DALLAS, TX — The 2007 International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE) announced that author and philanthropist Chris Gardner will share his remarkable story during the NACE 2007 keynote presentation. NACE 2007 will be held Oct. 31 – Nov. 3 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The educational Conference will run from October 31-November 3 (Wednesday-Saturday), and the Exposition will take place Nov. 1-3 (Thursday-Saturday). DuPont Performance Coatings is the sponsor of the Opening General Session taking place Thursday morning, Nov. 1 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
Because of surmounting acute obstacles on his road to success, Gardner is now an avid motivational speaker, addressing the keys to self-empowerment, beating odds and breaking cycles. His amazing story was published as an autobiography, “The Pursuit of Happyness,” becoming a New York Times #1 bestseller. Gardner was also the inspiration for the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness,” released by Columbia Pictures in December 2006. Will Smith stars as Gardner, and Gardner is an associate producer. The movie was #1 at the box office its opening weekend.
Always hard-working and tenacious, a series of circumstances in the early 1980’s left Gardner homeless in San Francisco and the sole guardian of his toddler son. Unwilling to give up Chris Jr. or his dream of financial independence, Gardner started at the bottom. Without connections or a college degree, he earned a spot in the Dean Witter Reynolds training program. Often spending his nights in a church shelter or the bathroom at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in Oakland, CA, Gardner was the sole trainee offered a job at Dean Witter Reynolds in 1981. He spent 1983-1987 at Bear Stearns & Co., where he became a top earner, and then in 1987, he founded the brokerage firm Gardner Rich & Co. in Chicago. Currently, Gardner is the owner and CEO of Christopher Gardner International Holdings with offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.
“We are pleased to provide our NACE attendees the opportunity to hear Chris Gardner’s dynamic and candid rags-to-riches story,” said Ron Pyle, ASA president and chief staff executive. “His message of overcoming obstacles, balancing life’s responsibilities and ultimately succeeding will inspire and motivate everyone in attendance, leaving them excited for the NACE Expo opening.”
His extraordinary story illustrates the nurturing and sustaining power of positive role models. Gardner’s belief in himself and his dreams, along with his refusal to give in to self-doubt, promises to inspire the NACE audience and confirm that life is full of possibility if you put your heart into it and don’t give up.
For more NACE information, visit the NACE website at http://www.NACEexpo.com.
