Steven started his entrepreneurial career early with a paper route at 9 years old and reinvented himself many times with more than a dozen jobs before his sixteenth birthday. As an executive in the television and broadcast industry, Steven learned to sell concepts and the intangible. A creative type all his life, Schussler has a passion for conceiving concepts that appeal to the masses. His career in the restaurant industry began with the development of Jukebox Saturday Night, a nostalgic restaurant and night club with 8 locations in the US. Well-known as the creator of one of the most successful themed restaurants in the world, Rainforest Cafe, Steven opened the first at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota in October 1994. Steven and his public company owned and operated 45 Rainforest Cafe restaurants in seven years, on three continents and sold the chain to Landry's Restaurants in 2000, but not before receiving more than 40 awards in six years including: Fortune Magazine's Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in the U.S.A. (named to the list two consecutive years); Entrepreneur Magazine's Top 100 entrepreneurs in the country; Nation's Restaurant News' Hot Concept Award, Orlando Magazine's Best Theme Restaurant; the National Retail Federation's National Retailer of the Year; and Chicago Tribune's Best Restaurant for Kids. Steven Schussler founded Schussler Creative, Inc. in 2000. In this company that focuses on the creation and consultation of restaurants, retail, attractions and entertainment venues worldwide, he leads the creative vision and overall strategic direction of the organisation. Steven has created, built and owns a number of theme restaurants and attractions such as T-REX, a prehistoric themed café; Yak & Yeti, a asian-styled restaurant and several others. Nearly 10 new creative projects are under development within Schussler Creative, Inc. Steven Schussler is a graduate of the FBI Citizen's Academy which engages citizens in the process of protecting their communities and country. He has been involved with charitable and civic organizations that include the Leukemia Society, American Lung Association, Minneapolis Youth Connection, Lifeskills Center for Leadership, Special Olympics, Neighborhood House, and the Animal Humane Society. Steven played the lead role in the commercial for Clemmy's Ice Cream. In addition, he appeared in September 2010 as a judge on Food Network's "24 Hour Restaurant Battle". Committed to inspiring and educating fellow entrepreneurs, the nation's future business leaders and business professionals alike, Steven teaches an entrepreneurial class for the Carlson School of Business Management at the University of Minnesota. He is also a columnist for Minnesota Business Magazine. Steven's monthly "Backtalk" column motivates and educates readers by sharing new and fascinating stories, advice and experiences from nationally and internationally recognized business leaders. Steven is the national Best-selling author of It's a Jungle In There: Inspiring Lessons, Hard-Won Insights, and Other Acts of Entrepreneurial Daring, which is published by Sterling Publishing, a Barnes & Noble company. Giving back to the community is also one of Schussler's passions and 100% of the author's book profits are donated to Smile Network International, (www.smilenetwork.org), an organisation that surgically repairs cleft lips and palates of impoverished young people around the world. Steven is a founding member and continues to be a lifetime advisor of the board of directors.

What he presents:

Innovation: Innovation Takes Time
Passion: Passion + Ambition Yields Success
Sales/Marketing: It's a Jungle In There
Entrepreneurism: I Dream... Therefore I Can: Five P's For Success