Local executives and the Central Valley business community are invited to the Clovis Chamber of Commerce’s Clovis Leadership Summit next week.

The Clovis Chamber is hosting its inaugural Leadership Summit at the Mercedes Edwards Theater July 13 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Tickets are $50 for members and $75 for nonmembers.

Greg Newman, CEO of the Clovis Chamber, said that part of the mission at the chamber is to advocate and support a healthy business environment — and that means helping the business community.

The Clovis Leadership Summit will invite local chamber members and the community at large to be inspired, motivated and educated by local leaders.

Three speakers are featured, including Doug Lipp, former head of training at Walt Disney University and bestselling author.

Local leaders are also on the lineup. Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims and Kuppa Joy Coffee House Overseer Zack Follett will both speak about leadership.

“Zack has a great story,” said Newman.

Mims is retiring at the end of 2022 and will share her journey through leadership in the department.

“I thought it was really important to enjoy her while she’s here in uniform,” Newman said.

Lipp is the former head of Disney University training team for Disney Studios. Attendees will glean from Lipp’s decades of leadership experience like implementing the “Disney Way” at Tokyo Disneyland and leading the training team at Disney University.

He will share seven lessons centering around leadership, creativity, flexibility and organizational culture. The lessons can be applicable to a company of one or a thousand, Lipp said.

He was on the startup team for Tokyo Disney and has worked with several Imagineers from the familiar “The Imagineering Story” documentary on Disney+.

Lipp said that as a trainer and consultant at heart, he desires for attendees to leave with actionable ideas and a menu of potential strategies and tactics that they can employ.

“We’re finally getting people together in person,” he said. “It’s going to be a real fun environment.”

During his time at Disney, the team believed in continually improving the product and the experience of employees and guests. Attendees of the leadership summit will glean from these principles.

“We always have to ‘plus’ the show,” Lipp said.

The Clovis Leadership Summit will be an opportunity for participants to look in the metaphorical mirror to evaluate how they’ve been running their own business or team of people, he said. It’s an opportunity for people to think about how to blend different cultures and generations on a team, and effectively communicate.

“We just want folks to come out, learn something, enjoy and be inspired,” Newman said. 

It’s just a great way for business owners to encourage and inspire their employees.

“If they can just grab a couple nuggets of wisdom and inspiration from these speakers, it really helps your company succeed,” Newman said.

For more info, visit clovischamber.com.