and discussing these tools with your teams


• Don't wait on your vendors to roll out an AI feature or two

Topic: Business Operations - Technology

1:30 - 2:15 p.m.

The CEO's Guide to Strategically Scaling Sales

Presenter: David Mullins, Strategic Sales Coach | SalesStar

Unlock the secret to scalable, measurable, and predictable sales growth in this exclusive session designed for CEOs. Learn how to build a strategic sales system that drives consistent results and empowers your sales force. Attendees will leave with actionable takeaways:

• Proven methodologies to streamline sales processes and drive consistent results.


• Strategies to leverage data for better decision-making and measurable outcomes.


• Insights to achieve sustainable growth and elevate your company's performance.

This session is for CEOs who want a clear path to building a strategic sales system that is scalable, measurable, and predictable.

Topic: Customer Engagement - Sales & Marketing

1:30 - 2:15 p.m.

Building a Thriving Business and an Ideal Life

Presenter: Stas Balanevsky, Expert EOS Implementer, Podcast Host, Speaker | EOS Worldwide

What if you could build a thriving business and live your ideal life? In this interactive session, Expert EOS Implementer Stas Balanevsky introduces a framework for aligning professional success with personal fulfillment. You’ll explore the five major points of the EOS Life:

• Doing what you love


• With people you love


• Making a huge difference


• Being compensated appropriately


• With time for other passions

You will walk away with practical, real-world tools to live your ideal entrepreneurial life.

Topic: Personal Development - Leadership Competencies