Keynote Speakers
Over the last two decades, Brian has spoken to large and small groups around the world on topics ranging from filmmaking, historical stories, motivational topics and more. Kruger also spent time on the professional comedy club circuit for nearly twenty years. He is a twice-Emmy nominated filmmaker and his work has been shown on PBS, ABC and Major League Baseball Network.
His TED talk on the value of iPhone filmmaking for youths was shown world-wide and has been viewed over 100,000 on YouTube.
Brian Kruger grew up in Ypsilanti taught at Ypsilanti High School in the 1980’s. He was part of the Ypsilanti-based comedy group, Stunt Johnson Theater, and they headlined around the country working with legendary comics like the Smothers Brothers and Rich Little.
He moved to Grosse Pointe in 1998 and founded the software company, Woodwing USA. Woodwing developed a system for magazine publishers to create virtual publications in the cloud so writers and page designers could work collaboratively all over the world.
In 2009 he sold the company and started the film company, Stunt3 Multimedia to make historical documentaries. Since then, he as produced 9 feature-length documentary films, two of which have garnered Emmy nominations:
His first film, “The Girl in Centerfield” which he made with fellow Ypsilantian, writer Buddy Moorehouse, chronicled Ypsilanti’s Carolyn King, who as a 12-year-old in 1973, fought for the right for girls to play Little League.
In 2011, Kruger and Moorehouse wrote “Black and Blue- The story of Gerald Ford, Willis Ward and the 1934 Michigan-Georgia Tech Football Game” told the story about Georgia Tech demanding that Michigan bench it’s only African American player, before it would take the field against the Wolverines in 1934.
Last year, Kruger screened his film, “Where the Brave Dare to Tread- The Bob Arvin Story” about Ypsilanti’s own Captain C. Robert Arvin, West Point First Captain in 1965 who was killed in Vietnam in 1967.
He is currently working on “The Torch Murders” the story of a shocking crime here in Ypsilanti in 1931, that had national reverberations. That film is set to release in March and he is here to talk about that today.
Richard Helppie
Richard is a startup entrepreneur who has taken companies through entire life cycle including IPO, public-public, private-private, and private-recap. Executed public financing, growth capital, venture funding, and various debt models.
Philanthropist.
He and his wife Leslie have various philanthropic endeavors with interest in civic and artistic endeavors, but with a primary focus on medically and educationally under-served children.
Through his podcasts, essays, and appearances, Rich has promoted solutions-based policy discussions that eschew extreme political stances from both parties and instead, focus on reaching common sense answers.
Mike Orris
Mike Orris is a businessman, entrepreneur, former BigTen swimmer, family man, and survivor. Mike grew up in idyllic Plymouth, Michigan raised with strong midwest values, a drive to succeed, and the gift of appreciating humor in everyday life. In 1994 Orris was awarded a scholarship to swim for his beloved Michigan State University Spartan swim team. Mike succeeded both in the pool and in the classroom, and in 1998 he graduated with a degree as a packaging engineer, and that launched him into a rising career as a business developer and entrepreneur.
Mike was married 2001 and he and his wife Jen raised three fantastic children. But on Memorial Day in 2009, Mike and Jen’s lives would take a horrific turn, that nearly derailed all of their dreams.
Mike along with six others were training for the Ironman triathlon, one of the most grueling sports events there is. On that bright, sunny Memorial Day in 2009, Orris was cycling alone, trying to get in a few more miles before the day’s end when he was involved in a bicycle/car accident that almost took his life. Orris suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury and spent the next six month is recovery and rehabilitation that involved learning to recognize family again, learning to read again, and trying put his lift back together.
With his courage and infectious sense of humor, Orris miraculously fought his way back to life with his family and friends, and began to build his business career again. Life was back on track, when he was hit with another major setback. Mike was diagnosed with bladder cancer.
Once again, Mike fought back and is now considered cancer free, and for the last several years, as rebuilt everything in his life with even more appreciation for living for the day, and the love of family and friends.
Mike’s story is featured in the film, “The Road to Ironman” and he is considering a book and speaking tour that chronicles his story in order to bring hope and inspiration to others facing impossible odds.