“Our theme of ‘Everyday Heroes’ was well suited to you because you, my friend, are truly an Everyday Hero.
The preparation you did before speaking with our group puts you in a unique and elite class. You spoke with us by teleconference several times, you interviewed associates by phone, and you arrived nearly 24 hours early so you could meet many of our people face to face. You developed a connection and understanding with them that made your presentation personal and intimate. With our goal of recognizing and rewarding our associates for a great sales year, this personal approach of yours was exactly what we hoped for. You really nailed it, Andy!
The spirit of your presentation lives on in our organization. We challenge each other to ‘break your pot,’ to stretch and not be limited. We treat customers differently. We treat each other better.
Thanks to your spark, we are growing more of our own ‘Everyday Heroes’ and now we recognize them more easily.
The work you do is a gift, Andy. I know you know that. Thank you for sharing that gift with all of us. We were, and remain, delighted.”
– Minnesota Life Insurance Company
“Just a short note to say thank you for the outstanding after dinner speech you gave and the great workshop you presented during our regional dealers conference. It is always a pleasure to watch a true professional at work. The time you took to customize the messages and become familiar with our audience was very evident in your final product…how did you remember the names of our 300+ attendees?!”
– GOODYEAR
“Our team of Microsoft Customer Support managers and engineers were kept on the edge of their seats in amazement of your magical abilities and your positive words of wisdom and motivation. I continually receive feedback from the participants as to how you opened their eyes to being a ‘HERO’ for our customers.”
– Microsoft
“Your blend of humor and inspiration were just what we needed. Our team has been challenged over the past 18 months and your message helped to ‘rejuvenate the spirit.’ Your theme about being ‘Heroes’ for one another was both timely and perfect. The Bonsai Principle will help us manage through the tremendous change we have and are experiencing.
Thank you for adding value to our meeting and to my team. You really connected with them!”
– Coca-Cola Company
“Not only were you a pleasure to work with, you were the highlight of the three-day convention. All the ‘atta-girls’ I’ve been receiving really belong to you; gender specific of course!
Andy, you are the rarest of professional speakers – a truly gifted entertainer with a solid and strong message. I was absolutely delighted with your presentations.
We have a policy at TALU to wait a few years before inviting back a popular speaker, but my people are already trying to circumvent that policy ‘What if we have Andy do his presentation on memorization? That’s completely different!’ So, I know we’ll have you again.”
– Texas Association of Life Underwriters
“Outstanding! The employees of Pentax Corporation were truly treated to an inspirational hour when you presented ‘The Magic of the Future is You.’ The content and quality of your presentation exceeded our already high expectations and contributed to our organization’s standard of excellence.”
– PENTAX
“Powerful!Andy Hickman was our best speaker yet.I feel proud to be working here at OPPD.”
“Best meeting ever!Andy delivered good strong messages that can be implemented on both personal and corporate basis.”
“Andy’s message as well as his entertainment were perfect!”
“I don’t know what the cost was to bring Andy Hickman here to speak to us, but whatever it was it was worth it and it’s an indication of big thinking by Leadership.”
– attendees of Omaha Public Power District site-wide meeting
“You have a true gift for getting your message across in a fun, entertaining, and thought-provoking way! Your presentation was energetic and motivating but most of all it gave our audience techniques they can immediately use in their job and personal life.
Thank you so much for the tremendous amount of time, energy, and expertise you put into your presentation. You have a wonderful ability to relate to the entire staff as well as upper management. Your commitment to excellence is very evident.
It was a tremendous pleasure working with you and I look forward to working with you in the future.”
– Arizona Multihousing Association
“As you know, Andy was our closing speaker, and he really touched the audience with his sensitivity, thoughtful message and appropriate humor. It’s unanimous that Andy Hickman was the best part of the entire conference. The UCPA Board President commented that Andy was the only speaker he liked. And so very many people both wrote and told us that Andy should have been the opening speaker.”
– United Cerebral Palsy Associations
“Thank you for making this year’s General manager’s Conference such a huge success!
Your motivational message, ‘The Magic of the future is YOU!’ was very appropriate for our Conference this year as we create the promise of renewed growth for the Taco Bueno brand.
Our post-Conference feedback questionnaires without exception supported our assessment that you became an instant member of the Taco Bueno team and your combination of thought provoking content coupled with humor certainly reinforced our theme ‘Bringing the Future to Life.’ Once again, Andy, thank you for your inspiration and the ‘magic’ you helped bring to this annual event!”
– Taco Bueno
“One of the most challenging aspects of planning a conference is selecting just the right speaker for the occasion. Thanks to your excellent performance, I feel confident that I made the right choice. Andy, it was a pleasure working with you. I wish you the best and look forward to working with you again.”
– AT&T
“Andy Hickman was truly an unforgettable speaker and was the highlight of our conference. Our network across the nation is still talking about his presentation. At one point we were on an emotional roller coaster and everyone was enamored by his message. Andy is a ‘must have’ for every audience!”
– Millicare Environmental Services
“You hit a homerun! I have received several comments from our partners that they really enjoyed your presentation. In fact, one of our senior people who has been with the company more than 20 years wrote to me saying that he thought your presentation was, ‘Superior to anything we have ever had at TDIndustries.’ I think your message was very timely for us, Andy. We have a lot of opportunity ahead of us and we need individuals that are ready, willing, and able to see them as opportunities and not always just as challenges. Your presentation helped us focus on that.”
– TDIndustries
“Having you as the keynote speaker has presented me with some real challenges. The Executive Committee kept asking me, ‘Where are you going to find anyone to top Andy Hickman?’ That was an excellent question. The answer was very simple. I’m not!
You were truly the best Keynote Speaker that PDCA has had in the past ten years that I’ve worked here.
You covered every emotion that the audience had: you mesmerized us with your magic . . .you took us from laughter to tears of heartbreak and back to laughter again . . . you gave us a message to take home.
I know that we can’t have the same keynote speaker every year. If I could, it would be you. Please don’t forget that I would like to have you back as our keynote speaker in Honolulu, Hawaii.”
– Painting and Decorating Contractors of America
I am pleased to share a few of the compliments FDIC personnel have conveyed:
“Andy made me laugh so hard my ribs ached!” “Andy made me feel special…he spoke directly to me.” “I’d love to be at a party with Andy!” “Three thumbs up!!!”
– Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
“Your presence definitely added value to our conference. The fact that you were able to stay after your presentation and interact with our folks was exceptional. Your message was very positive and timely considering the enormous changes we are experiencing.”
– Kerr Drug
“What a professional, customized presentation Andy put on for us. It looked like entertainment, but he was able to weave a bunch of targeted messages in and around his magic to leave a lasting impression on our folks. There were more than a few watery eyes in our largely masculine audience before it was all over – some from the humor, more from the messages.
What impressed us also was Andy’s preparation. He actually attended breakfast and our entire morning workshop before going on at noon. He appeared to know more about us than we did! Many of my executives cited Andy as the highlight of the weekend, and we had a lot of other good stuff going on. Thanks for not merely meeting, but exceeding this customer’s expectations.”
– Malcom Pirnie Inc.
“We have been having this Quality Council meeting for fourteen years. I can confidently say that this year’s meeting will go down as the most memorable one we have had. Because, this was the year a gentleman by the name of Mr. Andy Hickman gave us the best presentation we have ever heard.”
– Green Bay Packaging
“We have been through some major transitions in the last year and the crowd was expected to be a challenge. You pulled it off, and got them thinking differently about the choices they make and the commitments they honor. Our sales people have seen quite a few speakers and choosing one that wouldn’t be ‘the same old thing’ and would leave them with a new message is not an easy task. We are glad we chose you. It was a pleasure working with you. Thank you again for your energy and spirit.”
– Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages
“What can we say? After the third time having you as a speaker, our members want more. Twice we have had you close our conventions. This time we had you as an opening speaker. As expected you rated 100% excellent. How about being our luncheon speaker at next year’s annual meeting?”
– Floor Installation Association of North America
“Everyone was awed by your ability to remember them by name! I certainly appreciated the time you put into personalizing your presentation and incorporating what was important to us. It was obvious ‘we mattered to you.’
It is very difficult to find an outside speaker who makes you laugh, makes you think, and moves you to tears – you accomplished all of this in a manner that left everyone wanting to be ‘Heroes!’ Mission accomplished!”
– Trans Union
Our members absolutely loved your presentation! There was not one negative comment on the over 400 evaluation forms we received. Here are a few of their comments:
“Excellent message . . . bring this man back again!” “Super! Great thoughts on values, priority, and being a hero.” “Funny and wise.” “Very, very enjoyable. One of the best speakers I’ve ever heard.” “Wonderful! So inspiring. I believe!”
– Association of Texas Professional Educators
“Thank you for the 18 presentations you did to improve our customer service program.
Your enthusiasm and approach of personally identifying with each member of your audience was so refreshing and so very effectively motivating. Your humorous and magical delivery has captivated our organization and helped impress upon our employees very special messages, including how to treat others (as patients, customers, peers, etc…) and also how to better their own lives.
I am very impressed with your work and count Trinity Mother Frances Health System and myself blessed to have been able to enjoy you and your message of creating our own future. Thank you for sharing your time, energy, and encouragement with us, your visits will always be welcome”
– Trinity Mother Frances Health System
“Andy did a wonderful job of capturing everyone’s attention as he presented a wonderful message we could all relate to.”
“He spoke about both work-related motivation and the importance of family.”
“I thought he was great! What a remarkable ability to recall everyone’s name!”
“Everyone loved the speaker.”
“Andy was awesome!Great combination of entertainment and message!”
– attendees of First National Bank, Columbia MO, Annual Meeting
