NetWorkWise Presents: Conversations with Connors

Dr. Ivan Misner is the Founder & Chief Visionary Officer of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization. Founded in 1985 the organization now has over 8,200 chapters throughout every populated continent of the world.  Last year alone, BNI generated 9.8 million referrals resulting in roughly $13.1 billion dollars’ worth of business for its members.

Dr. Misner’s Ph.D. is from the University of Southern California.  He is a New York Times Bestselling author who has written 22 books. He is also a columnist for Entrepreneur.com and has been a university professor as well as a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of La Verne.   

Called the “Father of Modern Networking” by CNN and one of the “Top Networking Experts” by Forbes, Dr. Misner is considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on business networking and has been a keynote speaker for major corporations and associations throughout the world. He has been featured in the L.A. Times, Wall Street Journal, and New York. Times, as well as numerous TV and radio shows including CNN, the BBC and The Today Show on NBC.  Among his many awards, he has been named “Humanitarian of the Year” by the Red Cross and was recently the recipient of the John C. Maxwell Leadership Award.  He is also proud to be the Co-Founder of the BNI Charitable Foundation.

He and his wife, Elisabeth, are now “empty nesters” with three adult children. He is also an amateur magician and a black belt in karate.

Joe Apfelbaum is the CEO of Ajax Union, a B2B digital marketing agency based in Brooklyn, NY. Joe is a business strategist, marketing expert and certified Google trainer. Joe enjoys speaking and writing about marketing, business networking and personal development in his seminars, webinars and articles. Joe is the host of the popular podcasts, The Breakthrough Maze, INC 5000 Podcast and CEO Mojo. 

Joe has been featured on popular podcasts including the Entrepreneur.com Podcast and the B2B Revenue Podcast.  He is the producer of GrowTime.tv and has published over 500 Mojovational Street Talk videos on YouTube. Joe is a contributing member of Entrepreneurs Organization in Brooklyn, a group with over 12,000 CEO’s and an active member of Executives Association, a premiere business networking organization in NYC.

Joe has lost 95 pounds and kept it off. Joe is a selfie master, he takes 1000 selfies a year with entrepreneurs and makes hundreds of introductions to business professionals in his network. Joe is proud of all his accomplishments, but most of all he is proud of his purpose, his beautiful amazing kids.

Scott Gerber is CEO of The Community Company, an organization that builds and manages community-driven programs for media companies and global brands. He is the founder of YEC, an invitation-only organization comprised of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs, and Forbes Councils, a collective of invitation-only organizations for world-class executives. He is also sought-after speaker, the co-author of Superconnector, author of Never Get a “Real” Job and an Adweek contributor. Scott has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Fortune, TIME, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Reuters, Mashable, BBC, NPR, Forbes, The Daily Beast, CBS News, US News & World Report, Fox News, Inc. and Entrepreneur, and has been honored by NASDAQ and the White House

Lawrence Sprung CFP® is the President and Founder of Mitlin Financial, Inc. He entered the financial industry in 1996 and continues to be inspired and energized by the challenge of helping his clients achieve and even surpass their financial goals.

Mitlin Financial, Inc. is an SEC Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) that prides itself on facilitating their client's financial future.  Being a fiduciary is a perfect fit for Larry’s personality and business perspective as he puts clients first and consistently helps them make decisions that are right for them.

Larry is known as a devoted educator. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and regularly films the firm’s “Mitlin Minute,” which is designed to provided information regarding relevant financial topics.

Today, Larry is proud to be serving the second and third generations of his clients. He has seen first-hand how strong financial habits instilled in parents, children and grandchildren, can impact a family’s wealth and wealth stewardship for generations.

As an active volunteer, Larry serves on the National Board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).  With his wife, Denise, he has raised more than $1,000,000 for the organization through the Keith Milano Memorial Fund. The fund was created at AFSP in memory of Larry and Denise’s brother-in-law and brother, respectively.

Larry has been recognized as one of Long Island Business News' "40 Under 40," and his commentary is regularly featured in publications such as Long Island Business News, U.S. News & World Reports, Newsday, Investopedia, Yahoo Finance, and Nasdaq’s website. 

If you have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Sprung, you will find that he is more often found conversing about AFSP, his sons’ or a hockey game. Doing business and creating relationships is at the heart of who Larry is and it is all done with style and grace.