Karl Mecklenburg knows that lasting success isn't simply about talent. It's about how people respond to challenges, work together, lead with courage, and stay committed when circumstances get difficult.

Drawing from his experience as an NFL team captain and more than two decades as a professional speaker, Karl delivers compelling stories and practical lessons centered around six timeless keys to success: teamwork, courage, dedication, desire, honesty and forgiveness, and goal setting.

But Karl doesn't simply arrive and deliver the same speech to every audience.

He takes the time to understand your organization, your people, your language, and the challenges your team is facing. He then connects his stories and lessons directly to your audience, creating a keynote that feels relevant to the people in the room.

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With this letter it is my desire to offer the heartiest of personal and professional endorsements to Karl Mecklenburg for his keynote speaking services through Mecklenburg Motivation. In late June of 2013, Mr. Mecklenburg served as a keynote speaker for the annual meeting of Western Energy Alliance, an advocacy organization for over 400 Western producers of oil and natural gas. My goal was to feature a speaker who made our member companies think outside the proverbial box—particularly regarding leadership during challenging times, building strong and loyal teams, and applying personal goals to broader business strategies. A unique attribute I observed in working with Mr. Mecklenburg was his desire to truly understand our audience and their concerns: what were the challenges they faced in business today, what were the critical issues being discussed over the course of our three-day meeting? Unlike many speakers that will come in, present the keynote and depart, Mr. Mecklenburg attended our social functions to kick off the event and listened to earlier speaker presentations throughout the conference. In doing such, his keynote referenced points of relevance and inspiration and thus tailored his message to the heart of our 300+ executives. To be clear: you could have heard a pin drop as Mr. Mecklenburg spoke. It was uplifting, inspirational, passionate, and personal. He has a unique ability as a speaker to take personal experience and challenge his audience to apply those lessons to every aspect of their lives. Since our meeting, I have heard nothing but positive comments regarding Mr. Mecklenburg’s address. In short, it was the perfect message at the perfect time for our organization. As stated above, I wholeheartedly endorse Karl Mecklenburg for any special event. He’s a truly talented and gifted speaker.

Tim Wigley, President

Karl Mecklenburg was the keynote speaker at our recent supervisors meeting. He was awesome! Our employees who range from truck drivers to accountants really enjoyed listening to him and brought home some solid advice on teamwork and leadership. We include spouses in our meetings and it’s often a challenge to find speakers who appeal to our diverse family. Karl came early and interacted with our team getting to know them and even worked that knowledge into his presentation. He was able to customize his presentation to fit our objectives for this meeting while still being funny and entertaining. Having Mecklenburg on our schedule helped build excitement and attendance for our event. Even the few employees we have who aren’t football fans have commented on how much they got out of his presentation and our meeting. Everist Materials is a family-owned company and many of the family members, including the owner, were at Karl’s presentation. They all thought he was a great choice for our team. Mecklenburg took the time to sign and personalize copies of his book as well as sign autographs on personal items that our people brought in. He posed for photos and was very accommodating and easy to work with. We bring in speakers every year and feel that Karl is one of the best. I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg.

Mary Shama, Human Resources

I just wanted to thank you for your time and effort last week as the “keynote speaker” for our Global IT Summit. This was the first time that I have been able to bring together my global management team from across the globe, and I was anxious to provide this international team with some real-life examples of good old “American Teamwork”. My intent was to use this example and relate it to the business-focused teamwork we were attempting to institute across our global organization. The time you spent with them far exceeded what I was attempting to do. The immediate credibility you provided captured everyone’s attention simply based on the fact that they were meeting a professional athlete. Once that attention was focused, each and every one of the stories you told hit home with the people in the room and with your help, they were able to relate your experiences to the efforts they were making within their own organizations. The rest of the week, each and every day we pulled out pieces of your discussion as examples of things we needed to focus on in order to be a successful team. Your discussion was entertaining, relevant and exactly what I was looking for. I appreciate your time, and would recommend your motivational discussions for just about any type of business organization that is looking to create a team approach to their work, and needs to understand the real value of working together to be successful.

Rob Grant, Director of Global Technology

We hired Karl Mecklenburg as the keynote speaker for our recent annual customer appreciation lunch. We had a good turnout and very positive feedback from our customers. Many took the time to share they felt they were right there on the field with Karl and the Broncos team as he relived both the moments of glory and the times when things got tough. We are always on the lookout for speakers with powerful perspective and content that will inspire and provide lasting impact for those that attend our customer appreciation luncheons. We are very pleased that we chose to treat our customers to an NFL legend this time. Mecklenburg’s message of universal keys to success was professionally delivered and personalized for our organization and clients. His storytelling style was great for this type of event. Karl’s humor encouraged our customers and employees to laugh, but he still gave us all some solid take home points. The purpose of these special events is to provide a “thank you” to our customers and friends for their business and support. Karl’s approach and personality made everyone comfortable. He came early and stayed late so he could interact with all those that were interested and many of our customers stuck around after the presentation to have photos taken with Karl and to get his autograph. Our customers appreciated Mecklenburg’s approachability and willingness to spend time connecting with them personally. Karl was easy to work with and helped us put on a very successful customer event. I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a speaker for customer events.

Will Matthews, VP Marketing, Global Brand Manager

Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association hosted the 67th Annual Association of Rural Electric Generation Cooperatives Conference in Vail, Colorado June 26–29, 2016. The AREGC Conference is a three-day event which begins with a welcome from the host utility followed by a keynote speaker who sets the tone for the conference. Karl Mecklenburg served as our keynote speaker and his talk was the highlight of the event. As for setting a tone for the conference, Karl’s presentation was inspirational; and after his talk, the attitude of the conference seemed inspired throughout. Karl’s “Six Keys to Success” presentation was well received and he made sure to explain how these keys could be used to address industry-specific challenges our companies are currently facing. Karl’s talk was polished and well thought out. His stories about his NFL days were riveting and designed to illustrate his Six Keys to Success approach. His presentation style is welcoming and he immediately draws the audience in to what seems like a one-on-one conversation. Acting as the conference host, I fielded three days of nearly continuous compliments from attendees for Karl’s keynote speech. Karl voluntarily attended an evening reception the day prior to his keynote and spent several hours visiting with conference attendees. After his address, he stayed at the event for several hours visiting with attendees, signing pictures and his book, and posing for pictures. The AREGC conference includes sponsors who have booths promoting their products; and Karl even visited these booths to better understand their businesses. My experience with Karl was more like visiting with an old friend as opposed to arranging for a keynote speaker. I have nothing but the highest of praise for Karl Mecklenburg as a person and a keynote speaker and highly recommend him to anyone who is planning an event and wants to inspire those in attendance.

Mark Wilson, Senior Manager, Generation Assets

On December 8, 2018, it was our pleasure to have Mr. Karl Mecklenburg speak to our staff and their families at our company Christmas party. We don’t normally invite guest speakers to this event, but our General Manager had heard Karl speak at a meeting he had traveled to, and knew that our entire company needed to hear him, as well. In preparing for our event, Karl called us personally to learn about our company and ask what he could do to tailor his message specifically to us. We asked him to emphasize the “Teamwork” aspect of his Six Keys to Success. Karl’s message was exactly what we were looking for to encourage our employees to work together for the good of the company, and to take personal responsibility for their work without making excuses. Karl also emphasized the importance of a positive attitude in one’s pursuit of success, and had the stories to back up his convictions. Karl speaks from the heart and shares many personal aspects of his career and life. His stories about his NFL days were riveting to our employees, and afterward Karl took the time to answer any and all the questions they had for him. As a small rural electric cooperative, we knew that our audience was small compared to many of the large events Karl has spoken at. However, we never felt unimportant. Karl came early to meet our employees and visit with everyone. He had dinner with us, and took the time to sign autographs and have photos taken with anyone who requested it. I found Karl to be very approachable and extremely easy to work with. We couldn’t have hoped for a better experience and we highly recommend Karl for anyone who is planning an event and looking to inspire their audience.

Kellie Brown, Executive Assistant

The Wyoming Rural Electric Association (WREA) recently had Karl Mecklenburg as our keynote speaker at our annual meeting. Karl was very gracious with his time not only with the attendees of the meeting but with the general public. He spent a day with us on the golf course meeting and golfing with everyone as well as attended a non-WREA dinner where he talked to anyone who came up to him, as well as signed autographs and posed for pictures. His message, backed by his faith and his anecdotes from his NFL career, was very well received by all those in attendance. I would highly recommend Karl to anyone looking for a great person and a great athlete with a great message.

Shawn Taylor, Executive Director

Recently we invited Karl Mecklenburg to speak to our Piceance Basin asset team which is a fairly diverse group of engineers, geologists, technicians and administrative support. We asked Karl to focus on leadership, teamwork, and inspiring us as individuals and as a team to continue to push ourselves to be the very best. From the moment he began speaking and describing events in his own life he was able to connect in some way with everyone in the audience. His anecdotal stories, especially during his professional football years, kept everyone entertained as well. I received tremendous positive feedback for many days following this event, and I know we are a better team after listening to Karl. I highly recommend Karl as a motivational speaker for companies, functional groups, or anyone aspiring to achieve greater success in their endeavors.

Alan C. Harrison, Vice President, Denver Region/Piceance Basin

It is my pleasure to recommend Karl Mecklenburg to you as a speaker for your event. Karl gave an opening keynote speech and hosted a breakout session for the 2017 Wyoming School Boards Association Annual Convention. He did an outstanding job for us and was both a big draw in encouraging people to attend the conference and a resounding success as a speaker. Delivered with humor, but targeted to our needs to address volunteer school board members, Mecklenburg’s presentations were a big hit. In the feedback I have received, many people mentioned Karl as a highlight of their conference! Karl spent time with me to understand our needs and to be sure that he understood the audience that he would be addressing. He made certain that his message was on point and that he could provide a message that spoke to the hearts and minds of our conference attendees. Not only is Karl an excellent speaker, but he came early to mingle at our reception, went out to dinner with our board, and took the time to sign every autograph, and pose for every picture for our attendees. Mecklenburg was easy to work with, and truly did his best to help make our convention one to remember. I would be happy to speak with you further about my recommendation if you wish. I hope that you will consider him for your event. I know he will do a great job for you.

Brian P Farmer, JD MA, Executive Director

Karl Mecklenburg was our 2015 State Education Conference Luncheon keynote speaker. We had more than 1,100 school board members and superintendents registered for our conference. We have a wide variety of members, both urban and rural, including superintendents, business owners, farmers, bankers, ranchers, homemakers, and retirees. Mecklenburg’s message of Six Keys to Success was targeted for our group, and applicable to all. With great stories and humor, Karl’s presentation not only urged our school board teams to pursue greatness, but gave them some practical and inspiring examples of how Mecklenburg has overcome obstacles in his football career and in life. Karl joined us the night before his talk, and also took time after his speech to interact with our attendees. He signed autographs, answered questions, and posed for photos with our people. Some of the comments I heard from our members were “It was great to meet someone I have admired for years.” and “I am not a football fan, so I wasn’t sure I would be able to relate to Mr. Mecklenburg, but his stories and anecdotes were universal and endearing to sports fans and non-sports fans alike.” Mecklenburg is not only a top-notch speaker, but he’s down to earth and very easy to work with. I will be recommending Karl to my state school board association meeting planner colleagues at our national convention.

Sharon Endorf, Event Manager

The Montana Conference of Educational Leadership brought Karl Mecklenburg in to speak at our 2017 Conference. MCEL partners include Montana Association of School Business Officials, Montana Rural Education Association, Montana School Boards Association, and School Administrators of Montana. We approach education from many different perspectives but Karl's message of teamwork and leadership in a changing world applied to us all. Mecklenburg's keynote wrapped up our conference with humor, great storytelling, and encouragement to take the education we had received in the past few days and use it to bring change in our schools. We received positive feedback from attendees including “Karl was upbeat and entertaining,” “Positive and energetic, not so gloomy, nice change.” Karl was easy to work with and professional in his approach. MCEL highly recommends Karl Mecklenburg as a keynote speaker.

Denise Williams

Karl Mecklenburg was our keynote speaker for the Idaho School Boards Association’s 2018 Annual Convention and he was terrific. His message of overcoming obstacles, growing through change, teamwork, and leadership, hit the mark for our members in their school board roles, and at home. He held our attention with humor and insider stories from the NFL, all the while driving home valuable lessons for our board members. Not only is Mecklenburg a great speaker but he stayed long after his morning presentation to shake hands and sign autographs. Karl even stayed for our Annual Scholarship Auction and Awards Banquet that evening, and allowed us to auction off seats at his table for our scholarship drive. Many attendees told me how much they enjoyed Mecklenburg’s presence at our convention, both on the stage and off the stage. When he says his job is to help meeting professionals put on a memorable event, he means it. If you have any questions about Karl Mecklenburg as a speaker, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Karen Echeverria, Executive Director

On August 22, 2018, it was the privilege of Greybull High School to have Mr. Karl Mecklenburg visit and speak to the staff and students of both Greybull High School and Greybull Middle School. I would encourage any school to invite Mr. Mecklenburg! His message was appropriate for the age group and well received by all. Mr. Mecklenburg was extremely humble and approachable. Mr. Mecklenburg signed numerous autographs as well as taking pictures and selfies with students and adults. Mr. Mecklenburg was very personable with staff members, students, and community members. His message is necessary for young people to hear and appropriate for today’s 21st century student. He urges students to set goals, and set those goals high and attainable. In addition, he encourages students to have a plan and set small goals in an attempt to achieve the greater goal. His anecdotes are fun and interesting and students can connect with his message because the young men and women in the audience are open and willing to listen and change provided direction. Mr. Mecklenburg teaches kids and adults to advocate for themselves and not make excuses. He encourages students to take ownership of their decisions and actions. His personable approach and advocacy promotes teamwork, courage, dedication, desire, honesty, forgiveness, and goal setting.

Ty Flock, Greybull High School principal

Karl Mecklenburg was the keynote speaker at our Back the Cats kick-off event for the 2018 Castle View High School Gridiron Club. Mecklenburg's speech was inspiring, humorous, motivational, and a big hit with our student athletes, coaches, parents, and community supporters. Some of the feedback I heard from attendees was that Karl was the best speaker we have ever featured, which is impressive considering we have had some huge names over the years. Karl was easy to work with. He put together a promotional, "looking forward to meeting you" video for us to distribute before the event and signed autographs and posed for photos before and after the dinner. Karl helped us draw an amazing crowd, nailed his presentation and helped us create the most successful event we have ever produced. I am so happy we were able to find and book him! I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a keynote speaker for your event and am happy to answer any other question you may have regarding him as a speaker.

Charles Oster, President

Thank you so much for agreeing to be our featured speaker at our annual Eagle Club Recognition Breakfast. I have been doing these events for the last 26 years and have had many star athletes and coaches during that time. You are certainly one of the best. I can’t thank you enough for the motivational talk that blended your great career and the mission of the Boy Scouts of America together and was delivered flawlessly. A lot of people come to see a legendary athlete, but it is nice when they leave with a life message and a heart for our Scouting program a little bigger than when they came. Good luck in all you strive for and thank you for helping us reach a new high in our fundraising goal. Good job #77!!

Kenneth P. Kercheval, Scout Executive/CEO

If you are looking for a motivational speaker for your convention, I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg. Karl was a big hit at our last conference. His method of using his football experience to attract the attention of the audience, then deliver a very thoughtful message was outstanding. Karl’s celebrity status as an All-Pro football player will draw your crowd in, but it’s his message that will captivate them. Karl’s low-key style is not what you might think for a rough and tough defensive lineman, but don’t let that fool you, he has a very important message. Even though he is famous, he doesn’t use his celebrity to bring attention to himself. We all loved his humor and the humble way he used football as a metaphor for his message about leadership, teamwork, dedication, honesty and goal setting. We could have listened to him all day. As the last speaker to close out our conference he left us with a smile and a lot to think about. I would recommend Karl to anyone.

Dr. Wade Pogany, Executive Director

Thank you for your excellent presentation at the APAI Annual Convention. Your message was clear and strong, but more importantly, it was genuine. In addition, your willingness to be a part of the Asphalt Vegas and spend time with our members after your speech was wonderful. My best to you and your family this Christmas.

Bill Rosener, Executive Vice President

Please feel free to share this letter of recommendation with anyone considering your services as a keynote speaker. Our group was very pleased with your keynote address during our 2017 Co-op Winter Managers Meeting in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Your message and delivery were “spot-on” for our audience of managers and key employees of local retail farm supply cooperatives. It’s not every day we have the opportunity to interact with a former professional athletic. It’s amazing how the lessons you learned through athletics and conveyed in your address applies to all of us in our business as well as personal dealings. As a meeting planner, I appreciated the professional manner you approached our meeting with your remarks. You prepared and tailored your points based upon our audience. Additionally, you kept me informed of your progress in arriving at the event, which is very reassuring as a meeting planner. You took the time to visit with every attendee after the meeting was over, which was very much appreciated. I would highly recommend you as a keynote speaker to anyone looking for a motivational presentation from a person who has had interesting experiences that relate to any walk of life. Please feel free to contact me at 615-793-8585 or kharrison@ourcoop.com if you have any questions.

Keith Harrison, Communications & Marketing Manager

I had to write to tell you how much we appreciated your participation and presentation at our convention. I feel like we did not just find an excellent motivational and inspirational speaker, although you certainly were that, we found a person who sincerely cared about our organization, our members, and our conference. By attending our meals and events during your stay, you gave our attendees a great opportunity to meet you and get to know you on a more personal level. I thought it was just great when our entertainment asked you to help him with a comedy bit on stage just assuming you were one of the conference attendees. I think everyone thought you became one of us at that point. Your presentation at our closing luncheon was exactly what we were looking for. You have such an engaging and entertaining story telling ability that you held everyone’s attention. Then when you delivered the motivation and inspiration in your message, it really made an impression. The impact you had on our audience was evident by the number of people who stayed after for the book signing and photos. Our members really enjoyed having the chance to not only hear from an NFL legend but to really spend some quality time with you. You are a class person and a great speaker. I would recommend you to anyone. If that opportunity arises feel free to call on me or feel free to use this letter as a recommendation. You did a great job for us!

Richard W. Strom, President/CEO

Karl Mecklenburg was the luncheon speaker at our 119th Annual International Oil Mill Superintendents Association’s Summer Convention. We couldn’t have been happier with Mecklenburg’s presentation. We are a mostly rural organization with convention attendees from many states who are oil mill superintendents or vendors. Families also attend our luncheon. It takes a special speaker to entertain and touch our diverse luncheon crowd. Karl is a great story teller with a message of teamwork and leadership that reaches audience members regardless of age, gender, or NFL team allegiance. I have heard lots of positive feedback from members including: “I’ve sat through a lot of motivational speeches before and got excited but didn’t relate to what was said. Karl’s presentation was different. His common sense approach to leadership and teamwork is something I can apply in my life and at my mill.” “Mecklenburg was funny, entertaining, and gave us an important message.” Karl’s speech was personalized for IOMSA. He came early, shook hands, signed autographs, and stayed after his presentation to eat lunch, sign books, and mingle. I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a general session speaker.

Doug Kennedy, 2013 President IOMSA

Great Plains Manufacturing, a Division of Kubota, USA, is a company consisting of 1500 employees based in central Kansas. Every two years, we have a National Dealer meeting to introduce new products, and concepts in the Agriculture field to our dealer network in the continental US, and beyond. This year, we asked Karl to be our keynote speaker for the event, and we couldn’t have been more pleased with our choice. Karl’s 6 keys to success resonated with our guests, as well as our employees. His message applies to many aspects of business, as well as life in general. We had two sessions during the week, and everyday Karl was engaged in the meetings whether it be signing autographs, taking “selfies” with our guests, and even taking part in our field demonstration day, which on this day, was particularly hot and uncomfortable. Feedback from his presentations that week were very positive, with many guests commenting as such in our feedback questionnaire. We would highly recommend his services to any group, as he is very entertaining, and truly inspiring!

Doug Malm, Inside Sales Coordinator

Crop Production Services holds a yearly award meeting to recognize our top 25 sales leaders for Dyna-Gro Seed, CPS’s proprietary brand. As a special treat for our attendees we brought in Karl Mecklenburg to speak. Karl’s presentation was perfect for this event. He did a wonderful job of tying in our theme, “Think Big Summit”, and our goals for the event, with his special brand of storytelling and humor. Mecklenburg came early to listen to our industry speakers, and referred to their presentations in his talk. He spent time with attendees both before and after his speech signing autographs and posing for photos. Feedback from our team included: “Great speaker for our event. Karl tied it all together.” “Karl’s enthusiasm was evident from the start of his talk to the very end.” “Fun, entertaining and inspirational, both professionally and personally.” Karl’s down to earth demeanor and professionalism made him easy to work with. Mecklenburg will be at the top of our list for future CPS events.

Peggy Miller

Karl Mecklenburg provided the keynote address for the Colorado Corn Growers Association 2013 Annual Banquet in January. Attendees, which included Directors, members, sponsors, Legislator’s and other industry partners thought the presentation was entertaining but also had great motivational points that could be applied directly to their farming business and personal lives. It was a great fit for our industry this year, considering the tough growing conditions and was a great way to send producers off motivated and ready to overcome whatever challenge’s life would throw at them in the coming year. Mecklenburg met our expectations with a terrific speech and did great interacting with our members, arriving early and staying afterwards to shake hands, pose for photos and sign autographs. We have received great feedback from attendees: “I really enjoyed listening to Karl.” “It was great that he was willing to pose for photos and provide autographs!” “His stories were very interesting.” Karl was professional and very easy to work with. I recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a terrific general session or keynote speaker for Ag Associations.

Charlie Bartlett, President

It has been my pleasure to work with professional speaker, Karl Mecklenburg, and therefore also my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for him. Each year CoBank year uses an extensive line up of professional speakers for our internal and external conferences. We first hosted Karl for an employee kick-off event for our annual Mile Hi United Way fundraising campaign. His energy and passion for charitable work – and for speaking – shone through on that occasion and we knew quickly that Karl would be tapped again for presentations at other CoBank events. Since then we have hosted Karl at two customer events, and he has cemented himself as one of those speakers we love to work with and as a “go to” presenter for multiple types of events and audiences. From the start Karl presents himself as one of the most flexible speakers out there – willing to customize his presentation in any way to fit the needs of your event. He will take all the time required to really understand your goals for his presentation and to do everything he can to achieve them. Karl’s presentation includes personal video footage that revs up the audience in the beginning, but then goes much deeper than a history in football to achieving goals, reaching potential and helping others – a robust message that inspires and entertains the audience. At our customer events, Karl’s average rating by attendees was excellent – the final and most important indicator for us of his performance. In summary, you will find Karl Mecklenburg a pleasure to work with, as engaged in planning your event and achieving your goals as you are, and an audience-pleasing presenter. Thank you, Karl, for your relationship with CoBank and your assistance over the past few years. I look forward to working with you in the future.

Nancy S. Montgomery, Senior Manager, Event Marketing

Karl Mecklenburg joined us for the annual BioZyme Dealer Retreat this year in St. Joseph, Missouri. His mission was to wrap up our time together with our dealers and he did so with a keynote speech that was perfectly on point! This event hosts our top product dealers from around the country each year to honor them, educate them and give them an opportunity to network and participate in shared learning. Karl’s presentation sent our small business partners back to their dealerships motivated and ready to use the information they had learned at the conference. Karl’s relaxed and genuine presentation style was a perfect fit for our dealers who said that this year’s speaker was, without a doubt, our best yet! Karl was easy to work with, great with our attendees, and happy to do whatever he could to help us serve our dealers.

Jackie Lackey, Director of Strategic Marketing

Now that our lovely Denver Dinner has wrapped up, I can send you a big thank you for making the dinner a huge success. Your talk was amazing, inspiring and vey Tennyson focused. Thank you for bringing our kiddos into your talk and for your willingness to come to our event. We have only heard great comments about you being there. People couldn't believe that we had...THE Karl Mecklenburg....sharing his story and spending time with Tennyson Center for Children. We appreciate you making a difference and giving of your time for our organization. You are now part of our family & we appreciate your support.

Heather Savoca, Senior Development Officer; Corporate Partnerships and Events

Karl Mecklenburg was the keynote presenter for the Johnson City Salvation Army 2012 "Souper Bowl for the Hungry" luncheon and reception. This is an annual event in its 15th year and the feedback from those who attended our function this year has been fantastic. Most folks agree that Karl was one of the, if not the very best, celebrity speakers that we have been blessed to have at our event. Past presenters include NFL greats Drew Pearson, Archie Manning, Randy White, Kenny Stabler, Rocky Blier, Anthony Munoz, Bart Starr, Gayle Sayers, Tony Dorsett, Steve Bartkowski, Ron Jaworski, Bill Bates, Danny White, and Brian Holloway. In Karl Mecklenburg we found a celebrity of the highest character who is a believer and a professional speaker. Karl delivered an inspiring message to our audience that challenged them while entertaining them with humor and memorable stories. Mecklenburg was fantastic with our sponsors and attendees signing autographs and posing for photos. In addition to giving a wonderful speech he was courteous, punctual, flexible and very easy to work with. I strongly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a celebrity keynote speaker,

Tom Krieger, Johnson City Tennessee Salvation Army Board of Directors

I want to thank you for traveling to Hastings for your presentation at the Leadership Hastings Tom Osborne Leadership Award Banquet. You scored a touchdown with your talk! We received very good feedback from our audience and your motivating and inspiring presentation made for a night to remember. I was very impressed with your professionalism throughout our dealings. I appreciated that you contacted us ahead of time to learn more about our event and the audience. You then were able to use that information to tailor your talk to our needs. You asked the right questions and that led to the right tone and content in front of our audience. I also appreciated the effort and energy you put into our event. You arrived early, met with a group of young high school athletes and left them with plenty to think about. You mixed and mingled with those attending our event, and then afterwards, you were one of the last ones to leave, making sure you signed every autograph and took every photo that was requested. You made an impression on the people in attendance and all of our team that organized the event. As for your presentation, it was entertaining and inspirational. You did a great job mixing humor and motivation with stories of your years with the Denver Broncos. The insight made it interesting, and the motivating wisdom throughout your speech made it worthwhile and memorable. Karl, thanks again for helping to make our Tom Osborne Leadership Award Banquet a big success! I would highly recommend you to any organization looking for a speaker who can deliver a great presentation, and one who goes the extra mile to leave a great impression as well. Hopefully we can work with you again in the future!

Dennis Kellogg, Leadership Hastings; Tom Osborne Leadership Award Committee

On behalf of the Front Range Community College Foundation I would like to extend a big thank you for being a part of our 2014 A Lot to Give-Celebrate Student Success event at Mile High Stadium in Denver. Your speech was inspiring, motivating, and highly entertaining! As an event that celebrates the success of students who have overcome great obstacles, your "Six Keys to Success" were a perfect fit for our scholarship recipients and powerful words that can be applied in all areas of life. Most of all, I was impressed with your ability to connect with our audience on such a deep and sincere level. Your use of personal stories both on and off the field, and your ability to present failures as a part of the path to success, provided a highly relatable and encouraging message to all! I most appreciated that you took time to speak to our staff, board, donors and students individually, connecting with them on a personal level. I realize your time is valuable and greatly appreciate you signing some items for our upcoming golf tournament fundraiser, and was strongly affected by your willingness to stay after the event to take photos and sign items for all of our students and their guests! The feedback I received from everyone boasted not only what a terrific speaker you are, but what a very down to earth, genuine and humble individual you are. From start to finish, it has been a pleasure to work with you! I cannot say enough about your willingness to learn about the Foundation mission, apply your message on a personal level, communicate regularly and respond to all of our needs, and exude passion in what you do. The Foundation would be happy to have you back to speak again at future events.

Chuck Crowe, Executive Director

Thank you for speaking at our annual Larimer Leadership Breakfast, fundraising event. This year as we reorganized our fundraising efforts in Larimer County to raise funds for the Longs Peak Council, Boy Scouts of America, one of our top priorities was to have a dynamic speaker. You were able to fulfill that role and delivered an impressive presentation. You were able to share your personal challenges to the leaders of our community and they were able to relate. Of course, everyone enjoyed hearing about the "Orange Crush," and your experiences with the Denver Broncos. We received positive feedback regarding your presentation. You are a dynamic motivational speaker whose enthusiasm and message created an atmosphere where the audience was eagerly listening and inspired from your presentation. We had over 325 professional business leaders from the Larimer County/Northern Colorado area in attendance. We really appreciate you sharing your experience in the Scouting program and highlighting leadership as an integral outcome of our program. We highly recommend you as a motivational speaker to any organization. Thank you for your dynamic presentation which ultimately became a successful event in our community for the Longs Peak Council, Boy Scouts of America.

John L. Coleman, Jr., Scout Executive/CEO

On behalf of the Men’s Ministry at Mission Hills Church I want to thank you for speaking at our Breakfast of Champions. The message that you brought to us was exactly what we were looking for our men to hear. The story of “God’s Ball” is a story that all of us needed to hear, and the way you presented it was very professionally done. The men attending that morning had high praise for you and your message. I also wanted to thank you for being available and so easy to work with. When I originally called to ask you to speak I expected to have a hard time reaching you and setting a date for you to come. As it turned out, you made it extremely easy to get ahold of and it was a pleasure working with you. I know that I will be recommending you to other churches, businesses and men’s groups that are looking for a speaker that can connect with their audience.

Warren Hanson

We would like to thank you for coming to Highland Park Community Church for our Men’s Ministry “Super Saturday” event on January 24th. We received a lot of good feedback from the men who attended and everyone really enjoyed your presentations. It was beneficial to hear from someone whom the men look up to that you had things you struggled with and had to rely on God’s healing power to get you through. We would highly recommend you as a presenter to other men’s ministries who have similar events. Your message is appropriate for the men of today’s society to let them know that just being tough is not enough. Men need to know that having a tender heart for God is manly. May God bless you as you carry your message to men and groups God places on your path. We love and appreciate you Brother!

Chris Kinner, Pastor

It was a real privilege to have Karl Mecklenburg as our guest speaker recently at both Sunday morning services at Grace Place. He was very responsive to communications in advance and showed up early. In just a few minutes it was clear to me that Karl was not just a good football player; he is a good person. His message was engaging, humorous, and well delivered, with lessons for young and old. It was more than just a motivational speech, with references to scripture and faith. Because our church was in the middle of a series on our eight core values, Karl agreed to highlight one of our values: “God Deserves Our Best.” While Karl shared stories and principles that he probably includes in other talks, he adapted them in such a way that it felt like a custom made presentation just for Grace Place. I knew that Karl would do well on stage, but what pleasantly surprised me was how warm, personable, and available he was to people after the services—signing autographs, allowing people to take pictures with him, and signing his book. Because of Karl’s celebrity status, it was an easy and fun weekend for inviting friends to church. As a result, many people were introduced to church and Christ, and our attendance was the highest non -Easter number of the whole year! Feel free to contact me with questions.

Clay Peck, Lead Pastor

Thank you for sharing a night with the men of Faith Bible Chapel. Your willingness to share how God has worked through both your successes and failures was a tremendous benefit to our men. It was great to see the enthralled look on the faces of our young boys as you shared stories from your career and your walk. What a great way for young men to learn that they can be godly and “manly”. We so appreciated your time and your work in advancing the kingdom. Great job!

Matt Widdifield

Karl Mecklenberg recently spoke at our Father’s Day Weekend Services and exceeded all of our expectations leading into the weekend. His broad appeal and incredible resume was only surpassed by his personal preparation, depth of character and comfort on our stage with lots of moving pieces involved. From the first point of contact to the event he was clear and flexible in any area where we needed him to adjust for our context. His personal stories were incredibly compelling and he shared them with deep authenticity as well as the lessons he learned from them and the ways he hopes others can too. This was an important weekend for us and Karl did a phenomenal job. After each service he was available for pictures and autographs and provided such a great generational connection point for families on this special day. We would not hesitate to invite Karl to speak again and I’d encourage anyone looking for an inspirational figure that lives what he shares to do the same.

Phil EuBank, Lead Pastor

I am writing to thank you for your memorable and impactful presentation given at our 2014 Project Manager Retreat. Your presentation hit the mark in many ways leaving a long-term, positive impression with many of our employees. Here is what impressed us the most: You did your homework. It was so refreshing to know you had a genuine interest in our company culture and goals for the event. The conversations leading up to the event gave me confidence that you would reinforce our message of teamwork, cooperation and perseverance. You came early and learned more about our goals. We were amazed at how quickly you neatly tied several of our objectives into the theme of your message. Our employees were impressed you understood who we are and what we are trying to accomplish. You shared your stories with great humor and humility. Everyone saw you as a “real guy”, which allowed us to relate to your message of moving beyond perceived obstacles and never stop reaching for something you want. You stayed engaged long after your presentation was complete. Employees commented that you were nearly the last one to leave. Everyone enjoyed the post discussion and other connections made during the wrap up session. I wish I’d made a bigger effort to invite more spouses, because they seemed to create a unique energy that gave your message greater dimension. In summation, we are very pleased with our decision to include you in our annual retreat. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if we can ever be of service to you.

Jeff Waneka, Group Vice President

Karl Mecklenburg is an exceptionally motivating speaker who can capture any audience’s attention. He is relatable, interesting and most importantly, motivating for those who have the opportunity to listen. Karl was invited to be a guest speaker for A&P’s 2015 Annual Meeting – a meeting attended by most of our more than 200 regional employees. The outcome was a huge success. As A&P’s Regional Vice President, I had the opportunity to meet with Karl one on one prior to his talk. He asked specific questions about our company, event and employees and found ways to tailor his presentation in a manner that was appropriate for our industry and his audience that day. Because of the prework he did, his speech was focused and applicable. He was able to relate his experiences on the football field to what my employees struggle with every day on the jobsite. Karl began his time with a short video clip that immediately grabbed everyone’s attention, and he didn’t let their attention go until he was done. He had people interested, at times laughing, and always engaged. It was a well-planned, well-executed performance and I’m certain he had a notable impact on my team. Because we are a Colorado company, just the shear mention of Karl’s presence at our meeting led to increased attendance. That alone was worth the investment in his time. As a former Denver Bronco, many of our employees grew up watching Karl play and were thrilled at the opportunity to meet him in person. Karl arrived at the event with enough time to sign autographs, shake hands and take photos with everyone interested. I heard many people comment on how approachable and down to earth he was. I give Karl my highest recommendation as a speaker for any event. He takes the time to prepare and focus his message to best fit the occasion objective. It was a pleasure working with him.

Tom Horsting, Regional Vice President

As one of our opening speakers, Karl Mecklenburg started the 37th Annual Rocky Mountain Asphalt Conference and Equipment Show with grand excitement. Karl helped us kick off the Opening Session of our three day event with inspiring words to follow our theme of “Rolling Ahead with Courage and Inspiration.” We have had other speakers in the past, however with our attendees consisting of ninety percent males and many being sports fans, Karl was a great hit. Karl’s presentation was professionally delivered and customized to address the difficulties our industry is facing in today’s economy. His story was funny but challenged our members to fulfill their potential both personally and professionally. He spent time before and after his speech to meet our members, pose for photos, and sign copies of his book. He even returned the next day to meet and greet members that hadn’t met him earlier. On behalf of the Rocky Mountain Asphalt Conference and Equipment Show, I strongly endorse Mr. Mecklenburg as a professional keynote speaker for your events. Our expectations were exceeded and we hope yours will be too. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Tom Peterson, Chairman

My organization chose Karl Mecklenburg to be the keynote speaker for our 2018 Q3 Contracting Leadership Conference. Karl captivated our leadership team by personalizing his remarks while tying his challenges and lessons learned as a professional football player to our unique construction teamwork and leadership challenges. Mecklenburg connected with our team by telling stories that were inspiring and motivating to our executive and worksite leaders. I received very positive feedback from conference attendees. One participant said, “I found myself smiling and nodding along with Karl’s stories and lessons. I wanted to hear and learn more.” In addition to connecting with our team as a speaker, Karl came early and joined us for lunch where he spent time interacting with individuals. Karl was very gracious with our group as he stayed after his keynote speech to answer questions, pose for photos, and sign autographs. I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a motivational teamwork and leadership speaker for your next corporate event.

Tiffany Totays, Colorado Training Supervisor

Karl was a highly impactful part of our annual employee meeting this year and powerfully reinforced our theme of Working Together Brilliantly. During our breakout sessions, he facilitated a workshop on Presentation Skills. His emphasis on connecting to the audience and storytelling resonated strongly with our team. He shared relevant, easy-to-apply techniques to help us translate highly technical information into more understandable and compelling communications that will benefit the clients and communities we serve. In addition, Karl provided the keynote address which concluded our 3-day meeting. His Keys to Success provided a powerful and inspirational framework for effective leadership. He shared numerous examples of navigating change and challenge to achieve his desire, passion and mission. Karl’s stories, analogies and humor made his content memorable and easy to personalize. Karl was prepared, easy to work with and knowledgeable about our business. He actively networked with our employees and demonstrated genuine curiosity about our company and the individuals within it. He brought a calm yet charismatic style that made him highly relatable. Karl is an authentic leader who embodies courage, humility and resilience. Many of us left with a renewed drive to clarify our own purpose and an energy to overcome obstacles as they arise. We highly recommend Karl to anyone looking for an engaging example of leadership, teamwork and success.

Michael J. David, Business Development

On behalf of Construction Specialties I would like to take the opportunity to sincerely thank you for your presentation and participation in our National Sales Conference held in Napa, CA. Your presentation was on point with our #OneTeam approach to our conference. Our audience consisted of a network of independent representatives who sell our products on a nationwide basis. Speaking about your Six Keys to Success provided wonderful examples of what it takes to become a successful leader regardless of professional discipline. We appreciated the time you took to get to know our company prior to our event. You effectively intertwined our successes and challenges with your personal stories from the playing field into your presentation and spoke with both humility and humor. Our attendees were so impressed with how approachable and down to earth you were and enjoyed spending time with you during meals and on the golf course. From start to finish you were a pleasure to work with and we would gladly recommend you as a motivation speaker.

Stacey Gaskill, Director, Sales Operations

Thank you again for speaking at our convention in Beaver Creek. Your presentation was excellent. Please find enclosed a check for the balance of your speaking fee. Your presentation to our members could not have been more timely. I was especially appreciative of how you were able to customize your presentation to our industry. We hire many professional speakers each year, and the customization of your presentation to our industry was a nice touch. I believe this made the presentation more meaningful for our attendees, and drove your points home with our group. I also appreciated your insight and comments pertaining to labor / management relationships and how you were able to incorporate them into your presentation. That said, I will be sending a note to our national associations and my peers within the industry recounting for them the great presentation you made. As shared above each of our associations hire many speakers, nationally and locally, and I would put you at the top of the list. It was a pleasure working with you, and I look forward to doing so again. If you would like me to be reference for your future clientele or provide you with some testimonials from our contractor members, let me know. We would be happy to do so. If you have questions, please let me know. Thanks again!

Dave Davia, Executive Director

I want to thank you for delivering an excellent keynote presentation at our 57th Annual Asphalt Paving Conference. Your “Six Keys to Success” presentation was insightful, genuine and challenged the audience to fulfill their potential both personally and professionally. I especially appreciate that you took time with me to get to know our association, the issues and challenges that our members face and tailored your message to our audience. I received many positive comments from attendees who thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and the sincere manner in which it was delivered. Thanks also for spending time with us at our opening night reception and executive dinner. Everyone really enjoyed meeting you and sharing conversation. Once again, thank you for your contribution in making our conference a success. I would certainly recommend you to anyone who wants a sincere and thoughtful motivational presentation. I wish you all the best in the future.

A. John Becsey, Executive Director

Thanks again for attending our annual convention and providing the keynote presentation. Quite candidly, you made me look good! You exceeded all expectations both with your presentation and your overall persona. “The Six Keys to Success” presentation is outstanding. You mix a great variety of motivation, real life examples of success/challenges, and the importance of goals. Also, you have good humor and great stories from your incredibly successful football career. Further, our members liked you as a person. Your attendance at all the convention functions and interaction with the members on a personal level was noticed. And appreciated! I can’t tell you how many of the members relayed to me they really liked your presentation but also liked you as person. Personally, I enjoyed your genuine interest in hearing about my step daughter’s endeavors in varsity basketball. And, she continues to do well on the varsity eating up minutes while being just a sophomore. I wanted to pass on my appreciation of your contribution to our event. It was a major reason it was a resounding success.

Russ Hanson, Executive Vice President

I am happy to be able to write this letter of recommendation for Karl Mecklenburg. In January Karl was the speaker at our kickoff event for our Future Leaders Forum. Our members and guests are still talking about how much they enjoyed Karl’s presentation. His enthusiasm during his speech and his ability to tailor his presentation to fit our industry made him one of the better speakers we’ve yet had address our group. Karl used humor and personal anecdotes to prove motivation for our Future Leaders on topics such as goal setting, courage and teamwork. In addition, he arrived prior to the start of the event to greet members as they arrived and stayed after to sign autographs and socialize with those who attended. His humble, down-to-earth personality made him very approachable and easy to talk to. I especially appreciated that he brought the “Celebrity Speaker” to the event without any sort of “Celebrity Attitude”. Working with Karl was a wonderful experience. His laid back attitude and professionalism made all planning of the event very easy and the event itself was, much like Karl, one for the record books. I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a speaker for such events.

Lisa Seaman, Workforce Development Coordinator

Thank you for the great presentation you gave at the Association of General Contractors of Colorado December meeting. It was humorous and made excellent points that applied directly to the construction industry. Your presentation drew a large turnout despite the snow that caused difficult travel conditions. Our members appreciate the time you spent tailoring your speech to fit our organization and the difficult economic times we are all facing. They also enjoyed getting to meet you personally before and after your presentation. I will recommend you to other organizations and companies in the construction field.

Michael Gifford, Executive Director

This September, I had the privilege of working with Karl Mecklenburg. He served as the Keynote speaker for our Fall Forum leadership event September 7, 2017. From the very beginning Karl was wonderful to work with, even throughout some challenges we faced with our meeting. Due to inclement weather conditions in New Orleans where the Fall Forum was supposed to be held, our leadership decided a week before the event to move it to Chicago where it would go from a one-hundred person audience to a twenty-five person audience and a live streaming session. Karl was extremely flexible with his travel plans as well as the change in the meeting format. Throughout the entire event Karl was engaging and genuinely interested in connecting with our attendees. He spent time learning about their business at our dinner the night before, was happy to talk with them before and after the presentation, and even autographed pictures! Most importantly, Karl gave a phenomenal Keynote presentation full of energy and passion. It doesn’t matter what type of business you are in. Karl’s message about leadership and hard work is universal and can be applied in one’s career as well as their personal life. We received all positive feedback from our attendees, board of directors and our virtual audience. I hope to work with Karl again in the future!

Carly Hurd, Director of Membership Services

In June Karl Mecklenburg was the keynote speaker at the Nevada Chapter AGC Safety Awards/Membership luncheon. Our members are still talking about how much they enjoyed hearing Karl speak! We were pleased that Karl was able to adjust his presentation to fit our industry and organizational needs. That’s not something I anticipated from a “celebrity speaker”. We have had a tough stretch in the construction industry in Nevada, so Karl’s message of perseverance and overcoming obstacles was a great fit. With passion, humor, and wonderful stories, Mecklenburg kept our members attention. Each story tied to a point that he was making, and it all came together for an entertaining and educational presentation. Our members also commented on how much they enjoyed meeting Karl and spending time with him. Karl met our members as they arrived, and stayed after the awards lunch was over. He signed autographs, posed for photos, and answered their questions. His down to earth personality made him extremely approachable. From my perspective, his personality and professionalism made Karl easy to work with. We were not surprised that Mecklenburg received a standing ovation. I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a speaker for your event.

John Maddole, Executive Director

I am pleased to write this letter of reference for Karl Mecklenburg. Karl was referred to me by several colleagues in surrounding states who derive business from the construction industry. Following a series of conversations, I invited Karl to address our members at the 2012 Annual Convention in Lincoln, Nebraska on February 22, 2012. While I respect Karl greatly for all of his accomplishments on the football field, to me the most valuable assets Karl brought to us were his energy and compassion for people. I enjoyed watching him captivate our audience with positive reinforcement, humility and passion. The enthusiasm that he brings to his presentations has been unmatched in my experience. He was continuously giving our members valuable tools to help them move forward both personally and professionally. It is without hesitation that I wholeheartedly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a speaker for similar conferences or events.

Samantha Porter, Member Services Coordinator

Karl Mecklenburg was the keynote speaker at Early Warning's May 2015 All Staff Meeting. Karl's message of teamwork - in a world of change - was a perfect fit for our meeting, which focused on the rollout of our new Values and Leadership Principles. Karl helped us introduce and reinforce our values in a fun and relevant way. He took the time to customize his presentation to fit our needs, and his stories did a great job of engaging everyone, including those who were participating in the meeting via webcast. We could not have chosen a more effective speaker than Karl Mecklenburg.

Paul Finch, CEO

I want to thank you for recommending Karl Mecklenburg to be our keynote speaker for our 2015 Leaders Conference. As you know, we had 100 financial and insurance advisors from across the country. They represent our leading producers and regional managers and their spouses. We also had representatives from our biggest insurance carriers/partners. In the six years that I've run these meetings, Karl was rated as our #1 speaker (we survey our attendees every year). Karl was with us for the better part of two days. He attended our opening night reception, attended a private breakfast with my top 10 producers, spoke for an hour from the main stage, signed autographs/pictures and even went on the excursion to Tulum with a group of 50 people on the bus. In addition to be a fantastic speaker from the main stage, he is extremely approachable and down to earth. He fits our culture of honesty, integrity and family. His message in his main stage speech was extremely well received. First, his presence as an on and off field leader is very apparent. He showed the appropriate football footage of his career, but more importantly, you can feel his leadership presence when you hear him speak. Second, his message about goal setting, integrity and overcoming adversity is very powerful. He communicates his personal story well - no ego - very believable (different than other speakers we have had). His presence at the reception, private breakfast and Tulum trip impressed everyone. He came early, stayed to the end and talked with everyone that wanted to talk with him. He spent 15 minutes or more with people and groups telling stories, answering questions, asking questions about them and of course telling great stories about his career. Finally, he patiently signed personal autographs and took pictures with adults and kids. He even let people wear his championship and Bronco Hall of Fame rings! We purchased Bronco hats and copies of his book as giveaways and he signed over 60 of these personally to our guests. Again, thank you for recommending Karl. He was the highlight of a great conference!!

Michael Kalen, President & CEO

Our firm, XL Group, invited Karl Mecklenburg to speak at our recent Broker Appreciation event at Sports Authority Field. We asked him to give an upbeat talk that would entertain our brokers with stories about not only his college and NFL playing days but a talk that would weave in the values that we feel are important in life and business. Mecklenburg’s entertaining stories and commonsense approach to teamwork and leadership fit perfectly with our wishes. He has a comfortable and easy going way of connecting with the audience. As an added bonus, Karl mingled with our brokers and staff before and after he spoke, posing for photos and signing autographs. His presentation put the cherry on a night that we will look back at with a smile. A number of our broker partners asked for his contact information so they could include Karl at their own future gatherings. It was a Pro Bowl performance by #77!

Steve Sanford, Vice President, Client & Distribution Leader

We brought in Karl Mecklenburg as the keynote speaker for our annual association conference. I received many positive comments from our members ranging from Karl's ability to tailor the presentation to our particular industry, sharing his personal stories, humor, relate-ability, stage presence, absence of “ummm”, and the list goes on and on. Mecklenburg's preparation to speak was abundantly evident. I would liken his dedication to speaking with the level of intensity and preparation he put in for a big game. I have already recommended Mecklenburg to colleagues holding other meetings and will continue to do so. The US Travel Insurance Association was honored to have Karl Mecklenburg as our keynote speaker.

Gabrielle Hosea, Director of Clinical Transports

I would like to sincerely thank you for speaking at our Winter Sales Conference in Denver, CO. We have the opportunity to listen to many speakers and your inspirational presentation resonated well with our audience. It is an important time in our company for motivation and morale to remain at a high and your talk was right on point. You were very personable while signing autographs and taking pictures. It was a delight for so many of our local staff members to spend time with a former Denver Bronco. You were punctual, flexible and easy to work with. I wish you the best of luck and hope to work with you again in the future!

Madison Ryder

Thank you very much for your recent participation in Saybrus Partners’ National Sales Meeting in Orlando. We have received great feedback on the meeting and your session in particular. Thank you for taking the time to learn about Saybrus and incorporate our goals into your message. Our attendees particularly liked your Six Keys to Success and the inspiring ways you wove in your personal story. You were especially generous to spend the time during lunch meeting our attendees and personalizing books - it was truly a thrill, particularly for our Colorado-based team members! We cannot host successful events like this without the help of great speakers. We are honored that you were able to participate in our meeting and hope you found it to be time well-spent. Thank you for helping make this our best meeting yet!

Edward Cassidy, Managing Principal

On September 18, 2018 Karl spoke to the Executive management team of Performance Bankers, Inc. at our annual conference in Denver, Colorado. Our employees thoroughly enjoyed Karl’s practical and engaging presentation on leadership, team building, hard work and the importance of having a strong team approach in any organization. Using a variety of personal stories and anecdotes, Karl energized our entire group. His professionalism was second to none and his delivery was very personable. Karl’s stories, interesting experiences and lessons from his football background held everyone’s attention. From his time at Division II Augustana College to his Pro Bowl career with the Denver Broncos, Karl spoke on his never give up attitude and how hard work really does pay off. With great pleasure I highly recommend and encourage you to have Karl Mecklenburg speak to your group to both educate and inspire them. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of additional assistance.

Marcia Barnes

Attached is the referral letter we discussed last week. I want to thank you again for speaking at our meeting. I am working through the surveys now and the scores for your session were 5’s across the board. Words like phenomenal, inspiring, actionable, motivating and relevant were used to describe your key note. You applied your message to our challenges and current environment very well. Thank you again for making the trip to Estes Park, joining in the fun during our morning sessions and sharing your message. I am happy to share the attached referral. I thought you would enjoy the attached picture as well.

Natalie Artibee, Director Of Organizational Initiatives

Karl Mecklenburg was our speaker at the Mann Mortgage Annual Conference Awards Dinner. Karl did a great job of tying his football and life stories to the mortgage industry. Our corporate team, community based agents, and spouses were all inspired and motivated both professionally and personally by his presentation. Some of the feedback that I heard was “how his 6 keys tied so well into our company’s growth plan. This personally was my first opportunity to work with a speaking professional and Karl made the experience enjoyable. He was flexible when our schedule changed, came in early and stayed late to interact with our people, and took care of the contract and his travel planning. Our owner Don Mann is planning to bring Karl up to our fall event in Montana. I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a motivational speaker.

Annie L MacGregor, Corporate Assistant

Our firm invited Karl to be the keynote speaker at our team meetings this Fall. It was truly a pleasure to have him speak with our group of employees. We received very positive feedback on his message from everyone who attended. He is a great storyteller and his presentation is motivating, inspiring, and entertaining. Karl’s message resonates in sports, business and life in general. He is very engaging and relatable -- a pleasure to be around. In addition to his public speaking, Karl attended dinner with us the night before. This gave everyone an opportunity to meet him, interact with him and ask questions. Karl is an excellent speaker, personable to talk with and truly an overall class act. I highly recommend Karl to any organization of any size.

Jeff Kuhlman, Managing Director

On behalf of the Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming Bankers Associations, I would like to extend our sincere appreciation for your closing presentation at our 2009 Five-State Bankers Conference at the Grand Hyatt in Denver. Your inspiring and entertaining presentation was a fitting end to our program. Your “Six Keys to Success” are points that will benefit all who attended, and the feedback we received from our attendees was nothing but positive – the amount of people who wanted to speak with you at our evening reception was a testament to that. We thank you for sticking around to meet our attendees! You were motivating to all, and your ability to weave your life stories into your presentation made it all the more appealing. We enjoyed working with you. Good luck in the future!

Don A. Childears, CBA President/CEO

On behalf of our entire staff at First Annuity & Insurance Marketing, I would like to extend our sincere appreciation for speaking at our Top Producers Conference in Denver last May. All of our conference attendees, including our employees, were blown away Karl! Not only was your presentation entertaining, motivating and inspiring, but it was so genuine and delivered from the heart. I think that's what surprised people the most. This was a conference filled with highly successful sales people from all across the country, and many of them have been exposed to 'big name celebrity speakers' throughout the years. The most frequent comment I heard following your presentation was how down to earth you are and how you were able to connect with so many people. Then you backed it up by sticking around to sign books and talk with attendees! I can't thank you enough. We'll definitely be return customers and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Carl Muehlemeyer, Principal

New York Life / MainStay Investments sponsored Karl Mecklenburg to give a motivational presentation at a Wells Fargo meeting for their Colorado financial advisors. Karl did a superb job of tying his football experiences to the challenges that we face day to day in the financial services profession. Having him on the schedule also helped with attendance. Mecklenburg's story telling style was a great break from the number filled power point presentations that our meetings generally contain. I have received tremendous feedback from attendees and personally was challenged in a couple of areas by Karl's presentation. Many of his stories are funny, but each of them back his six keys to success. I am personally going to recommend him as a speaker for one of our national meetings and I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg to financial service organizations looking for a motivational speaker.

Mike Sutter, Regional Vice President

Our firm had the pleasure of hosting a meeting in Denver, CO on May 14, 2013. At our kickoff dinner, we invited Karl Mecklenburg to speak in front of our guests and not only did he easily meet our expectations, he far exceeded them. Karl spoke for over an hour including a Q&A session and showed an exceptional ability to connect with the audience. While his career on the football field provided the platform for his talk, he shared entertaining anecdotes and difficult lessons learned from other events in his life in order to build a solid connection with our diverse audience. But most of all, his polite, positive, and easy-going manner helped those stories resonate. At the end of his session, Karl respectfully asked for feedback, both positive and negative, to help him improve his presentation. Ultimately, the entire audience demonstrated high praise for Karl, each of them remaining to shake hands and ask for pictures and autographs. In working with Karl prior to the event, I found him approachable, patient and eager to learn more about what we do. He has clearly devoted himself to mastering the art of public speaking and I would gladly recommend him to any group, large or small. His “Six Keys to Success” would be a fine addition to any program, and I would encourage anyone to visit www.karlmecklenburg.com to learn more about his inspiring presentations.

Eric Downing, National Sales Manager

I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of DSTA to thank you for the outstanding presentation you gave to our attendees, at DSTA's 41st Annual Convention, held in Beaver Creek, CO this past weekend. It wasn’t just your presentation that made the event so memorable, but the time you took to meet our attendees. The one on one is a rare occurrence with speakers. We have had a number of presenters over the years, so I speak from experience. Many have been well known and came with very big price tags, but never have they engaged the group like you did. We hope you enjoyed your time in Beaver Creek and meeting our group. We look forward to working with you again in the near future. Again, thank you for a job well done. Best wishes for a Happy Holiday.

Thomas A. Mantone, Jr., DSTA President

Karl Mecklenburg was the lead-off speaker at our 4th Annual | 2018 Colorado Real Estate and Lending Sales Summit. We had close to a 1,000 real estate and mortgage professionals at our educational event; the largest of its kind in Colorado. Karl kicked it off with a humorous and motivating presentation challenging our attendees to use the information they were getting from the conference to improve their businesses. Mecklenburg's story telling style captivated our professionals. I received so many universally positive verbal and written survey comments to include, “Karl was the best speaker out of an outstanding lineup of professionals”, “Karl was very inspirational”, “Karl Mecklenburg was awesome”, “Karl Mecklenburg was motivating”, “loved the presentation by Karl Mecklenburg”, “Karl Mecklenburg was terrific.”, “Karl was a great motivational speaker”, “Karl was great and kept my attention”, “Loved Karl”, just to list a few. Mecklenburg came early and stayed after his talk to interact with attendees. Attendees couldn’t get enough of him; he signed autographs, took pictures and reminisced with every single person that wanted to meet him for over 2.5 hours after he was done speaking. Setting up multiple speakers for an event is challenging, but working with Karl was a breeze. I communicated directly with Karl and he responded quickly. He even brought his highlight video to my office a couple of days before the event so I could get the AV set up ahead of time. Having worked with many speakers over the years, Karl made the top of my list. I am so happy I booked him for our big event! He was an absolute joy to work with and appreciated his professionalism, promptness and kindness. There is no question people enjoyed Karl! I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a real estate keynote speaker or any other speaking event! His topics are relevant, focused and inspirational.

Paul John, VP Business Development | Residential Lending Division

I want to thank you for agreeing to be our keynote speaker at the 2012 Colorado Farmers Insurance Agents’ Conference held this past October. To say you were inspirational would be an understatement. With a standing room only crowd you hit the mark with your motivating words. After the conference we received comments describing how your presentation affected people including: “Karl inspired us as business owners, community leaders and parents.” “The best keynote speaker I have ever heard.” “‘Six Keys to Success’ will make an impact in my business and family.” I would highly recommend you to anyone wanting to motivate, inspire and take their teams to the next level.

J. Michael Fox, District Leader

Thank you for being our Key Note Speaker at this year’s Annual Medical Logistics Symposium. Your ability to infuse what we do and the impact we have into your experiences was incredible. Your inspirational words and poise as a speaker made it easy for the audience to identify with your experiences and stories. Your “Six Keys to Success” go hand in hand with our Air Force core values and our attendees came away with some highly motivating ways to incorporate your keys to success and our core values into their everyday life. We received overwhelming praise on our critiques for your presentation, some highlights include “The Team Building speech from Karl Mecklenburg was very inspirational” and “Karl Mecklenburg gave an excellent speech, I use his ideas constantly with my troops”. Your willingness to talk with personnel and sign your book after the event was greatly appreciated by all. Again, thank you for being our Key Note Speaker and I wish you the best in all your future endeavors.

Donald L. Faust, Col, USAF, MSC, FACHE, CMRP — Chief, Medical Logistics Division

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your keynote presentation at the Aurora Fire Department Officer Development Program. Your message of leadership, courage, honest communication and teamwork really brought together the objectives of this program. Your ability to relate your struggles and accomplishments, on and off the football field, to the fire department brought your message home. You were able to reach a very diverse group of Fire Officers from around the region and impart your experience and wisdom for them to be successful in their careers. Leadership, courage, honest communication and teamwork are the backbone of any successful organization, and you inspire those traits through you stories and experiences. I would highly recommend you as a keynote speaker for any organization that seeks to instill these virtues in their employees. The time you took to autograph photos and have personal conversations with our participants was greatly appreciated and heartfelt. If you should ever need anything from the Aurora Fire Department please do not hesitate to contact me.

Mike Garcia — Fire Chief

I wanted to thank you for helping make our company sales and all employee meeting a great success. As we discussed as part of your preparation, the Colorado Lottery is a unique business. While we are a state agency charged with raising funds for great causes throughout the State, we are also a strong sales and marketing organization generating over $500 million in retail sales a year. You were an awesome addition to our day! You delivered a message about teamwork, courage, dedication, honestly and forgiveness, as well as personal and professional goal setting. Your anecdotal football stories (which were exciting and everyone enjoyed) about perseverance and leadership along with some personal family stores demonstrated your skill at connecting with any audience at all levels. I need to offer an extra thank you for being around to meet and chat with our staff one-on-one, pose for pictures, and sign autographs. Overall, your willingness to work with us to tailor the message to fit our needs and audience, your core messages you delivered so well and your approachability displayed with our staff was exactly what we were wanting. Karl, anytime I can, I will be happy to highly recommend you as a keynote speaker and hope we can invite you to come back in coming years.

Tom Cargal — Marketing Manager

Many thanks for your time and fantastic spirit that you shared with the Cabinet on Friday. We were all so impressed with how you tied your work into our retreat theme. You were perfectly on point. Your passion came through brilliantly as well as your humor. We have a lot of work to do in the next two plus years and you were right on connecting that to the 4th quarter of the game. We also appreciate you jumping in and helping with the volunteer project. There will be 100 kids in our community who will benefit from our 45 minutes worth of work. Again, we are very appreciative of your time and your motivational words.

Amy Venturi — Deputy Chief of Staff

I wanted to thank you for helping make our sales conference one of the best we’ve ever had! I have to be honest, I was a little concerned that those of us who were not NFL fans, myself included, would have a hard time relating to your football stories but I was wrong. From the start of the highlights video, it was evident you had captured the audience’s attention. The way you were able to make each story relevant to your message was amazing! I really appreciate the time you took to tailor your message to meet our unique circumstances while referencing information you just heard in an earlier session. Our folks thoroughly enjoyed the meet and greet after, I have never seen such a line of enthusiastic attendees! This is just the kind of motivation needed to propel us into a bigger and better fiscal year!

Laura Iadarola — Sales Operations Coordinator

Karl Mecklenburg provided the keynote speech at my 2014 all-appointee staff retreat. His thoughtful approach with the city’s leadership was exactly what we needed to energize our team and drive home our commitment to delivering a world class city where everyone matters. Prior to the retreat, I sent Karl a list of priority topics that I wanted him to emphasize during his presentation, as well as an overview of my Administration’s agenda and goals. Karl did a remarkable job of tailoring his presentation exactly as I requested which exceeded my expectations. Our team was thrilled that Karl arrived early to mingle and dine with us, and he stayed after his speech for a group photo. One member of my team remarked, “Karl energized us and reminded us to focus on our goals and not let the challenges we face every day bring us down. I was inspired.” Another team member stated, “He knows our goals, he knows our challenges, and he reminded us to be a team. The Mayor is our Quarter Back and we are all running towards the goal line to ensure Denver is the best city imaginable.” It is my distinct honor to recommend Karl as an inspirational keynote speaker for any organization looking to grow together as a team. I look forward to utilizing his services again in the future.

Michael B. Hancock — Mayor

Karl Mecklenburg served as our keynote speaker for the 60th anniversary annual meeting of the Montrose Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). Karl was the perfect speaker for our Diamond Anniversary celebration. Not only was his presentation entertaining, but he obviously spent time learning about our town and our organization as he focused his talking points on challenges and opportunities we face on a daily basis. Karl wove fascinating stories of his days playing professional football for the Denver Broncos in and around his inspirational lecture “Six Keys to Success”. His specific advice to the sold-out crowd on having the courage to try new things and to seek help from others in the community was motivational and a perfect reminder that our economic development efforts are accomplished through focused teamwork. As the planning for our event unfolded, Karl graciously agreed to expand the contract with MEDC to include speaking to all of the high school students (nearly 1,500 kids, 9th -12th grade) in the Montrose County School District. To ensure he arrived in plenty of time to meet with the kids, he flew to Montrose a day early! It is easy to see how he was such a successful and accomplished professional football player with that kind of preparation and dedication to his speaking profession. Karl’s message to the students was delivered to a packed gymnasium and loaded with encouraging advice about their school work, sports and relationships. Karl was an absolute pleasure to host. His flexibility and easy going nature eliminated stress on the planning committee as the two and half day visit flew by. Watching him interact with his fans was also a real treat. From the young high schoolers seeking selfies with the NFL legend, to the die-hard, old time Bronco fans asking for odd memorabilia to be autographed, Karl calmly and graciously entertained his fans. Our 60th anniversary celebration was an opportunity to relive our community’s economic development successes. Pausing to celebrate has helped renew our spirit of cooperation and reinvigorate us to face the challenges ahead. Karl Mecklenburg’s highly motivational keynote address was an exciting part of making it all happen.

Steve Stevenson — MEDC Event Chair

Planning an annual statewide convention is always a great deal of work. Much of it involves logistics and selecting a variety of speakers for breakout sessions. However, finding a keynote speaker to kick off the convention is the most challenging task because we want someone who motivates our attendees (school board members, superintendents, and school business managers) to return to their school district with renewed enthusiasm for the important work they do each day. This year, we found you. Lucky us! Your leadership on the football field with the Denver Broncos translated very well--and most appropriately--to our attendees. The “Six Keys to Success” that you emphasized throughout your speech were inspirational. You tailored your comments to include references to school personnel and the valuable opportunity we have working with children. Beyond your keynote, you took time to visit and mingle with attendees—greeting them warmly both before and after your keynote. I will always remember when we initially met because I found you fully engaged in a conversation with a few school board members about 30 minutes prior to your keynote address. In contrast to the image of the arrogant professional athlete, you are down-to-earth with warmth, genuine affection, and interest in others. As a result, you have that unique ability to make each person feel special. Thank you, Karl, for being the person you inspire others to become.

Jon Martinson — Executive Director

Karl Mecklenburg was the keynote speaker at our Society of Government Meeting Professionals monthly meeting this week. As the president of SGMP’s Rocky Mountain Chapter, I have had the opportunity to witness all types of presentations and Karl’s presentation for us was fantastic. He has a wonderful ability to connect with an audience through storytelling, humor, and by customizing his speech to target the audiences’ needs. We ask our group of meeting planners and vendors who provide facilities or services for those planners to fill out evaluation forms and Karl’s scores were very high. We aren’t all sports fans, but we all took away teamwork and leadership ideas to incorporate in our daily lives. Karl’s approachability and friendliness was especially appreciated by our sports fans. He did a great job of interacting with our members, signing autographs, and posing for photos. A number of our planners will be bringing Mr. Mecklenburg in to speak for their groups, and I highly recommend him for yours.

Mary Williams, CGMP — President

Karl Mecklenburg was the keynote speaker at our Awards Luncheon at our 2015 Special District Association of Colorado Conference. It was a very special conference for us since we were celebrating our 40th Anniversary and we had a record number of attendees. Having Karl speak at our Awards Luncheon enhanced the experience for everyone. Karl did a wonderful job of making his presentation relevant to our members. Often on the last day of a conference, people start leaving early to catch flights or beat the traffic getting home, but we had a very good turnout and we attribute that in large part to the fact that Karl was the speaker. He did a great job sending our members off on a positive and upbeat note, and closed with an inspiring message that tied into our 40th Anniversary perfectly. Karl also spent time signing autographs at our reception the night before and after his presentation. He toured the trade show tables, shaking hands and thanking sponsors for supporting the event. He was very gracious about taking photos with our attendees and made everyone feel very comfortable. I truly enjoyed working with Karl. He’s not only very professional, but very personable and cared about making our event a success for all.

Ann Terry — Executive Director

It is my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for motivational speaker and former all-pro Denver Bronco Karl Mecklenburg. Mr. Mecklenburg delivered the keynote address at the Wyoming Association of County Officers Conference in September of 2018. Attendees thought the presentation was entertaining and funny but also had a great motivational message that could be applied to local government leadership and beyond. Many in the crowd were long-time Broncos fans, so getting to hear from and meet a legendary Broncos player was a rare treat. The stories that Mr. Mecklenburg shared about his life and his time playing football kept the crowd laughing and engaged. During some of his more serious anecdotes the room was awed and captivated. Some feedback I heard from an attendee and WACO board member: “That was one of the best, if not the best, keynote speakers I’ve ever heard.” High praise, indeed. Not only did Mr. Mecklenburg’s address endear him to our attendees, but also the way he took time out of his schedule to come early and stay beyond his speaking engagement to interact on a personal level with people; visiting, shaking hands, and taking pictures. Karl is a class act, with much kindness and inspiration to share. We are delighted to recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a keynote speaker, and we know that any group that brings Karl to their event will not be disappointed.

Terry Wolf — WACO President 2017-2018; Washakie County Commissioner

We wanted to thank you for coming to Windsor-Severance Fire Station #1 and helping to kick off our 2008 year. Our goal was to find new and interesting ways to motivate our people because we have both volunteer and career members. You gave such a great motivational talk about “Teamwork” and how that ties into your Six Keys Success. As firefighters, it is critical each and every day to be driven and focused. Each person has to trust the guy/gal behind or beside them on each and every call, and you provided some great insight into the importance of teamwork and goals. Unfortunately we have had several structure fires, however we have been able to see the benefits of your wisdom put into place during these fire ground operations. We also appreciate your down to earth personality and for sticking around to talk and sign autographs after your presentation. As management staff, we feel we need a lot more of these types of trainings. Again, thank you, and we will highly recommend your message to any company or organization wanting you to inspire their people.

Michael L Davis — Fire Marshal/Division Chief; Fire Prevention/Training Division

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for your inspiring and motivational presentation to Yampa Valley Medical Center’s leadership team on August 14th.\n\nWe have received very favorable feedback from our leadership team on your presentation. In particular, we were impressed with your ability to translate the positive messages and lessons learned from professional sports into the language of healthcare. Bringing your message home to us in the context of our hospital was very effective and much appreciated.\n\nWe would be pleased to recommend you as a motivation speaker to any organization seeking to achieve and sustain higher levels of individual and organizational success.

Michael L. Turner, SPHR — Chief Human Resources Officer

Thank you for the excellent presentation you gave to our Leadership Development Institute in April of 2008. We had over 150 of the top health care leaders in our health system in attendance and we are in agreement that your presentation was inspirational, humorous and extremely entertaining. I was so impressed that you were able to weave your own life experiences into your speech in a way that everyone could relate to in a personal way. We have each speaker and segment of our Institute program evaluated by the attendees and I am pleased to say that you received one of the highest ratings that we have experienced!\n\nIt was a real pleasure to meet you and to watch you interact with the participants. Each of them felt as though you were talking directly to them. Thank you for sharing your experiences and your words of wisdom with us. We extend out best wishes to you as you enter this next phase of your career.

David L. Dunlap, FACHE — President and Chief Executive Officer

I am pleased to be writing a letter regarding the wonderful opportunity our association had in hiring Karl Mecklenburg to be our closing speaker at our 2012 Annual Convention. Karl’s session was an excellent way to send our participants home. His message was powerful and inspirational. He was able to personalize his presentation to meet the challenges that ND long term care facilities are facing including personnel retention and challenging state and federal requirements. Our convention attendees include administrators, nurses, CNA’s, social workers, activity, dietary, environmental, office and PT/OT staff. Karl’s message touched everyone in the room sports fan or not. His message of focusing on your desire to serve, teamwork, and leadership was perfect for us. We have received great feedback from our convention attendees. Comments on our evaluation forms included the following: Awesome, Powerful, Amazing, Inspirational, Excellent Speaker – bring him back again! Some of the written comments were: “He understands home and work both need to be successful to make life work and go in a positive direction.”, “Karl’s session went beyond my expectations”, “I thought your presentation was wonderful – the key point I went away with was – unless you know where you are going – it is hard to get there!”.\n\nI was very impressed by Karl making himself available to and mingling with our participants. He really listened to everyone he visited with and took those conversations and included talking points in his presentation the next day. He took the time to pose for photos and sign autographs the night before his speech at our hospitality and dance event and after his closing presentation he was more than willing to continue visiting and posing for more photos. Our members loved the opportunity to meet an NFL legend and spend time visiting with him.\n\nI highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a keynote speaker and look forward to working with him again in the future. I will definitely be recommending Karl to my peers in the Long Term Care Profession.

Bev Herman — Education Director

Thank you for your presentation last night at our annual service awards banquet. With well over 300 people in attendance from various departments throughout the hospital as well as varying years of service, your presentation regarding teamwork in the workplace and the sports analogies you brought were spot on. I appreciate your presentation style, your discussion of personal experience and the application you brought to our work here at Littleton Adventist Hospital.\n\nThank you again for your well thought out presentation and I look forward to working with you again in the near future.

Ken Bacon — President/CEO

Karl Mecklenburg was the keynote speaker at our first annual Rocky Mountain Regional Healthcare Summit in March 2011. He did a wonderful job of engaging and entertaining our attendees while they ate lunch. Karl’s storytelling approach and mixture of video clips with his stories were a much needed inspirational break from the clinical and operational courses that filled the rest of the day. Full of humor and personal anecdotes, Karl’s presentation challenged us to find our passions and to pursue them as a team. His talk was customized to fit our group, and included references to the events of the day. Many attendees commented on his friendliness. Karl came early and stayed late giving everyone the opportunity to meet him, get an autograph, and pose for a picture. Many of the attendees mentioned his humor and his wonderful presentation skills in their conference evaluations.\n\nWe would not hesitate to invite him to speak at future Summits. I would honestly say his presentation was a true highlight of an excellent day.\n\nI recommend Karl Mecklenburg as an excellent keynote speaker for Healthcare organizations.

Mike Riley — Vice President, Sales, HCA Continental Division

Thank you for taking the time to speak at our Aspen Healthcare Metrics (Aspen) Leadership event we hosted in Denver on March 9, 2012 at the Sheraton Hotel. We had gathered over 80 leaders throughout our organization to attend this all –day planning session. The theme of the day was visualization of Aspen on a voyage to become a World Class healthcare consulting firm.\n\nYour keynote address half-way through our agenda was perfect. I received much positive feedback about the speech and the inspiring message you delivered. It was very generous of you to take the time to come early, listen to our opening sessions, and then adapt your comments to our message. This really created a “multiplier effect.” You understood our mission and goals for the meeting and did a great job in tailoring the various keys to success that made you a great NFL star. We also appreciate the time you took to remain after your keynote address to have lunch with us, answer questions, and take pictures with our staff. Very classy, thank you!\n\nYou did a great job and our employees left the event inspired and ready to rise to the challenge moving our organization to the next level. Again, thank you for speaking at our event and we look forward to working with you in the future.

Dan Piro — President, MedAssets Spend Clinical Services

Karl Mecklenburg was the presenter for the AHRMM18 closing General Session. He did a great job sending our members off motivated, inspired and ready to put into action the knowledge they had attained at our Conference. We had a conference call with Karl beforehand to discuss our needs for his Session. Karl's Six Keys to Success presentation was tailored to fit the Healthcare Supply Chain industry and was a big hit with our attendees. Karl flew in early to sign autographs and meet and greet our members. He had three different time slots for the book signing and our attendees loved it. He took out time to talk, take photos and sign his book. Karl also gave us one of his signed jersey’s that we gave away in a drawing to one of the attendees. He attended AHRMM’s Chair Reception the night before his speech. Our members love that he was available to interact with and pose for photos. Karl was early and very professional in his approach and interactions with the AHRMM staff and attendees. I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a keynote speaker.

TaNisha Williams — Senior Meeting Planner

Virtual Media Integration arranged for Mr. Karl Mecklenburg to provide the motivational Keynote speech at our annual convention in Las Vegas this year and we could not have been more pleased. Karl is a dynamic and humorous speaker who took the time to personalize his presentation to fit the Nondestructive Testing industry, and more importantly our culture. The nature of our business often has individuals isolated in the field, both in sales and in actual testing activities. Thinking and acting like a team isn't automatic and often difficult for those within our Industry. Karl's personal stories, always with a relevant and uplifting point was perfect for our meeting, allowing us a break from all the usual financial numbers and industry specific power point presentations. Karl’s background in the National Football League gives him great credibility when he speaks about overcoming adversity, learning to thrive in the face change and the value of desire and teamwork. Some of the comments I heard from attendees were “fantastic presentation”, “my favorite Keynote yet” and “tremendous story”. Karl remained after his presentation for a couple of hours, including the morning break. He eagerly made himself available to anyone who wanted to ask questions, pose for photos, or get an autograph. We have had many well known speakers in our 20 years of annual meetings at the Golden Nugget, but none easier to work with, better on stage, or better with our people than Karl Mecklenburg.

Clyde W. May, Jr. — President/COO

Our agency hired Karl Mecklenburg to be our keynote speaker at our annual 2011 Wyoming Safety Awards Conference after seeing his successful presentation at the 2010 VPP Conference in Denver. He was the most popular speaker that we have ever had and his presence drew in a large crowd. Mr. Mecklenburg tailored his presentation for our program and did a great job of entertaining our diverse array of attendees and award winners. His stories allowed him to relate to and impact everyone in the room. Karl amazed us with his ability to relate the Six Keys to Success directly to our goal of “improving safety in the workplace” and he used his interesting and humorous stories to illustrate these connections. The feedback we have received has all been very positive. In my position I have the opportunity to attend many presentations, and it is very rare to find a speaker who connects with an audience as well as Mecklenburg does. He is authentic, humorous, insightful, and easy to work with. Many of the safety professionals that attended are inspired by Karl’s commitment to excellence and his integrity as much as with the content of his presentation. Our attendees and staff enjoyed interacting with Karl before and after his presentation. After the awards ceremony, he remained to sign autographs and pose for photos with our people, but more than that he was in the lobby, at the restaurant, wherever our attendees gathered, answering questions and listening to our stories as well as telling more of his own. We really appreciate his willingness to share his expertise with us and I treasure the signed picture that hangs on my wall and continues to provide inspiration to excel. “Mr. Mecklenburg’s presentation was appropriate and an accurate portrayal of what it takes to succeed in any endeavor.”

Karin Schubert — Consultation Supervisor

I wanted to let you know that your keynote at the Region VIII Voluntary Protection Program Participants Association (VPPPA) conference on May 5 was fantastic. The feedback from our attendees has been 100% positive. They most appreciated the fact that you tied your message into our organization’s mission of promoting safety. You were extremely gracious to remain at the conference until after lunch and allow our members to talk to you and have their photos taken with you. I know many of them commented how excited they were to be sitting at the same table as you. Personally, I was thrilled to meet one of my Bronco heroes and enjoyed the highlight dvd very much. I wanted to thank you for the signed jersey. We are actually keeping it until next year and selling raffle tickets, in order to give everyone (including the Board of Directors) a chance to purchase one. Unfortunately, I do not consider myself eligible as the Chairperson of the Region VIII VPPPA, but I am still glad that we can use the proceeds from the raffle to support one of the scholarships awarded by our organization. As Chairperson, it is difficult to find speakers that will provide an entertaining, meaningful keynote and I believe that you have done just that. We will definitely have you back in the future! Thank you again and if you ever need anything from us—please don’t hesitate to ask.

Kelli Heflin — Chairperson, Region VIII VPPPA; Regulatory Compliance/Safety Manager, Scott’s Liquid Gold-Inc.

Veolia Environmental Services recently had Karl Mecklenburg speak at our 2014 annual meeting. Karl gave a great presentation that specifically targeted our needs. Since our organization is spread out, with offices across the Mid-Atlantic region, most of the contact we have is either by email or telephone. Mr. Mecklenburg’s message of teamwork and leadership came to the heart of this meeting as we gathered for the purpose of team building and strategic planning. I have had many people comment on how much they enjoyed Mr. Mecklenburg’s program. He addressed a diverse audience including front line entry level field personnel/warehouse staff, administration personnel, account managers, middle management and senior management guests. Karl’s memorable and humorous stories touched our people both personally and as Veolia team members. He made himself available for photographs, autographs, and interacted with us before and after his presentation. Karl was a pleasure to work with and I will be recommending him for other Veolia events.

Bob Rath — General Manager, Mid Atlantic Region

Karl Mecklenburg gave the keynote address for our 2009 annual conference and was a big hit with our group. The Colorado Safety Association is a diverse group with members from across government, education, and corporate Colorado. Karl’s customized presentation applied to each member’s situation with take home advice and “me too” moments for all. His presence on our agenda helped with attendance. He was funny, well organized, easy to work with, prompt, and took the extra time to speak personally with, and sign autographs for our attendees. I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a keynote speaker for your association.

Melodye A. Turek — President

Why Karl Mecklenburg? Arnold’s Custom Seeding is a small family owned Land Reclamation Company in Northern Colorado. It was built on strong family values and a commitment to our great land. When our management team began to plan our Annual Safety Day event, we needed a key note speaker that aligned with our values: Hard Work, Courage, Desire, Leadership, and Teamwork. That is why we invited Karl Mecklenburg. Karl delivered an inspirational and powerful talk. He personalized his presentation to address our organization’s vision, mission, and goals. He spoke of high character qualities that each audience member could relate. Karl was personable, friendly and authentic. He joined us for lunch and even led grace before our lunch meal. Karl was willing to sign autographs and take pictures with both new and longtime fans. He evoked powerful emotions that still have our employees buzzing. Since the weeks following, we have received high praise feedback from our business partners who attended. Our employees are motivated to succeed and become leaders in safety. Karl Mecklenburg was critical to our successful personal and professional training program on this day. We are grateful that he was available for our most memorable event to date.

Steve Lutes — Human Resource/ Safety Training Manager

What a privilege and pleasure it was having you with us at the Alaska Telephone Association 2013 Annual Meeting. Without question, you were the highlight of the conference. The message and your manner of delivery keep the audience’s attention and you leave them with something to take with them. Later that day I was in a policy meeting where disparate participants were attempting to reach some consensus and as they struggled (and I struggled), getting contentious and off track, I’d remind myself to come back to a path that might get us to our intended goals. Then in the evening one of the attendees said to me, “I usually don’t get much out of motivational speakers, but he was good!” I might modify that praise with the word “great,” but by his enthusiasm, I think he meant the same thing. Thank you for making the trip to Alaska to address our group and for your friendly interaction with all of us during the balance of the conference.

Jim Rowe — Executive Director

Karl Mecklenburg was our keynote speaker at the 2013 Colorado Telecommunications Association Convention. Our members loved his story telling approach. With his 6 keys to Success presentation, Mecklenburg was able to take the lessons he learned on the football field and in his personal life, and apply them directly to our challenges in the telecommunications field. Not only did he connect the dots, but he did it in a memorable and often humorous way. Feedback from members included: “Karl was not only funny, but had a real lesson to teach us through his message.” “I loved this presentation. I can’t wait to share it with others.” Karl was professional, punctual, and very easy to work with. He made our jobs as meeting planners simple as he was organized, friendly and always responded quickly if we had any questions. Attendees enjoyed the opportunity to interact with Mecklenburg before and after he spoke. He posed for photos, shook hands and signed autographs for them. Having Mecklenburg on the schedule helped us increase our meeting attendance and Karl’s speech was truly a highlight of our yearly event.

Pete Kirchhof — Executive Director, CTA

It was pleasure to meet you at our COMPTEL PLUS Fall 2013 Convention & EXPO in Orlando, Fla. Even before we met in person, I was convinced you would be the right person to speak to our attendees, based on our discussions during conference calls and reviewing your videos. We represent the competitive broadband communications industry and our members are largely entrepreneurs, who are competitive by nature and always face challenges in their business. They are highly motivated to succeed. However, even winners need to be reminded of the core values that are the “keys to real success,” not just in a career, but in life as well. You brought that message to our attendees in an engaging style with your personal stories, examples and frank comments. We know your speech was effective because we heard from many attendees who had missed your speech, but learned about it from others. They wanted us to immediately make highlights available to them so they could hear your message themselves. I believe that is a testament to your abilities as an effective communicator. Thank you for help make our conference a success. But more importantly, thank you for sharing yourself and your experiences with others to enlighten and encourage us to live a more focused life and to reach for our dreams. I highly recommend you to other organizations who are seeking a motivational keynote speaker. They will be blessed by your message.

Jerry James — CEO, COMPTEL

I am thrilled to write a letter of recommendation for Karl Mecklenburg. Karl was the keynote speaker for the 2013 INDATEL Summer Symposium in Boulder, CO. The event was attended by Regional Telecommunication Company Executives from across the United States. Given the ever changing regulatory and technical nature of our businesses, Karl’s Six Keys to Success presentation was a perfect message delivered in such a way that everyone benefited from it. From the initial contact through the final payment, Karl was a delight to work with. Our group especially appreciated him spending time with the planning committee to understand the audience and shape the presentation accordingly. Many of the attendees at the event continue to ask for Karl’s contact information and look forward to booking him in the future at their events. There is nothing better as an event planner than seeing people line up after a keynote speaker to ask additional questions and get more information! Karl was personable and the group was honored to have him join them for lunch and stick around to sign books long after the speech was over. On behalf of INDATEL, we commend Karl for his passion for speaking and his unique ability to engage and challenge his audiences.

Abby Vostad — Event Manager

Karl Mecklenburg was the keynote speaker at the 2016 Mid-America Telecom Showcase and Seminar. He kicked off our event with an inspiring personalized message tying the telecom business to his teamwork and leadership experiences in the NFL. Our attendance this year was up almost 100 attendees and I’m pretty sure Mecklenburg was the reason why! Karl came early for our golf event and reception. Before and after his presentation he mingled with our attendees and vendors, posing for photos, signing autographs, and answering questions. I continue to receive great feedback from members of the five state telecom associations and the convention sponsors that make up MATSS. One person stated that Karl was the reason he cancelled other engagements to attend the event. Another told us that he attends seven or eight conferences with keynote speaker every year and Karl was by far the best he’d heard in a long time. Karl was easy to work with before, during, and after his presentation. I will be recommending Karl to our national associations as a keynote for their national conventions. Mecklenburg's fee was higher than we had paid for our keynote speaker in the past, but his skill on the platform, draw for attendance, and willingness to immerse himself in our convention made the investment a great decision for us. I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as an association keynote speaker. Please don’t hesitate to contact me should you have any questions.

Colleen Jamison — Executive Manager, State Independent Telephone Association of Kansas; 2016 MATSS Executive Committee

I wanted to let you know how pleased the UNITEL Insurance was with the presentation to the Western Telecommunications Alliance this past Wednesday by Karl Mecklenburg. We really appreciated that he arrived the night before and took the time to listen to the concerns of the industry and industry members. Not only did he pin his presentation to the particular issues of the industry, the recounting of stories and vivid accounts of friends on the field and in the locker room were inspiring. I think the standing ovation was an indication of the way the audience received his message! We would normally have a group of 70- 100 for the last day’s meeting, during his presentation we had over 200 in attendance! Karl also gave his complete availability to the audience during the question and answer session. Afterward, during the autograph session, it was amazing how many people had questions, and equally amazing how Karl took the time to answer each and every one of them. It was also a treat to see him speak to each individual as if they were the only person in the room. One thing that really made a difference was the special presentation of Karl’s signed jersey to a silent auction winner. I attend a number of these types of meetings on a regular basis and was impressed with the engaging presentation and number of smiles of those in attendance. I wholeheartedly endorse Karl Mecklenburg for any speaker opportunity!

Rand Moritzky — National Program Director, UNITEL Insurance

My Association had the pleasure of contracting with Karl Mecklenburg as our Keynote speaker for our Annual Convention and Trade Show. Karl is like no other motivational speaker you will ever enjoy experiencing. Karl’s disarming and warm personality is genuine and personable. The instant you meet and talk with this former Pro Bowler, you feel like you’ve known him for years. Karl blends his years as a professional football star and icon into a heartfelt message that resonates across every generation and every socioeconomic strata…including my petroleum marketers. His humor, action stories and presentation mannerisms engage the listener like talking to family. Most importantly, Karl’s “Six Keys to Success” connect. And his ‘success-is-no-accident’ encouragement, developed by personal experience, makes each participant leave the talk with a positive, non-nonsense, “can do” attitude. Every attendee commented how much they truly appreciated our arranging for Karl to speak, bar none. Thank you, Karl, for reinvigorating my hard working, small business men and women Association members and their families. “Phil 4.8”, indeed, Mr. Mecklenburg! As Executive Director of CWPMA and having years of experience with motivational speakers, I can wholeheartedly endorse and urge that you allow Karl Mecklenburg to share his stories and “Six Keys to Success” with your members.

Mark Larson — Executive Director

On behalf of the members of the Petroleum & Convenience Marketers of Alabama and the Louisiana Oil Marketers and Convenience Store Association, I would like to say how much we enjoyed having you at our recent trade show, The Gulf Coast Food & Fuel Expo. As the Opening Session Keynote Speaker you provided our attendees with a great mix of inspiration, motivation, humor and (especially important here in SEC country) football stories! In addition to the time you spent entertaining our audience, your willingness to bring an autographed jersey for us to award to a lucky winner and the time you spent in our sponsor's trade show booth for autographs and photos was an added bonus. Many convention attendees commented to me about you being a "regular guy" and fun to talk with. My sponsor commented that his sponsorship dollars were the "best money he had ever spent" on a sponsorship. So, on behalf of P&CMA and LOMCSA please use this letter as a strong and heartfelt recommendation to other trade associations and groups across the country. You certainly delivered as promised!

J. Bart Fletcher, CAE — President

Thank you so much for the wonderful presentation on "Six Keys to Success"! Your program was everything promised and more. You made us laugh, you inspired us, and you had everyone take a quick look into themselves to understand change. Thank you for providing a signed jersey, interacting with us before and after your speech, and signing autographs. You really joined the conference and became part of our airport family. What a way to unite our Association! I would recommend you as our number one speaker. Your stories are “real-life”, not just about you, but also your family, which connects to us all. The stories make us think about our life skills, making this program great for any audience! I hope you enjoyed Michigan as much as we enjoyed you. I highly recommend that other organizations invite you to be their speaker. Thank you again.

Kevin C. Klein, A.A.E. — President

Karl Mecklenburg was a huge hit at our annual Rocky Mountain Fleet Management Association Conference. We received so many great comments on his presentation. One of them being his attitude was not “I am celebrity – hands off” like other celebrity’s attitudes. Karl arrived early and spent some time with our attendees at breakfast, greeting them and making conversation as he passed out his brochures. Spending this extra time, signing autographs after his presentation, and customizing his presentation to fit our team proved to us that he values RMFMA and our members. We are a diverse association with members attending from five different states with a wide variety of corporate and governmental fleet managers and yet we all left with take home points from his keynote that will apply to our lives. We even had our attendees comment to another of our keynote speakers how great Karl’s presentation was! Men, women, sports fan or not, we all laughed and learned from this great speaker. He was awesome!

Kathy Beach — Conference Chair, 2010 National RMFMA Conference

On behalf of the members of The Expedite Association of North America, we would like to express our appreciation for delivering a dynamite keynote presentation “Six Keys to Success in a Changing World” during our 10th Anniversary Annual Conference. Many of our attendees commented on how much they enjoyed your presentation. It was captivating, humorous, authentic and truly a source of inspiration to us all. We were highly pleased with how you were able to tailor your presentation to speak to the needs, challenges and concerns of our industry. The autographed jersey also provided a special touch to our end of the meeting annual give-a-way. We were impressed with your “down to earth” demeanor which made it easy for our attendees to engage with you. We also would like to thank you for attending our welcome reception. Everyone was delighted to meet with you especially with you taking the time to sign autographs, pose for photos and converse with our attendees. Your contribution to our conference has greatly enhanced the experience of our attendees. We would highly recommend you as a motivational speaker who is personable and professional. We wish you the best in your future endeavors.

Kyle Fernley — Executive Director

Thank you for your wonderful presentation to our sales and conference service team. We have the opportunity to hear many speakers here at the Broadmoor and were impressed with your ability to customize your presentation and relate your experiences to our challenges as a sales team. Now, more than ever, it’s important to have our staff remain motivated and your talk was right on point. The stories you told had a great mix of humor and solid take home ideas. The extra time you spent signing autographs and posing for pictures was appreciated by my team. We will happily recommend you to our customers looking for a first class motivator.

David C. Fine - Director of Sales and Marketing

Thank you so much for the terrific speech given at the Centerra Wine Company National Sales & Marketing Meeting on June 26th of this year in Denver. The talk was exactly what I had in mind as the meeting planner and was received even better by our audience. I’d like to share some quotes about your presentation from the post meeting survey of our sales people: “I thought he said what the team needed to hear: he came from way behind & still won a Super Bowl. Centerra is the underdog, but we will make or beat our numbers!” “Very motivational - love the tie in with sports. He certainly knew our business model and was a fantastic speaker” “Great speaker, entertaining. The perfect amount of time” “I enjoyed Karl Mecklenburg very much. Motivational? Positively.” “Yes, very down-to-earth and able to convert some of his comments to my own universe to improve myself.” I echo all the comments above and like to add what a pleasure you are to deal with. I’ve briefed many a guest speaker on the background of our company, the purpose of our meeting and I’ve had none that wove what was important to the audience and communicating our message as thoroughly as you did! It was clearly demonstrated that you took the time to do your research about our organization and took the time to prepare your presentation. It was refreshing to hear such a customized and targeted talk. I’d also like to thank you for the generosity of your time to personally greet over 100 meeting attendees after the presentation, sign photo’s and be genuinely interested in our people. Thank you. Karl, please know that if I ever can be of assistance to you, feel free to reach out to me at any time.

Matthew P. Healy - Promotions Director

I brought in Karl Mecklenburg to speak at the Colorado 2008 Governors Conference on Tourism. He was prepared, arrived early, and developed a great rapport with our guests. He spent time before and after his luncheon speech shaking hands, signing autographs, and listening to our stories. He took the time to understand our industry’s challenges in this tough economy, and customized his presentation with that information. Karl’s presence helped us to have 500 attendees this year and most stayed until the end of the conference to hear his speech. He presentation was challenging, humorous, and practical, with takeaways for everyone in the diverse audience. We had great feedback on his presentation. I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a keynote speaker.

Cindi Meharg - Colorado Welcome Center Program Manager; Governor’s Colorado Tourism Conference Planner

Karl Mecklenburg was the surprise Dr Pepper Snapple Group keynote speaker at the Admiral Beverage Corporation Annual Managers Meeting in Albuquerque. Karl's comments were tailored to our challenges as beverage distributors, and encouraged us to think and act as team leaders. Mecklenburg's Six Keys to Success presentation was an inspiring, entertaining, valuable break from the necessary numbers crunching that goes on at Regional Managers meetings. After Mecklenburg's speech, the Admiral team had a great time talking to Karl, getting autographs, and posing for photos. We received nothing but positive feedback from numerous attendees including Admiral’s Sr. Management team. Karl fit in so well with everyone and clearly has a unique talent to engage and motivate people. I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a keynote speaker. Quality person with a great message.

Steven D. Bohren - West Zone Vice President

Thank you so much for a terrific presentation on your “Six Keys to Success” at our February luncheon event! Not only was your program funny, inspirational, and insightful, you were so generous to help us with a terrific signed jersey drawing and to stick around for Orange Crush autograph signing afterwards. Our audience really loved your presentation, so much so that a number of our evaluations featured a 5+ rating for “this month’s guest speaker” – and the form only goes up to 5! You were definitely a big hit. I would highly recommend other organizations to invite you to be their guest motivational speaker, and will be sure to pass this information along. The pairing of good entertaining stories with real-life, applicable success skills makes for a program accessible to just about any audience – corporate, non-profit, academic, or social. Thank you again, and best wishes for the terrific Colorado spring and summer seasons coming up.

Erin Hannan - Southern Colorado HSMAI Programs Chair

I wanted again to thank you so very much for your amazing presentation at our “kick off” meeting this year. We have hired many celebrity speakers in the past and I cannot recall anyone better then yourself on stage. We have received tons of positive feedback from our sales team about your approach and delivery. I wanted to high light many of my observations of your fantastic presentation. Before the Presentation: We were very impressed from day one at how easy and approachable you were in dealing with us. We were delighted at the time you spent with us listening to our needs and building a personal relationship with our team. We enjoyed how you did not push your agenda or books on us but let us know what was available to us. (and we bought all of it and it was a great investment) You answered the phone! And returned emails effectively! Day of the Presentation: You offered to come early and get a “feel for what we do” and meet out people before your presentation. You ate lunch with our folks and engaged them in a very approachable way. You listened and got to know your audience ahead of time The Presentation: You delivered it as if you had worked for our company and was a team member of our company. Your message was custom to our business due to your time put in beforehand. You were believable and real! It really hit a home run with the group. Yes you are a former NFL star, but you did not “act like it”, you were very humble and honest, that wins every time! You allowed time for questions and stayed long after you were required to make sure everyone got to ask or seek a question and or autograph. Follow up: You did! You wanted feedback and I feel are always there if we need something. I hope we can help you in any way, as you made a great impact on our sales meeting and we would do it again in a heartbeat! In fact, at many of our team meetings, you have raised the bar of our expectations of what we look for in a leadership speaker. Your core values and themes you discuss are relevant and impactful to any company. In conclusion: If I can ever help you in your speaking engagements let me know. Please send this to anyone you wish and consider it a strong endorsement and or referral for your services. We hope to work with you in the future with our Operations Team as your presentation is solid for any department in a company and not just a sales meeting.

Spencer Warren - Vice President, Sales

I wanted to thank you for your gracious participation in our education conference last week. For what you brought to the table it seems almost trite to just say thank you, so I thought I would try and reflect a little more on the contribution that you gave to our week - from the keynote speech Wednesday morning, to your participation in the autograph signing that evening, the attendees and the staff couldn't have been happier. But at a much deeper level we fielded so many positive comments about the words you outlined from courage to try new things, to change all the angles with just one step in the right direction, and to the power of honesty and self forgiveness. But that part almost pales in how you inspired people not from the words, but from your actions and your approachability at the conference. Your character, your willingness to imbed into the conference, to work with our theme and our education portion, and to provide time for people to connect with you on a personal level, is what people commented about. They felt your positive presence not just listened to your words. You invoked a true human response for us to achieve success and failure along a path for a greater purpose, and that resonated with people's desire not only at the conference, but for action at home in their relationships, their jobs, and their greater endeavors. I can't thank you enough for working with me, and for inspiring us as a team to move forward with a little lighter step and better understanding of higher purpose. My true hope is that I have the opportunity to work with you again in the future.

Roger Serrette - Continuous Feed Inkjet Global Product Marketing Manager

Van Meter recently brought Karl Mecklenburg in to speak at our annual leadership conference. From the moment we picked him up at the airport, Karl fit in with our team. It felt like an old friend was back in town. Mecklenburg toured our facility and then went to dinner with a group of company leaders. During the tour and dinner, the group had a great time talking and sharing our culture at Van Meter with Karl. Karl’s speech the next day to our leaders was exceptional. He had personalized his comments with examples from our conversations and his tour of the facility. Karl's presentation challenged our leaders to learn and explore their own leadership through his Six Keys to Success. His talk was full of humor, and solid examples from his remarkable football background. Comments from attendees included “Karl has great examples of leadership success…” and “…Karl has a great presence and skill for speaking.” After speaking Karl signed autographs, posed for photos with his new fans, answered any questions that didn't come up during his speech and joined us for lunch. Mecklenburg's presence and presentation helped our meeting team make the leadership conference a valuable experience for all attendees. I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a keynote speaker.

Jenn Bleil - Learning & Development Manager | Employee-Owner

I am writing to highly recommend Karl as a keynote speaker for any event or conference. Karl delivered an exceptional presentation. I was thoroughly impressed by his ability to inspire and captivate the audience while promoting the theme of leadership.

Jason K Blake - President-PEI

Karl Mecklenberg provided the keynote presentation at the Southwest Pacific Distributors (SWPD) 2024 Annual Leadership Conference. SWPD is a Regional Affiliate of the American Supply Association. I have nothing but praise for Karl’s professionalism throughout the preparation for the Conference as well as during the conference. He was a pleasure to work with and was very flexible in ensuring we were happy, and our members received value. ASA is a trade association comprised of company members in the supply chains serving the plumbing, heating and cooling (PHCP) markets and industrial (PVF) markets. Our members include product manufacturers, wholesaler/distributors and manufacturer representative agencies. Karl's Teamwork and Leadership in a Changing World presentation was entertaining and spot on for manufacturing and distribution company leaders in the PHPC and PVF channels. Mecklenburg's stories of overcoming obstacles on the football field and in life resonated with the business owners and company leaders who are our members. Karl came early to interact with our leaders. He sat in on the presentation before his, and was able to use the information gathered to tie the presentations together. During keynote addresses I stand in the back of the room so I can assess participant reaction to the speaker. During Karl’s presentation I was pleased to see the audience fully engaged in listening to Karl’s stories related to leadership and team building and actively taking notes. The audience’s interest in learning from Karl was highlighted by an energetic and interesting Q&A session following the presentation. We received nothing but praise from the attendees and a high level of satisfaction with the value Karl provided. I highly recommend Karl for your next event.

Jim Kendzel - ASA Staff Liaison to ASA-SWPD

This letter is a recommendation for Karl Mecklenburg as a keynote speaker. Idaho Pacific Lumber Company was honored to have Karl as keynote speaker at our annual sales meeting, and he did not disappoint! Karl’s background in football gave him a strong platform to speak to our team about a multitude of topics that tie into business. His desire to be the best (despite being a 12th round draft pick) illustrated the importance of setting high goals and relentlessly focusing on them no matter where you start from. Karl spoke of the importance of being a team leader, of having the courage to try new things, and how preparation can give you the edge over the competition. Karl’s personal football story of his journey - from being an undersized nose tackle at a small college in South Dakota to being an All Pro for the Denver Broncos – was inspirational and went over well with our sales and leadership team at IdaPac. The feedback that we received after the meeting was very positive across the board. We made the right choice! Karl did not just speak at our event, though. He spent a lot of time visiting with our people, signing books and jerseys, and posing for a multitude of photos. Karl and his lovely wife Kathi spent the evening prior to our sales meeting at dinner with our company officers and their spouses, getting to know company leadership and learning more about our vision and our culture. The Mecklenburgs also stayed an extra night and attended our company Christmas party, interacting with our employees and even raffling off one of Karl’s football jerseys. It was a big hit with our whole company. So yes – I give the strongest of recommendations to Karl Mecklenburg for keynote/public speaker!

Scott Sunday - VP Purchasing & Sales

Thank you for speaking at our Annual Sales Meeting. The Bomgaars team thoroughly enjoyed your presentation and found you to be very personable and warm, bringing a strong level of relatability to the stories you shared with us. Speaking with our team leaders after the event, I heard from many of them that you were their favorite guest speaker of those we’ve had in recent years. Some of our seasoned managers noted you were their favorite guest speaker we’ve ever had, which is high praise coming from people that have been in our specific retail industry for 30-40+ years. Having been a manager myself for Bomgaars before moving to my current Director of Marketing role and joining the event planning committee at Bomgaars, I’ve witnessed many guest speakers over the years and I concur with that sentiment. You were engaging, relatable, and you did a wonderful job of taking your own experiences and finding that invisible string that allows you to tie them into our retail environment. We thought you did a fantastic job of bringing it all together in a way that made sense and empowered our team of managers to take your messaging back to their stores and apply it in real time with each of their team. Your professionalism, down-to-earth nature, and genuine personality made working with you a great experience. Thank you for your time presenting to our team. We very much appreciated it.

Heather Korbe - Director of Marketing

I wanted to send a sincere thank you for being part of our Operations & Engineering Conference. We received incredible feedback from attendees — people were absolutely thrilled to hear you speak on leadership, and they truly valued the opportunity to meet you face to face and have you sign Broncos memorabilia. Your presence made a lasting impact. On a personal note, I also really enjoyed the chance to visit with you and your wife, Kathi. Hearing about your three kids, your family’s adventures and life outside of just knowing you as a football legend was such a highlight. You are both truly wonderful people, and it was a pleasure getting to know you both. Thank you again for your time, energy, and authenticity. I sincerely hope our paths cross again someday.

Erica Hall, CCC - Community Relations Specialist

The Nebraska Rural Electric Association recently had the pleasure of working with Karl Mecklenburg for our 87th Annual Meeting. Karl’s message of teamwork and leadership in our changing world resonated with all of our attendees. Everyone enjoyed hearing about his experiences during his NFL career and how that has shaped him over the years. We enjoyed visiting with him both during the session and during our networking events, and what I enjoyed most was that he spoke from the heart about his journey. Karl was great to work with, very flexible and willing to customize his presentation for our event. I truly appreciate the time that he spent with our members throughout the annual meeting. I highly recommend Karl as a keynote speaker to anyone researching speakers for their next meeting!

Rachael Black - Director of Administrative Services and Events

I am writing to highly recommend Karl as a keynote speaker for any event or conference. Karl delivered an exceptional presentation. I was thoroughly impressed by his ability to inspire and captivate the audience while promoting the theme of leadership. Karl possesses a rare talent for engaging an audience from the moment he steps onto the stage. His passion for leadership and his ability to communicate that passion is truly inspiring. Throughout his presentation, he shared compelling anecdotes and insights that resonated deeply with the audience, leaving an impression on everyone in attendance. I also appreciated the time Karl spent with our members at the golf outing and other events outside his speaking engagement. He made our members feel special and spent time really getting to know them. In conclusion, Karl is an exceptionally talented speaker who possesses the unique ability to inspire, captivate, and educate his audience. I have no doubt that he would be a tremendous asset to any event or conference. I wholeheartedly recommend him without hesitation. Should you require any further information or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Jason K Blake - President-PEI

In just one word, Karl Mecklenburg is engaging. The same work ethic that pushed him to succeed in the NFL is driving him to be the best possible speaker. As witnessed at the Sourcewell H2O Supplier Forum in June 2024, Karl doesn’t take shortcuts or rely on his resume to engage an audience. He invests time. He shows up early, stays late, and connects with everyone wanting to talk or get an autograph. Compared to other presenters, Karl’s desire to spend extra time with people is a differentiator, and we continue to get attendee feedback about his kindness and generosity. From the stage, Karl builds a rapport with audience members quickly by skipping PowerPoint slides and other visual aids to focus on storytelling. He uses his NFL experience as a platform to connect the audience to insider information, humor, and real-life lessons usable by all attendees. He even goes the extra mile to engage by carving out time in his presentation to take various questions from the audience. In my many years of attending and hosting conferences, Karl stands out – not just because he’s tall and wears an endearing, bright orange suit. I can tell Karl Mecklenburg wants to make a difference and give back more than he gains as a professional presenter.

Tom Perttula - Senior Director of Cooperative Purchasing

Karl is more than a former NFL captain, more than a speaker and more than an event contract. Karl invests in people by showing up early, attending sessions, welcoming attendees and then inspires everyone from stage as a friend and not a stranger. Easily, one of our top speakers over our event’s 25 years.

Josh McGhee - Director, Member Marketing & Engagement, Touchstone Energy® Cooperative

You were fantastic! The 2021 annual Used Truck Association convention had one of the largest attendances in its 22-year history and as the keynote speaker you played a significant role in the success of the first day’s agenda as well as the overall convention. Most keynote speakers arrive shortly in advance of their appointed speaking time, however, you desired to connect with our attendees and further personalize your keynote address. I cannot tell you how thrilling it was for people to meet you and your wife at the welcome reception, vendor expo. And further you, attended the general sessions that took place before your presentation. When the convention staff learned a featured speaker was unable to attend due to an accident only 30 minutes prior to his speech I was blown away when you asked, “how can I help”. I and the association have immense gratitude for you stepping in and conducting a networking exercise on the fly for our attendees. Your actions over the two days that I got to spend with you prove not only are you a great speaker, but a great human - a sentiment shared with me by many attendees as well. Even with your wearing of Broncos gear (go Chiefs) it was an absolute pleasure working with you from start to finish. I wish you, your wife and family continued personal and professional success. I hope our paths cross again.

Terry Williams - 2021 UTA President

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your participation in the Bearing Specialist Association at our recent conference in Sarasota, FL on the "Teamwork and Leadership in a Changing World". Your personal stories revealed the best qualities in your team members and provided humor and life lessons. I certainly learned a lot about how I can be more successful in all aspects of life and at work. The attendees really appreciated that you were able to spend time with them at the golf event and at the evening dinners. It provided time for you to get to know the audience. I especially extend a huge thank you for signing footballs and copies of your book, all of which were provided as gifts and prizes. Again, thanks so much for your enthusiastic participation in our conference. I have no doubt that it would not have been the success that it was without your presence.

Alison Lockard - BSA Meetings Manager

Karl Mecklenburg was the main presenter at our Kick-Off Breakfast for our 2021 Annual Convention in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The Colorado Motor Carriers Association represents the trucking industry in Colorado. Karl spoke with humor, insight, and wisdom to our industry. Karl is unique among many speakers in that he spent substantial time before and after speaking with attendees and signing autographs. He continued to be as motivational off stage as he was on stage. Many of our members are long time Broncos fans and were thrilled to meet Karl. In addition, he spoke in a way that kept all attendees attentive and excited, whether they knew all there is to know about football or weren’t football fans at all. Karl also signed a jersey that was auctioned in support of the Colorado Motor Carriers Foundation, which gives scholarships to several students annually. Karl’s jersey brought in over $20,000 in donations to the foundation as several members won the jersey and reauctioned it. It was a night to remember thanks to Karl. The Colorado Motor Carriers Association highly recommends Karl Mecklenburg as a keynote speaker for your next event.

Tracy Sakaguchi - Event Planner

After hearing Karl speak at a conference in the past, our CEO was excited at the opportunity to bring him to speak with our team at American Ramp Company. We scheduled Karl during a monthly “All Hands” luncheon, where everyone in our company is invited to attend. Karl’s message of Teamwork and Leadership in a Changing World resonated with every level of our organization. His speech was tailored to our team, through great storytelling, mixed with humor and relatability his message hit home across every level of our team. After his speech, Karl spent time signing books, posing for photos and spending quality time with our team. We host these monthly gatherings to inform and inspire our team, and we feel bringing in Karl knocked it out of the park. I highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg as a keynote speaker for any event or team.

Lauren Bush - Executive Assistant

The Wyoming Rural Electric Association (WREA) recently had Karl Mecklenberg as our keynote speaker at our annual meeting. Karl was very gracious with his time not only with the attendees of the meeting but with the general public. He spent a day with us on the golf course meeting and golfing with everyone as well as attended a non WREA dinner where he talked to anyone who came up to him, as well as signed autographs and posed for pictures. His message, backed by his faith and his anecdotes from his NFL career, was very well received by all those in attendance. I would highly recommend Karl to anyone looking for a great person and a great athlete with a great message.

Shawn Taylor - Executive Director

On behalf of the organizing committee and attendees, I wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you for your insightful and engaging presentation at the NRECA Safety Leadership Sumit. Your expertise and perspective added immense value to our event, and your message truly resonated with the audience. You took your career as a NFL linebacker and brilliantly connected your experiences to the attendees of the Summit. Your keynote was perfect for this the audience, and the attendees continued to mention it through the remainder of the conference. We appreciate the time and effort you dedicated to sharing your knowledge and experiences with us. Your contribution played a pivotal role in making the conference a success. Thank you once again for your valuable contribution. We hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with you again in the future.

Rebecca Bittle - Program Manager

It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for motivational speaker and author, Karl Mecklenburg. Karl was contracted to speak at the CIRSA General Membership Meeting in June of 2020, an in-person event that was postponed twice due to the pandemic. In 2022, we finally hosted an in-person meeting on June 22nd in Breckenridge, CO. We are incredibly grateful that Karl was flexible in rescheduling his speaking engagement with us twice, as his presentation exceeded our expectations! Karl spent time on the front end making sure his presentation aligned with our audience, mission, and vision. He tailored his content to meet our needs. His presentation was both motivating and humorous, you could tell the audience was very engaged throughout. Karl was incredibly easy and gracious to work with. His presentation style was friendly, focused, and sincere. We highly recommend Karl Mecklenburg to any professional group seeking to motivate and inspire its members.

Shannon Pursley - Marketing Manager

Our agency hired Karl Mecklenburg to be our keynote speaker at our annual 2011 Wyoming Safety Awards Conference after seeing his successful presentation at the 2010 VPP Conference in Denver. He was the most popular speaker that we have ever had and his presence drew in a large crowd. Mr. Mecklenburg tailored his presentation for our program and did a great job of entertaining our diverse array of attendees and award winners. His stories allowed him to relate to and impact everyone in the room. Karl amazed us with his ability to relate the Six Keys to Success directly to our goal of “improving safety in the workplace” and he used his interesting and humorous stories to illustrate these connections. The feedback we have received has all been very positive. In my position I have the opportunity to attend many presentations, and it is very rare to find a speaker who connects with an audience as well as Mecklenburg does. He is authentic, humorous, insightful, and easy to work with. Many of the safety professionals that attended are inspired by Karl’s commitment to excellence and his integrity as much as with the content of his presentation. Our attendees and staff enjoyed interacting with Karl before and after his presentation. After the awards ceremony, he remained to sign autographs and pose for photos with our people, but more than that he was in the lobby, at the restaurant, wherever our attendees gathered, answering questions and listening to our stories as well as telling more of his own. We really appreciate his willingness to share his expertise with us and I treasure the signed picture that hangs on my wall and continues to provide inspiration to excel. “Mr. Mecklenburg’s presentation was appropriate and an accurate portrayal of what it takes to succeed in any endeavor.”

Karin Schubert - Consultation Supervisor

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Karl Mecklenburg — Professional Keynote Speaker

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Success is overcoming obstacles on the way to your dreams.

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I am writing to highly recommend Karl as a keynote speaker for any event or conference. Karl delivered an exceptional presentation. I was thoroughly impressed by his ability to inspire and captivate the audience while promoting the theme of leadership.

Success is overcoming obstacles on the way to your dreams.

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