Not many people can claim to have literally created not only an entire software category but as a result also a global multi-billion dollar industry. Mike is only one of two guys that did, the other being his past business partner. But it wasn’t their original plan, that’s for sure! Failure led them to invent ACT!.

Mike started and had a sustained successful career at IBM in the mainframe era upon graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He went on to have an extremely successful entrepreneurial career that began with utter failure that lead to pivoting resulting in unheralded global success. Mike Co-Founded and Co-Invented ACT! software, which created the Contact Management software category and is recognized as the catalyst that started today's multi-billion dollar CRM industry. ACT! is still on the market 37 years after its release with having had over 40 million global users. After Mike and his business partner sold their company to Symantec in 1993, Mike was years later recruited by Deloitte Consulting to be one of their 3 global CRM spokesmen for their CRM practice built around Siebel and other lesser CRM players but while there was recruited to be the EVP & GM of Int'l Operations for Saleslogix, maker of the mid-market CRM product Saleslogix, which was eventually sold to Sage out of the UK.

Today Mike is focusing on helping companies and individuals understand how to better connect, construct and cultivate real relationships essential for success. Mike is recognized as a gifted storyteller sharing earned insight along with personal vulnerability from his uniquely storied career. Major themes of his talks include the topic of and issues surrounding CRM, effective business relationship and reputation management, and street-smart contrarian views toward the nature and manner of human dynamics in the business world with a first-hand view of the birth and unfolding momentum that ACT! produced in helping others derive greater relationship-centric value in both their personal and business relationships. Principles taught along with real-world examples provide help illuminating what's involved in distinguishing yourself and your company in an increasingly fast-paced yet increasingly superficial world and gaining that all-important competitive edge. Lastly, tremendous global experience including having lived in Europe for 4 years and having spoken to over 250,000 people spanning 27 countries during his high-tech entrepreneurial career. Not bad for a guy who grew up as a blue-collar kid and the first one in his family to graduate from college.

In January 2015 Mike was recognized in a FORBES article as one of the “25 Professional Networking Experts to Watch in 2015” along with such notables as Tim Ferriss and Keith Ferrazzi.

Mike lives in the Fort Worth, TX area and enjoys family, friends, golfing and working out. Don't ask him about his golf handicap, though.