2025 MIBE Summit
JANUARY 26-28th | DENVER, CO
Speakers
-

Anthony Lambatos
FOUNDER | KEYNOTE SPEAKER
2024 NACE ONE AWARDS SPEAKER OF THE YEAR WINNER!
Anthony Lambatos grew up in the catering business working for his father and founder of Footers Catering in Denver, Colorado. Anthony and his wife, April, purchased the business in 2010 and have successfully made the transition to a second-generation family business. As a sought-after speaker nationally within the hospitality industry, Anthony is passionate about helping leaders create a culture that allows their businesses to thrive. He specializes in heart leadership and management of teams with a focus on operational structure and employee engagement.
-

Chester Elton
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING BUSINESS AUTHOR
Through his provocative, inspiring, and always entertaining talks, Chester will equip attendees with the knowledge to build extraordinary workplace cultures that drive engagement, innovation, and performance through practical strategies and actionable insights! One of today's most influential voices in workplace trends, Elton provides real solutions and his work is supported by research with more than one million working adults.
-

Brother Luck
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
CHEF & AUTHOR
Chef Brother Luck is a James Beard nominee, a fan favorite on culinary competition shows like Top Chef, Chopped, and Beat Bobby Flay and a passionate restaurant owner in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Brother most recently appeared on The Rachael Ray Show, The Today Show and was featured in Food and Wine Magazine. When he isn’t wowing taste buds and pushing culinary boundaries, you can find Brother on stage inspiring large audiences across the country. He thrives on mentorship and creating a safe place for mental health discussions and he is excited to share his personal journey through his highly reviewed memoir, “No Lucks Given: Life is hard but there is hope.”
And yes, that’s his real name.
-

Tommy Spaulding
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND WORLD-RENOWNED SPEAKER
Founder and president of Tommy Spaulding Companies, a leadership development, speaking, training, and teambuilding organization based in Denver, Colorado. A nationally acclaimed speaker on leadership, Spaulding has spoken to thousands of organizations, associations, educational institutions, and corporations around the globe. Spaulding was also named by Meetings & Conventions Magazine as one of the 100 MOST FAVORITE SPEAKERS in the nation.
-

Bri Borin
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Bri believes that Snooze is about so much more than just serving up amazing breakfasts — it’s also about mindfully sourcing and preparing sustainable food, giving back to local communities, creating a sense of home for Snoozers and Guests, and allowing each Snoozer to show up authentically as their true self.
-

Jeremy Edmonds
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Jeremy’s relentless pursuit of the best employee experience and passion for culture has been a driving force throughout his career. After 11 years in talent recruiting, Jeremy turned his focus toward the science of engagement, and has built a career as a thought leader in the culture, performance development, and leadership space.
-

Charles Fred
KEYNOTE SPEAKER | CO-FOUNDER | TRUE SPACE
After Charles successfully sold his third venture to Xerox, following previous company sales to Moody and Travelocity, he joined forces with his daughter, Jamee, to uncover why some businesses thrive while others falter. In 2013, driven by Charles's deep-seated desire to assist other entrepreneurs, their meticulous research began. This quest for knowledge saw them partnering with Gallup, marrying rich qualitative insights with robust quantitative data.
-

Megan Palmer Rivera
CEO | PALMER'S MARKET & PALMER'S CATERING
Megan is a part of the 5th generation of her family to own and operate Palmer's Market, their high-end gourmet grocery store located in Darien, Connecticut. At the helm of a company that just celebrated 103 years in business, her main focus is on longevity and ensuring that Palmer's will be around to support 100 more years of customers, employees, and local non-profits and charities.
-

Rich Schneider
OWNER & TORTILLA SAVANT | RAQUELITAS TORTILLAS
Since joining the family business in 1979, he's been crafting the most innovative, hyper local tortillas and chips with Raquelitas Tortillas in Denver. To search out unique grains, he’s inspected hundreds of wheat & corn fields and sunflower farms in several states. His creations have graced tables at The Broadmoor, James Beard House, and beyond. Raquelitas was the first tortilla bakery powered by wind, now running on solar too. Rich also serves on multiple hospitality boards. He’s even been on Sesame Street, Food Network and ESPN—proving tortillas can be famous too!
-

Melodie Polidori Harris
CHIEF SAUSAGE OFFICER | POLIDORI SAUSAGE
Melodie Polidori Harris, Chief Sausage Officer at Polidori Sausage, boasts over two decades of entrepreneurial prowess in the culinary world. She's led alongside her brother Steve Polidori, shaping their family legacy into a thriving fourth-generation enterprise. As they celebrate nearly a century in production, Melodie's unwavering dedication and innovative spirit have propelled Polidori Sausage to new heights, setting a precedent for women entrepreneurs and the next generation of females in food service.
Agenda
*Events/times subject to change
Sunday
January 26th
1-2 pm | Registration @ Social Capitol
2-2:45 pm | Welcome | April + Anthony Lambatos
2:45-3:45 pm | Keynote | No Lucks Given | Brother Luck
3:45-5 pm | Breakout 1 | Get to Know Your Group
————————————————————
5-6:30 pm | Happy Hour | Tours | Cryo Sessions @ Social Capitol | Footers Catering
7-9 pm | MIBE Masters Dinner | Invite Only
Monday
January 27th
8-8:45 am | Breakfast | Footers Catering
9-9:45 am | Session | Creating Culture Through Belonging | Brianna Borin
9:45-10:30 am | Session | The Framework For Connection | Jeremy Edmonds
10:30-11 am | Morning Break
11-12 pm | Breakout 2 | Community & Belonging
12-1 pm | Lunch | Footers Catering
1-2 pm | Keynote | Leading With Gratitude | Chester Elton
2-3 pm | Breakout 3 | Gratitude
3-3:15 pm | Afternoon Break
3:15-4:15 pm | Challenge 1
4:15-5 pm | Hour Happy Preview
5:15-6:30 pm | Hour Happy | Experiential Activities
5:15-5:45 pm | Session 1
6-6:30 pm | Session 2
*Footers Catering will provide all-day snacks and beverages
Tuesday
January 28th
8:00-8:45 am | Breakfast | Footers Catering
9-10:30 am | Panel | Generational Business | Megan Palmer Rivera, Rich Schneider, Melodie Polidori Harris
10:30-11 am | Morning Break
11-12 pm | Breakout 4 | Generational Growth
12-1 pm | Lunch | Footers Catering | Heart Leadership Panel
1-1:45 pm | Challenge 2
1:45-2 pm | Afternoon Break
2-3 pm | Conversation | Influencing The Lives Of Others | Tommy Spaulding
3-3:30 pm | Closing | Anthony Lambatos
————————————————————
6:30-11:30 pm | MIBE Awards & Flower Power Party
@ Social Capitol | Footers Catering
*Footers Catering will provide all-day snacks and beverages
MEET OUR 2024-25 MIBE AWARD FINALISTS
Heart Leader of the Year
-

BRIANNA BORIN
Snooze
Denver, CO -

HECTOR BOEHME
Arthur’s Creative Events & Catering
Altamonte Springs, FL -

JENN WALKER
Charlotte’s Bridal
La Crosse, WI -

JONATHAN DARR
Love Catering
Los Angeles, CA -

ROBIN SELDEN
Marcia Selden Catering
Stamford, CT
Heart Leader of the Year
-

BOBBY WOOLWINE
DelightMore Catering Cincinnati, OH
-

JEN DEVOS
Copper Kitchen
Baltimore, MD -

LAURA FABIAN
24 Carrots
Costa Mesa, CA -

NICOLE CANTRELL
Firekeepers Casino
Battle Creek, MI -

RACHEL MALECKY
Hamby Catering
Charleston, SC
Heart Leader on the Rise
-
AMY OBERHOFF
Wicked Whisk
Conroe, TX -
BELLA ACOSTA
Infinity Park Event Center
Glendale, CO -
CAITLYN ENGLISH
Chowgirls Catering
Minneapolis, MN -
SARAH SAILUS-SMITH
FireKeepers Casino Hotel
Battle Creek, MI
Heart Leader on the Rise
-

CHELSIE MUELLER
Mitchell Casteel
Raleigh, NC -

COLLEEN KELLY
Avanti Mansion
Buffalo, NY -

PHOEBE HERNICK
Partyman Catering
Avon, NY -

RACHAEL ANTHONY
David Alan Hospitality Group
Berlin, CT -

RYAN JEWELL
Personal Touch Dining
San Diego, CA
MIBE of the Year