Scott McKain

The customer is always right, but what does he really want? How do associations ensure loyalty from within and for clients? Scott McKain poses the questions and addresses the answers. As vice chairman of one of the fastest-growing public companies in the nation, his presentations benefit from his work ethic and three decades of experience, combined with his innate talent for articulating successful ideas. He has spoken before and consulted for the world's most influential corporations over the past 20 years.  

Entrepreneurial flair. Both Obsidian Enterprises, Inc. and its sister company Durham Capital Corporation, are involved in a wide range of businesses; from luxury buses for some of the nation's top entertainers to the highly sophisticated trailers for auto racing teams in NASCAR and the Indy Racing League; from the hemisphere's only butyl rubber recycling company to retail financial services. McKain's work with them serves as a platform from which he can speak about facing the challenges of management and operation of diverse businesses on a daily basis. He also serves on the board of advisors of the parent company of the world-famous "National Lampoon" brand.  

Although growing successful businesses and developing corporate leaders within his own $100 million-plus organization has been McKain's calling, speaking from experience is his true passion. His understanding of real-world business and his ability to fully engage his audience also enabled the development of Value Added Institute-a think tank with an extensive and diverse faculty that explores the activities organizations must execute to enhance customer loyalty-where he serves as chairman.  

In his latest book, The Collapse of Distinction, McKain takes a revolutionary approach in clearly showing how organizations and individual professionals create differentiation in the market--and it has already been called "one of the most important business books" in recent history. In What Customers REALLY Want: Bridging the Gap Between What Your Organization Offers and Your Customers Crave, he explores the six disconnections between companies and customers. In addition, McKain's experience interacting with today's most successful leaders and his personal interviews with the world's top celebrities have given him the distinctive perspective necessary to develop his business philosophy: ALL Business is Show Business. His book of the same name is a business bestseller-reaching the number one spot on several Amazon.com charts.

Infotainment. McKain appears as a commentator on FOX News to discuss business, politics, and American culture. In his earlier career as a broadcast journalist, two million people saw his commentaries each week on 80 television stations in the United States, Canada, and Australia. He has also been a news anchor for a CBS-TV affiliate in one of the nation's 25 largest markets.  

Over the years, McKain has earned many rewards for his public speaking and business expertise including being designated for membership in the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame, Who's Who Among America's Emerging Leaders; and he was selected by Arnold Schwarzenegger to be the emcee and speaker for the "Great American Workout," held on the White House lawn. His creativity has spilled over into film as well. He performed in the internationally acclaimed movie, Stroszek. Roger Ebert praised McKain in his series of articles titled "Great Movies" that called the movie a cinematic classic. His performance was cited by the Boston Globe shortly after film's release as the "most memorable moment in film" for the year.