Buckner Connect
Business is relationships. Let's grow both.
Buckner Connect was started in 2016 after our VP of Marketing, one of our Client Advisors, and the CEO of a large company met for lunch. They discussed ways to develop and enhance meaningful relationships between their clientele.
The idea of bringing together executives from top companies to network and build connections was powerful. In April of 2016, our first Buckner Connect event came to life.
Our goal is simple: to connect and create meaningful relationships with those we insure.
Ski day with Olympians: Shannon Bahrke-Happe, Heather McPhie Watanabe, and Graham Watanabe
Winter 2020
Shannon Bahrke-Happe is an American Olympic Freestyle skier and two-time Olympic medalist. She was the silver medalist in moguls at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the bronze medalist at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and in 2003 was the World Cup Champion. Buckner was proud to have Shannon Ski with our clients at Snowbird, Utah and be our key-note speaker on how to reach your dreams and goals, both personally and in business.
Having reached a ranking of second overall in the world, Heather McPhie Watanabe knows a thing or two about mogul skiing. Heather was a ten-year member of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, during which time she became 2X Olympian and 2X National Champion. Fun fact on Heather, she was the first and only mogul skier to date to earn a sponsorship with Red Bull. Buckner was so excited to have Heather ski with our clients.
Graham Watanabe was our third Olympian to snowboard with our clients. He was a 12-year member of the U.S. Snowboard Team. He achieved five World Cup podiums, including three wins, finished #3 I the world in 2009, and won a Silver Medal I the 2009 X-Games. In 2018, as the U.S. Paralympic Snowboard Team head coach, he led the team to a historic 13-medal showing in PyeongChang.
Anthony Bourke - F-16 pilot, business owner, and speaker
Fall 2019
One of the first pilots to fly his F-16 over New York City in the homeland defense efforts on September 11th, Anthony Bourke is a highly accomplished and decorated F-16 fighter pilot with more than 2,700 hours of flight time. Following his impressive military career, AB applied the tools and techniques that made him one of our nation’s premier fighter pilots to the competitive world of business. His success led to an opportunity with a California based start-up where his team dramatically grew annual revenue from $500,000 to $65M in just three years.
In his riveting keynote, “AB” brought his tactical knowledge and business acumen to the forefront of the management training world. Here he shared how fighter pilots, and other organizations where performance truly matters, can develop a feedback system to ensure continuous improvement and peak performance.
Buckner was proud to host AB at Hill Air Force Aerospace Museum in Utah, Aero Mark in Idaho, and Wings Over The Rockies in Colorado.
Team U.S.A.
Spring 2019
In a historic event, more then 14 Olympics athletes came together for a Buckner “Breakfast with the Olympians” event. With an Olympian at each table, Buckner clients had the opportunity to hear and interact with some of our nation’s stars. Following the breakfast, a panel of three medaled athletes shared their views on what it takes to be a champion. The following speakers were part of our panel:
Chris Mazder got his start with luge when he was eight years old. That’s where Mazdzer got his start at just eight years old. At the 2014 Olympics, Mazdzer was the top U.S. men’s luge. On February 12, 2018, while in PyeongChang, South Korea, Chris Mazdzer made history becoming the first-ever American athlete to win a medal in the Men’s Single Luge event.
Shannon Bahrke competed on six World Championship Teams, three Olympic Teams, brought home two Olympic Medals, seven World Cup Wins, one Overall World Cup Title, and six National Titles.
Derek Parra is the first Mexican American to medal in the Olympic Winter Games. Derek is a three-time National inline and speed skater champion, and a two-time World record holder. He received a Gold and Silver Medal in the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Games.
Allan McDonald - Engineer, Author, and Lecturer
Fall 2018
Buckner Connect was started in 2016 after our VP of Marketing, one of our Client Advisors, and the CEO of a large company met for lunch. They discussed ways to develop and enhance meaningful relationships between their clientele.
The idea of bringing together executives from top companies to network and build connections was powerful. In April of 2016, our first Buckner Connect event came to life.
Our goal is simple: to connect and create meaningful relationships with those we insure.
Frank Abagnale - Author, Lecturer, and Consultant
Fall 2017
Frank W. Abagnale is one of the world’s most respected authorities on the subjects of forgery, embezzlement and secure documents. For over forty years he has lectured to and consulted with hundreds of financial institutions, corporations and government agencies around the world.
Mr. Abagnale has been associated with the FBI for over four decades. He lectures extensively at the FBI Academy and for the field offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is a faculty member at the National Advocacy Center (NAC) which is operated by the Department of Justice, Executive Office for United States Attorneys. More than 14,000 financial institutions, corporations and law enforcement agencies use his fraud prevention programs.
In 1998, he was selected as a distinguished member of “Pinnacle 400” by CNN Financial News. Today Mr. Abagnale is a member of the Board of Editors for Bank Fraud and IT Security, as well as the Financial Fraud Law Report. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the LexisNexis Fraud Defense Network, as well as an Advisory Board Member of the University of New Haven Masters in Investigation Program.
Frank Tataseo, retired EVP of the Clorox Company
Spring 2017
Frank Tataseo retired as Executive Vice President, New Business Development for The Clorox Company—a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer products which had sales of $5.7 billion in 2015. Mr. Tataseo was with the company for 21 years. With 7,700 employees worldwide, Clorox manufactures products in more than two dozen countries and markets them in more than 100 countries.
In 2004, Tataseo was appointed Executive Vice President, Functional Operations where he oversaw the company’s Marketing, Sales, R&D, Product Supply and Information Services functions, and led the company’s efforts to improve cross-function execution excellence.
Tataseo joined Clorox in 1994 as Corporate Vice President, Sales. He was subsequently named President of the Clorox Sales Co. with responsibility for the company’s worldwide sales function. In addition, he has served as General Manager.