“The reviews from our attendees were great! They loved his dynamic, relatable speaking style! Everyone, regardless of their personal generation, came away with a refreshed perspective on how to work with our students and clients across all generations! We highly recommend Bill Fournet for conferences, staff development retreats, as well as speaking to students and younger generations to prepare them for the workforce.”
Oklahoma Career Development Association
“Over the past year, I have been highly impressed with Bill Fournet at all levels of engagement. Bill has been a great resource to the State of Oklahoma, particularly assisting the state’s centralized information technology enterprise with leadership development organizational realignment. The favorable experiences from working with TPG lead me to believe that Bill would be a great speaker for our regional IPMA Human Resources Conference, and he did not disappoint! His ability to interpret data to present decision makers with the information they need to know is unparalleled. In his program, he discussed storytelling through analytics, which provided a fresh look at the art of presenting data. Those who attended not only learned to properly use data to convey messages, they also enhanced their business acumen by seeing Bill in action.”
IPMA HR
“OUTSTANDING!! Bill was one of our keynote speakers at our annual channel partner conference (about 300 people from all over the globe). I have known Bill for a long time … and I knew that he also did a lot of work on what the newer generations need from both an employer perspective but also what they expect out of companies from a customer perspective. He was definitely one of the highlights of the conference. Unlike a lot of speakers, he really listened to what we were trying to accomplish and then tailored his presentation to deliver the message that we were trying to convey. He ran by various examples that he was going to use in his presentation and got feedback on what was most relevant to our group. It was refreshing to have a professional speaker that was willing to listen and then alter their presentation to make it the most impactful for this particular audience. I would highly recommend Bill Fournet.”
McElroy Manufacturing
“Each month, our organization holds a meeting for oil and gas industry engineers and management. Our company president has requested Bill to speak on three occasions because he knows the value he brings to our customers. We have had many excellent speakers, but when Bill Fournet speaks, our attendance skyrockets. Our customers have described Bill’s presentations as “world class”, “thought-provoking”, “extremely well researched” and “relevant to today’s changing workplace”. Regardless of the topic, Bill has proven to be extremely credible and has provided our customers with a wealth of advice and solutions to the management issues they face now, and in the future.”
Swagelok
“I initially met Bill in 2016 at a Meeting Professionals International event. I loved then that Bill presented generational tendencies with a neutral narrative. Often speakers have a personal bias that inevitably alienates a portion of the attendee base/group. Bill was the first speaker that I have encountered on the topic that offers a passionately hopeful view of the future of our workforce and encourages the attendee to view the strengths of each generation. This year as President of the Oklahoma MPI Chapter, I was thrilled to see that Bill would be returning to speak on ‘The Changing of the Guard’. Bill again presented cutting edge examples and engaged with our multigenerational audience. We received wonderful feedback about Bill and his ability provide the group with actionable takeaway ideas on how to pair individuals from different ages to give and receive mentorship. He spoke about large scale Fortune 500 companies and succession planning. He gave tips to help identify individuals that have a depth of legacy information about the company and its history that sometimes is lost as its not procedural. Following the event, I immediately referred him to my own organization as a keynote speaker on Generational Diversity. Bill has valuable information to help us as leaders navigate five generations in the workplace a bit more gracefully.”
Meeting Professionals International
Bill’s presentation on the Workforce of the Future went beyond discussing the typical immediate trends to a more comprehensive forecast of what is over the horizon. Our role in economic development is to understand where the economy is headed so that we can prepare our businesses to adapt. Using current examples, Bill was able to draw conclusions and provide a vision of the future that few of us have predicted. His arguments were compelling and have given us a new way to think about how work will be changing over the next 20 years.
Oklahoma Economic Development Council
“The ‘stickiness’ of a presentation lives not only in the information but the presentation itself. Bill incorporated a vast array of knowledge with real life stories to illustrate and backed it up with professional handouts and PP!! Nailed it, thank you!”
Program Attendee
“This course helps ‘re-set’ my thinking about my current position in my organization and what skills I need to develop or hope to move into leadership role.”
The College Board, Program Attendee
“Bill’s presentation was dynamic, positive and made you reflect on where you are and where you would like to be. A great mixture of philosophy, inspiration and practical strategies to think about and take back to work to implement.”
Government Agency Employee
“Thanks for today’s enlightening presentation ‘From Typewriters to Ipads: How Generational Diversity is Transforming the Workplace.’ Because of you we are more inspired than intimidated by the opportunities in our future.”
Leadership Tulsa
“We had overwhelming positive feedback on Bill’s presentation. Everyone enjoyed the topic and Bill’s insights on the future of project management. I know our members would enjoy workshops and other presentations from Bill in the future! Thank you!”
Project Management Institute
“Bill was fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed his speech. Very thought provoking and fresh!”
Project Management Institute
“Bill: Your presentation was one of the best I have ever seen on a project management topic. Very clear, concise, and applicable to my current role. WDC was lucky to get you as a speaker. Thank you.”
Program Attendee
“Bill, I have to say your presentation last night was one of the more interesting and thought provoking ones I’ve attended. I only wish more companies had your attitude and ethos.”
Program Attendee
“If you get a chance to see Bill speak, take it.”
Program Attendee
“Bill was the perfect ‘closer’ for the Women in Law Conference: Communication Across Generations, Gender and Culture. His presentation, From Typewriters to iPads: How Generational Diversity is Transforming the Workplace, was tailored to fit with this year’s theme. We were not disappointed. As the last speaker of the day, he was able to keep the audience in their seats and engaged. I am thrilled to have found Bill and the Persimmon Group and wouldn’t hesitate to call on them again.”
Oklahoma Bar Association
“With training dollars scarce and time away from the office expected to deliver a high return in short order, the half day I spent attending “Zero Dark Thirty: How Project Management Killed Osama Bin Laden” with Bill Fournet and Sara Gallagher did not disappoint. They interspersed delivery of very valuable concepts via Power Point, lecture and movie clip examples with highly realistic role-playing exercises. That kept the session highly energized and engaging. I left with excellent ideas for project status communication which I was able to use immediately, along with project planning approaches that will definitely be part of my next initiative. This was undeniably one of the best investments I’ve made in my continuing education.”
ONEOK
“This is our second time using Bill Fournet of the Persimmon Group as a speaker at our firm’s annual retreat. He is a great speaker and his topics always are applicable to our attorneys. Each time he has provided us with a list of possible topics and it has not been difficult to find one which works for our group. All arrangements were well coordinated by his agent, Jill Nickerson. We certainly expect to utilize Bill again as a speaker for our future retreats.”
Director of Administration, Law Firm
“Thanks to Bill Fournet for another job well done, and thank you to our client for the wonderful feedback! “Bill was the perfect ‘closer’ for the 2013 Women in Law Conference: Communication Across Generations, Gender and Culture. His presentation, ‘From Typewriters to iPads: How Generational Diversity is Transforming the Workplace’, was tailored to fit with this year’s theme. We were not disappointed. As the last speaker of the day, he was able to keep the audience in their seats and engaged. I am thrilled to have found Bill and the Persimmon Group and wouldn’t hesitate to call on them again.”
Oklahoma Bar Association
“This is my second time contracting with Bill Fournet of the Persimmon Group. Both times Bill has provided a keynote address and followed up with a half-day workshop the next day. He is a terrific presenter but what is most impressive is how he connected with our audience. The connection started with the initial contract, detailed communication with me to understand the requested topic and audience demographics and continued right through to phone calls to key audience members prior to the presentation. All was extremely well coordinated by his agent Jill Nickerson. Her regular communication with me left no doubt I had once again signed up a professional who would garner high marks on evaluation forms. I won’t hesitate to utilize the Persimmon Group again for future meetings.”
American Galvanizers Association
“Thank you so much for presenting from Typewriters to iPads at our All Staff meeting. Your presentation shared wonderful information about communication and understanding to help us with interaction between each other, as well as, our clients. Our employees have continued to talk about your presentation a week later. Thank you for so generously sharing your time and talents with our employees.”
DVIS
“The first time I heard Bill speak was at the Project Management Institute Global Congress in Texas, 2011. He was the first speaker of the day towards the end of a long, but exciting (and tiring) event. That is not an easy spot to fill. Most people had been at congress for 4 days and were tired, but Bill would have none of that. From the get-go he had everyone’s attention and the crowd engaged. In fact, his speech “How to Stop Herding Cats: Leading Project Teams through the Chaos” was so popular and the group so lively, that people were walking in from other sections and the volunteers had to get additional seats. That’s when I knew we needed him to speak at our Chapter’s Professional Development Day 2012. He was a hit at our event as well. His sessions “Herding Cats” and “The Electronic Dilemma” were some of the most attended sessions at our event. We had several positive comments, but none sum up Bill better than these: “Absolutely amazing! Bill was engaging. His presentation style was fresh, not boring, I thoroughly enjoyed it!” and “Awesome presenter, wealth of knowledge, bring him back next year!” I would enthusiastically recommend Bill for any professional speaking engagement where you want to get away from the humdrum of speakers today.”
Project Management Institute
“Bill: Thank you for another wonderful job speaking for my client BICSI. As an international information technology association, their diverse audience is extremely difficult to please and you have now been a huge success for them twice. In fact, one of the association’s past presidents emailed me the following note during your presentation:
“Arnold. Great opener in Niagara. He has the focus of about 600 in the audience. NO ONE HAS LEFT the theatre since he started. Great presentation and subject matter. I am even staying. Don’t want to miss anything!!!! Good job…AGAIN!!’
“You made me look like a hero for recommending you so strongly and I want you to know how much I appreciate that. In addition, your TPG Speakers Director, Jill Nickerson, is a pleasure to work with on the front end and ensures that all small but very important details needed to successfully manage the engagement are taken care of before I even ask…making my job very easy indeed! Thanks again for a job well done all around.”
SME Entertainment Group – A Live Nation Company
“Bill is a top-notch speaker and consultant, bringing years of experience and expertise to the table in an easy to grasp and inspiring way. He impressed my audience with his take on generational diversity and its effects on the workforce, providing them with action steps and take aways to implement both with their employees and their clients. I have heard nothing but rave reviews of his presentation.”
Broken Arrow Economic Development Corporation
“I first heard Bill speak at the 2011 PMI Global Congress which was held at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine Texas. He possessed a degree of Leadership and Insight that I knew would benefit the PM Practioners at Southwest Airlines.
“Asking Bill to present to the Southwest PM Community and PM Forum was a blessing in disguise. He presented, ‘Going Commando: What the Special Forces Can Teach Us About Improving Project Delivery.’ The presentation was consistent with his role as a seasoned speaker and CEO. He has a passion for demonstrating how to lead high‐performing Teams. The presentation fit well within Southwest’s unique culture due to its focus on how to deal with ever‐changing environments and situations (so true for the airline industry!). I highly recommend Bill Fournet and The Persimmon Group for any of your process improvement or strategic delivery initiatives.”
Southwest Airlines
“I met Bill Fournet at a BICSI conference. What a GREAT guy! He gave an excellent presentation and was extremely interesting to listen to. These conferences can be boring, at best, but Bill had great information that was presented in a very fun and clear manner…Definitely the best speaker there in my opinion. I have spoken with Bill since and have used his information in my own little world and would highly recommend him for any venue. I can’t wait to attend the next gathering with him.”
Integrimax, Inc.
“We had Bill give a keynote address at a large retail conference. His presentation was all it was supposed to be and more. Excellent stage presence. The audience loved him.”
The Lavin Agency
“Bill did a great job talking to our members! They thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to having him speak at another event for us.”
Edmond Chamber of Commerce
“After attending Bill’s session on the Multi-Generational Workforce and Ethics in Technology at the Network of Executive Women’s Leadership Summit, I knew that I had to get him to present for our DFW AMA Mentor Program – with a twist on Marketing talent. This is a hot topic that is impacting us all and will continue to evolve over time. Bill brought interesting and timely research and statistics, as well as actionable suggestions to take back to the office. He is a dynamic and energetic speaker, and kept our “multi-generational” audience engaged and talking about him well after the program ended. I would definitely have Bill speak again.”
Director of Partner Solutions at River Logic
“Bill did a webinar presentation on generational issues in Project Management for the Global Diversity Community of Practice. The planning process for the presentation was very hectic, but he and his team were very flexible in making all of the arrangements so that everyone won. He and his team embraced the theme of professionalism which continued throughout the delivery of the presentation and thereafter. They all worked to ensure that not only was the presentation well received, but that the attendees could keep in touch with him as they review and reflect on his presentation. His presentation was dynamic and catered to all of our attendees who were approx. 60% internationally based. He addressed all of their questions verbally as well as via chat in the limited time for the webinar. Many attendees applauded his charisma and ability to take on some difficult questions. It is with my greatest pleasure to recommend Bill to anyone who is looking for a presenter who does not shy away from the difficult topics but rather ensures that attendees are satisfied when all the information has been received/delivered.
Project Management Institute
“It was truly an honor and privilege to introduce Bill as a Super Session Keynote speaker at the recent Network of Executive Women Annual Summit. Bill absolutely hit the mark to a standing room only audience for both sessions! Everyone left the room with a deeper understanding of the multifaceted and multi-generational consumer of today. Bill’s content was both thought provoking and practical as any organization contemplates their communication strategies for internal associates or customers. Bill leverages a vast set of professional experiences and a superb set of skills to deliver top notch presentations. Bill’s dynamic style and engaging approach is a must have for your next conference!”
Southeast Group Dean Foods Company
“I met Bill at the Network of Executive Women’s Annual Summit in North Carolina this year, where he was leading a session on multi-generational workforce trends. The content he presented was well researched, rich and very apt given the current global workforce and their diverse motivations. Bill definitely stood out as a highly credible industry leader who not only had his pulse on the up and coming talent management trends but also offered practical solutions to address the talent gaps global businesses will be facing in the very near future.”
The Clorox Co.
“Bill was a huge hit for my client, BICSI, last week in Las Vegas. Bill was the opening keynote speaker for the conference and really got things started for them on a high note. The president of the association wrote in an email to me following the event: ‘Bill did an excellent job! I was able to spend some time with him and got to know him on a more personal level. He spent time doing research on BICSI and included this into his presentation.’ I also spoke with their director of conference planning following his presentation and she said that Bill did a GREAT job! Please thank Bill for another successful event. The research that he does prior to his presentations is extremely evident throughout and he always makes me look good for recommending him! I have provided keynote speakers and entertainment for BICSI for over 15 years, really becoming a part of their team…and I have booked many outstanding speakers for them over the years, many at much higher honorariums. With the reduced budgets industry-wide, Bill helped me maintain and possibly even exceed the quality keynote presentations that the BICSI audiences have come to expect and I appreciate that. I’m looking forward to working with you, Bill and the Persimmon Group team again soon!”
SME Entertainment Group – A Live Nation Company
“I brought Bill in to speak to my club to address what he sees as the major challenges businesses and business leaders are facing today. Bill did a wonderful job of speaking and had a very engaging presentation. I would highly recommend Bill.”
L3 Communications
“Bill gave his presentation ‘Spinning only makes you dizzy’ at our Northwest Arkansas PMI Chapter, and it was a very informative presentation on how destructive Spinning instead of honestly is. I also was fortunate to see his presentation “Going Commando” at the 2010 North American PMI conference. It was a very powerful presentation. I highly recommend both presentations.”
NWARK PMI
“Bill’s energy and knowledge was a perfect fit for our membership. He took the time to research our group and it showed in his understanding of their day to day work place challenges. He is an engaging speaker and was able to keep our members’ interest throughout each presentation. I would recommend Bill to anyone!”
Association of Collegiate Conferences and Events Directors-International
“Throughout the entire process of speaker evaluation and contract signing to travel arrangements and the actual keynote, the Persimmon Group was as professional in dealings as I have ever experienced in my 15 years of program development. Particularly, the preconference telephone conversation between speaker Bill Fournet and I completely put me at ease his presentation Typewriters to Blackberries: How to Manage Generational Diversity in the Workplace would be on the mark, thought provoking, and engaging. Bill is not only well versed in history, which gives him a terrific frame of reference to discuss today’s technology and worker, but extremely knowledgeable about the social and psychological makeup of the various generations of the past 60 years. His material is not shallow and entertaining but truly revealing and challenging, so much so to the point the audience recognized they have much work to be done in order to continue to be successful. Perhaps the best part of having Bill speak to our group was his willingness to network with the conference attendees at receptions and breaks, at which time I was able to get to know him personally. He impressed me from his “Glad to meet you,” to his “Thank you for having me speak to your group.” I will absolutely have Bill speak to our group again.”
Executive Director, American Galvanizers Association
“Bill provided a dynamic opening keynote address for our annual conference and it paved the way for a super event. His knowledge, personable style and engaging delivery had our participants begging for more. I would recommend Bill to others who are interested in positioning their event as a credible and cutting-edge experience.”
Valley of the Sun, ASTD Chapter
“Bill is an excellent speaker, who breaks down key issues facing Business leaders today, making it easy to understand and comprehend. He connects with his audience by using good examples to illustrate his points. If you have an opportunity to hear Bill speak, don’t pass it up, you will learn something!”
Proprietary Brand Director, BP
“Bill’s generational insights were a highlight of a recent conference hosted by CSP. Suggestions for using social media for business applications were right on target.”
CSP
“Bill conducted a full day workshop for the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development. The topic was “Project Management”. Bill did an amazing job on several levels. His professionalism and expertise were evident. His content was relevant and applicable. His approach was creative and compelling. Everyone who attended the workshop walked away energized and empowered to take on challenging projects. I would highly recommend Bill Fournet as an exceptional subject matter expert on Project Management.”
Los Angeles ASTD Chapter
“I had the distinct pleasure of attending Bill’s Project Management course at ASTD in Los Angeles. I have attended many courses on the topic, but Bill’s stage present, content selection, and highly interactive style clearly set him apart. Bill’s extensive experience as a highly effective and successful project leader is reflected in his content selection. His teachings focus on information and techniques that yield immediate results. If you are looking for someone with depth of knowledge and a pragmatic approach, Bill is a perfect match. ”
Organization Development and Workforce Training Connection Inc.
“Thank you for the invitation to attend Bill Fournet’s keynote presentation at the American Society for Training & Development event last week. I thought that Bill’s, “From Typewriters to Blackberries” was both informative and entertaining. The audience was engaged from beginning to end and you could tell that everyone related to the examples that Bill gave. I liked the fact that Bill was open to interaction from the audience during the keynote. That made the already intimate audience feel even more involved in the program and allowed Bill an opportunity to address issues that were affecting them in their organizations right now. I have already put Bill on proposals for two clients!”
SME Entertainment Group – A Live Nation Company
