Steven Schussler, well-known as the creator of the Rainforest Cafe®, is an innovator with the passion and artistic vision for conceiving concepts which appeals to the masses. Embracing imagination, Steven and his team create restaurants, retail stores, theatrical venues, attractions, and experiences unlike any other! A master at multi-juggling, Steven is a World’s Premiere Branding Expert, Consultant, Entrepreneur, Restaurateur, Teacher, Motivational Speaker and National Bestselling Author of “It’s A Jungle In There, Inspiring Lessons, Hard-won Insights and Other Acts of Entrepreneurial Daring”.

Ms. Ryan is leading the sales and marketing efforts for the Schussler Creative Institute, Schussler Creative and the international expansion of our brands. Schussler Creative Institute provides books, keynote speeches, consulting, creative workshops and seminars, sales training and laboratory tours. Ms. Ryan’s focus is to build long term relationship and partnerships that grows the profitability of a client company and provides creative solutions to the challenges faced by businesses of all sizes.

Dave is the founder of Famous Dave’s and Old Southern BBQ Smokehouse restaurant chains—and he served in the George W. Bush administration as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs. Dave has a passion for philanthropic work that serves kids. To that end, he and his family founded The LifeSkills Center for Leadership which provides leadership experiences for at-risk and underprivileged Native American youth.

Karla is a founder and Volunteer President of Wishes & More. She’s dedicated nearly 40 years of volunteer service to helping children with terminal and life-threatening conditions. A realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Sundial Realty, Karla and her husband Tom live in New Brighton, MN near her three children and four grandchildren.

David is a restaurateur, executive chef of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, founder of Fhimas MPLS, Artisan & Spice and Mother Dough Bakery—and the former Corporate Chef for Lifetime Fitness inc. He has a passion for philanthropic work serving children with catastrophic illness.

Dave is Design Engineer for Schussler Creative with responsibility for mechanics, special effects, animatronics—and the curation of birds, fish and other live animals. Prior to joining Creative Attractions, he was the corporate curator for Rainforest Cafes. Dave is a master electrician, builder and artisan—and he holds patents for his creations in the field of aquatic filtration. He’s known and admired by nature enthusiasts, zoos, universities and nature conservancies around the world.

Dale is President of Freestyle Production—a 30+ year leader in live event A/V production for corporate meetings, concerts, tours and music festivals. He’s former Chairman of the Board of Smile Network International with a continuing commitment to support youth-centered charitable organizations.

John Pohlad, Director, Hirtle Callaghan - Minneapolis office. With over 25 years of experience in investment management, John has developed a great passion for serving as a trusted advisor and a partner to a range of clients with different needs. John joined Hirtle Callaghan from Marquette Asset Management where he was Managing Director and founding member of the firm, responsible for helping build the business and engage clients. Prior to joining Marquette, John, with his colleague John Fabie, opened the Minneapolis office of Bel Air Investment Advisors based in Los Angeles. Earlier in his career, John was the Vice President of a private family office in Minneapolis and an International Banking Representative at Norwest Bank (now Wells Fargo) as an expatriate in São Paulo, Brazil. John earned his MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, AZ. Prior to that, John earned a B.A. in Business Administration and Spanish from St. John’s University. John places great importance on philanthropic endeavors and focuses those efforts on military veteran’s causes, the arts and community organizations. He has acted as a board member of Folds of Honor Minnesota, Twin Cities Public Television, Saint John’s University, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and Dogs For Our Brave among others.

Michael was the CEO of Floyd Total Security and Hannon Security Services. Michael is currently the owner of Nob Hill Decorative Hardware located in Golden Valley. Always a car fanatic, Michael began his collecting with muscle cars, then as a security expert, he started a Crime Fighter Car Collection. His collection features a Batmobile, Black Beauty, Knight Rider, Robo Cop, Starsky and Hutch, Bullitt, Max Well Smart, Mystery Machine and others. Michael is part of the Chanhassen Autoplex community. Every month during the summer, the Autoplex sponsor's Cars and Cave. This is an open to the public car show, raising money for a different charity each month. Michael lives in Minnetonka with his wife Beverly and dog Max.