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David Salyers      

Former Vice President of Marketing, Growth and Hospitality at Chick-fil-A; Entrepreneur, Author & Culture Warrior

David Salyers was one of the original two marketing executives at Chick-fil-A. He went on to spend 37 years in the Chick-fil-A Marketing Department, most recently as a Vice President, before his retirement. Having worked at Chick-fil-A his entire career, he saw the principles of servant leadership and creating remarkable customer experiences play out in the growth of more than 2,300 Chick-fil-A restaurants around the country. Today, this multi-billion dollar company is recognized as one of America’s most successful, powerful and beloved brands.

During his time at Chick-fil-A, Salyers was instrumental in the growth and development of the iconic ‘cow campaign’ and helped champion a marketing department that rose to international prominence and prestige. Salyers is known for his marketing mind, his servant’s heart, and his entrepreneurial spirit.

Throughout his career, Salyers has had a passion to spark the growth of individuals, teams and organizations. He intuitively sees the potential in others and organizations and what can be rather than what they currently are. After participating in the extraordinary success of Chick-fil-A, Salyers realized the business principles used to catapult that organization can work anytime and anywhere...no matter the size of the team or company. So, in 2018, Salyers founded Spark a Revolution, where he and his team help companies create a competitive advantage by building remarkable cultures and brands.

His 2016 book, "Remarkable," in which he co-wrote with Dr. Randy Ross, imparts leadership lessons that can transform workplace culture.

Salyers attended Wake Forest University, the Universidad de Madrid (Madrid, Spain), and graduated from the University of Georgia. He is also an alumnus of the Harvard Business School (AMP166).

Salyers serves as a board member for numerous organizations and has helped launch several startups and nonprofits. He recently became the inaugural Startup Mentor in Residence for the University of Georgia. In this distinguished role, he speaks and meets with faculty and students to serve as a champion for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Salyers and his wife, Lynn, have been married for 29 years and have three adult children and one adorable grandchild.

Speech Topics


Spark a Revolution

What organization doesn’t want to create more sales? But truly Remarkable organizations aren’t focused on increasing sales, they’re focused on creating raving fans. Raving fans are people who 1) are happy to pay full price, 2) come more often and 3) tell other people about your organization. In this talk, Former Chick-fil-A Marketing VP David Salyers recounts Chick-fil-A’s biggest successes and shares the principles and strategies behind those successes that you can use to connect deeply with customers, who ultimately demand and fund your business growth.

Remarkable - Becoming the Meaningful Business Your Employees & Customers Are Looking For

You may be surprised to learn that 80% of what Chick-fil-A does is exactly the same as what their competitors do. But 20% is dramatically different – and it’s what sets Chick-fil-A apart as a remarkable organization. A business worth “remarking” about that drives incredible results for their customers, employees, and stakeholders alike. What if you could take a deep dive into understanding that 20% in order to help your organization create your own, unique 20% that will help you get 100% better results?

In other words, what if we could truly understand what makes certain businesses “remarkable” and apply those principles to our own organizations? In this signature talk, David Salyers powerfully does just that. Exploring key themes on culture, values, and mission, “Remarkable” is an engaging and memorable talk that has the potential to impact you and your organization to the very core.

Second Mile Service - Creating a Service-Centric Environment through the Power of “Moment-ization”

When businesses consider their customer experience strategy, they often focus on mitigating the negative experiences – making up for the slow service, apologizing for the inconsiderate employee, refunding for the lost order. By focusing only on the problems that need to be fixed, they set the bar at average or, at best, forgettable.

But there’s a new approach to customer experience, an approach that focuses on creating memorable positive experiences – “Remarkable moments” – instead of just fixing the negative ones. In this compelling talk, David will explore this paradigm shift and challenge the way your organization approaches hospitality and service, sharing about Chick-fil-A’s unique “Second Mile Service” strategy. Using moving examples from Chick-fil-A Team Members across the country, he’ll expand on your opportunity to generate incredible ROI through creating daily Remarkable moments and will challenge you to see your business as not only an opportunity for monetization, but also for “moment-ization.”

Revolutionary Data - Engaging in a Revolutionary Approach to Fatherhood to Prepare your Children for a Remarkable Life

Think about the moments that make up your life to date. The big moments and the small, the funny and the heartbreaking, the memorable ones and those you’d rather forget. Now think about which moments you would include in your life story – the ones that are not only noteworthy but the ones that are truly defining. The moments that made you who you are today. What David, a father of three, realized is that he didn’t want to just be a part of his kids’ most important moments – he wanted to play an active role in shaping them. Rather than be a spectator, David desired to be a co-author of his childrens’ life stories.

Through a powerful experience at a neighbor’s bar mitzvah, David realized one way to do this was by crafting a key milestone experience for his sons that would transition them to, and prepare them for adulthood – a program that became what’s now known as Champion Tribes (link). In “Revolutionary Dads,” David explores the principles behind Champion Tribes as well as lessons that all fathers can learn from and be inspired by. He shares about the importance of blessing and affirming children, and inspires dads to not just coach their kids on the sports field but in life as well, guiding their children through what it means to truly be a success from both their dad’s and God’s perspective.

Chalk Talk - Tackling the Biggest Challenges in your Organization with an Expert Coach

David thrives when he’s brought in to help organizations solve their biggest challenges. Just give him a piece of chalk (or a dry erase marker!) and he’s ready to go! Chalk talks are all about sparking a conversation with your team to help you innovate, strategize, and find the inspiration you’re looking for to get where you want to go. These can be a few hours up to multi-day work sessions. Complete the form below to start a discussion about how David can meet your specific needs!

Common topics requested that draw on David’s vast experience include:

  • Entrepreneurship/Intrapreneurship
  • Hiring & Development
  • Customer Service
  • Company Culture
  • Scaling/Franchising
  • Marketing & Advertising

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