VALDOSTA — Wiregrass Georgia Technical College will be holding its Sixth Annual Gathering of the Eagles on Thursday, March 1.

“The Gathering of Eagles is a business and leadership development symposium for any business leader or emerging leader that wants to grow personally and professionally,” said Angela Crance, Special Assistant to the President at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College.

This year’s theme is “make it” in south Georgia. The symposium explores using Georgia’s natural resources to create value added jobs as well as how to make it as a leader in today’s highly competitive market.

Each year, Wiregrass attracts top and national speakers who are friends of the college and the community. This year’s keynote speaker is Bob Prosen, best-selling author of “Kiss Theory Good Bye.”

“”Kiss Theory Good Bye’ is based on the ‘Five Attributes of Highly Profitable Companies’ and provides leaders with a blue print for converting plans into sustainable bottom line results,” said Prosen. “It’s packed with tools and techniques that have helped hundreds of companies out-execute the competition regardless of economic conditions.”

Prosen will be addressing the first attribute, Senior Leadership, at the conference.

“My presentation is unique because it’s based on the exact principles I’ve used for over 30 years to help companies achieve extraordinary results,” said Prosen. “If you enjoy practical application over theory, you’ll love this presentation.”

The Gathering of Eagles began six years ago when a committee of community leaders decided they needed a local event to provide leadership and business growth training.

“Anytime we wanted to see a leadership speaker we would have to go out of town,” said Crance. “We thought, wouldn’t it be nice if we had something here.”

Crance and her peers knew that their symposium needed to be different. They wanted it to be more hands on and interactive.

“Wiregrass is a continuing education provider and we decided that we wanted to be the go-to of leadership and growth in the area,” said Crance.

The Gathering of Eagles symposium is a great opportunity for business leaders, aspiring leaders and even recent college graduates to come and gain insight on an ever changing journey to successful, long-lasting, business leadership.

“We recognize that leadership training is a journey,” said Crance.

According to Crance, some have this idea that you go to college, you get your degree and then you’re done and it’s off to success. That’s not true.

“If you want to be the best that you can be, it’s a continual process,” said Crance.

This is why a key area of focus for the symposium is practical application. The symposium gives participants the tools to succeed by giving them information they can take back to the office and apply.

“We learn a lot of theory in college,” said Crance. “But how to apply that sometimes is not that easy to learn to do, so we always make sure there is practical application.”

Aside from the application of key leadership concepts, the symposium also discusses how to stay on top of a changing leadership culture. In the past, leadership was a bunch of people who worked in committees and had a ton of rules and order, but today’s younger generation of leaders are changing that. According to Crance, today’s leadership is more about influence.

“It’s so neat to watch these young leaders because it’s all about influence, they totally lead in a different way,” said Crance. “They strategically influence people to create a better region.”

This symposium on business and leadership is truly unique. While most speakers charge a fee to speak at functions, the speakers for Gathering of the Eagles will be speaking for free. According to Crance, the speakers really care about helping local leaders grow because they want to see the community grow.

Tickets for the event are $199 for regular admission and $250 for VIP, which includes a dinner with the speakers the night before the event. There is limited seating that only allows 200 attendees. Keeping it small allows participants to ask questions, be engaged and have face time with the speakers. All the proceeds goes to the college foundation to be used toward program equipment or direct student assistance.

To register call (229)333-2121 or go to www.wiregrass.edu.





BIOS FOR SPEAKERS



Bob Prosen

Bob Prosen is a visionary leader with a pragmatic grip on the reality of what it takes to deliver extraordinary  bottom-line results. He is president and CEO of The Prosen Center for Business Advancement and the world’s  leading authority on The Five Attributes of Highly Profitable CompaniesTM. Prosen is nationally recognized as the business expert who helped such companies as AT&T, Global Information Solutions/NCR, Hitachi Data Systems, Sabre, Sprint, and Data Return Corporation achieve unprecedented financial and operational success. He earned his MBA from Georgia State University and holds postgraduate certifications from MIT, Duke University and The Wharton School. He has received numerous awards for professional excellence.  



Wesley Langdale

Wesley Langdale is President of The Langdale Company and  currently serves as a Board member and Chairman for the Georgia Forestry Commission.

He also serves as a Board member for the Georgia Forestry Association and the Georgia Conservancy. He attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and University of Georgia where he received his BA in Speech Communications.  



Robert Farris

Robert Farris became Director of the Georgia Forestry  Commission (GFC) in 2008 after serving for two years as Interim Director and nearly 20 years with the agency. Farris oversees the GFC’s leadership, service, and education of Georgia’s forest resources. He earned the GFC Director’s Award for Outstanding Leadership, the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Service, and was named one of Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians.  



Will Wingate

Will Wingate serves at the Vice President of Advocacy for the Georgia Conservancy where he manages the advocacy efforts with federal, state, and local governments. He is also the land conservation director in Georgia. Wingate previously served as President of W. O. Wingate & Associates, a public affairs firm specializing in lobbying and political strategy.



Steve McWilliams

Steve McWilliams was appointed to the position of Executive Vice President of the Georgia Forestry Association in June of 2003. He brought 30 years of association management experience to GFA where he has the overall management responsibilities in addition to serving as the chief lobbyist for Georgia’s forestry community. McWilliams is a native of Macon and graduated from Georgia Southern College.  

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