Speakers | Southeast Entrepreneurship Conference (SEEC)

Meet The SEEC Speakers

Breakout Speakers

Skyler Slade

Skyler joined Grooveshark in early 2007, knowing that a startup would provide the quickest way to reach his goal of being a great software developer. He couldn’t have come aboard at a better time; coming in early at a startup gave him the unique opportunity to wear many different hats, working in different roles and technologies as the company developed.


Carissa Caricato

Carissa left a 3-year nonprofit marketing career to focus on her passion for mission work, joy spreading and hoola hooping. She founded Hoola for Happiness, a nonprofit ministry spreading the joy of hooping and the love of God all over the world, one hoop at a time. Hoops have made their way to 12 countries in one year with the team of Joy Spreaders. Carissa also serves as the Director of Happiness for Feeding Children Everywhere.

Ray Land

Most eighth graders are usually happy enough to go on a field trip; few take the reins and actually plan the entire trip, and even fewer parlay that experience into starting their own motorcoach company by the age of seventeen. Then again, few people are like Ray Land.

Chuck Papageorgiou

Chuck is the Founder and Managing Partner of Ideasphere specializing in the high-tech, logistics, and financial services segments. He brings his global experience in technology and operations, both as a consultant and an executive, to actively assist senior executives of client companies with strategic, operational, and technology leadership challenges, corporate development and growth strategies, international expansion plans, and overall management aspects of their organizations.

Daniel Gomez

Serial entrepreneur, cofounder of SOLBEN (Bioenergy Solutions), awarded at 2010 at the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards and 2011 by the New York Stock Exchange. Last year was listed at the INC 30 Under 30.

Scott Robinson

Co-Founder and President of Dualtone Music Group, Inc. an independent entertainment company based in Nashville, TN. The staunchly independent label has been nominated for thirteen GRAMMY awards, garnering three wins. Prior to Dualtone, Robinson was partner of RobinsonWood Management, an artist management/development company based in Dallas Texas. Before entering the music industry Robinson worked in the financial industry as an Asset Manager for Guaranty Federal Savings and Loan.

Barry Torman

Barry Torman is the Executive Director of Casey’s Cookies, a 501c3 non-profit social enterprise that trains and then employs developmentally and physically disabled adults to bake premium cookies. He is also a partner in StickyJ.com, an online personalized jewelry company. Barry is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, where he studied software design and industrial management. He has held teaching positions with Kraft Foods, Johnson & Wales College, and the First National Bank of Chicago, and has spent nearly 35 years as a software designer and consultant working with mid-market companies.

Chris Miller

Founder of Delta Real Estate Portfolio, LLC (Delta REP), a property management and real estate investment firm based out of Omaha, NE that operates nearly $10m of residential real estate. During college Chris used what he was learning in his finance courses with what he learned from his father who was a carpenter and handyman and began his career as a real estate entrepreneur at the age of 20. Before graduating with dual degrees in finance and real estate, he had control of a personal portfolio of $1m, obtained his broker’s license, and set up a scholarship for entrepreneurship students at his alma mater, The University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Duane Spires

Duane Spires, CEO of Extreme Youth Sports Inc., and founder of www.ChildCareSuccessTeam.com, is a national motivational speaker who inspires thousands of people all across the United States each year to take action on their goals and create a life they love! Duane recently won the National Empact 100 award for Extreme Youth Sports Inc. and was invited to speak at the White House in Washington DC where he addressed members of Congress and many important decision makers about the importance of teaching children how to become entrepreneurs and start their own businesses! Duane is one of the top rated speakers on the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour and you can also see him in action on Bright House Network (MAVtv) and Dish Network as he ring announces professionally for Mixed Martial Arts organizations such as RFC and Art of Fighting!

Frank Klesitz

Frank Klesitz, founder of Vyral Marketing, started the Internet company in June 2009 with essentially no capital, and is now cashing in $25,000 per month – all through social media marketing services. Using the latest technology, Kelsitz helps clients boost sales and referrals.

Jefferson C. Knott

Senior Manager and Senior Business Advisor of the new Americas subsidiary of the global parent company Al-Sorayai Industrial and Trading Group-a global leader in the manufacture, distribution and retail of home furnishings, in particular carpets and rugs. A start-up initiative to brand, establish a global business model, presence for long term growth in the Americas and eventually worldwide.

Joseph Warren

At age 19, Joseph Warren opened a professional fundraising company that specialized in assisting non-profit organizations such as The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Within the first 12 months, he grew his venture into a 50-person firm with $2M+ in revenue. Over the next 24 months, he scaled the business into multiple locations and tripled its revenue. Currently, Joseph Warren is President & CEO of Brainstorm Weekly LLC, an entrepreneurial training firm in Tampa. Joseph Warren (along with renowned speaker and author Dr. Alexander Osterwalder and 470 other practicioners) co-created the groundbreaking and best-selling book, “Business Model Generation – A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers.”

Karen Post

Since 2000, she has led Brain Tattoo Branding, a firm that provides creative and strategic services to start, grow, and manage brands. Karen is also a sought after speaker, who addresses global audiences, and is proud to have been the first female American speaker to address the Saudi Arabian Airlines national conference in 2011. Karen started her first business at age 22, and built two successful companies—an award-winning ad agency and a legal communications firm specializing in high-stakes litigation that she led for over twenty years. In 2006, she launched Brain Tattoo Publishing, an online enterprise for creatively-charged entrepreneurs, business professionals and marketers that now produces digital learning tools in niche markets.

Michelle Royal

Michelle Royal is an Innovation Consultant, and founder of HDYI: How Do You Innovate?. For the past 17 years she has facilitated the development of the creative capacities and innovation potential within individuals and businesses both in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. Her consultancy practice has allowed her to work with such prestigious companies as Subway Sandwiches and Salads, CIDA (UK), and Collaborative Labs. The HDYI process utilizes a unique fusion of visual and design thinking to accelerate business innovation. Her custom workshops and programs result in united company visions, mobilized teams and sustainable innovation leadership. Michelle is the Board Chair of Creative Tampa Bay, a Board Member of Tampa Bay WaVE, and a founding Trustee of Awesomeness with Awesome Tampa Bay.