Would you respect a man who came to the United States as a teenager with little knowledge of English, no contacts and only $50 in his pocket, yet ended up a mega success story? Would you listen to what he has to say about success?

Meet Nido Qubein who is chairman of an international consulting firm and recipient of the highest awards given for professional speakers including the Cavett (known as the Oscar of professional speaking), the Speakers Hall of Fame, Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans and The Order of the Long Leaf Pine (North Carolina’s highest civilian honor) and Sales and Marketing International's Ambassador of Free Enterprise. Toastmasters International named him the Top Business and Commerce Speaker and awarded him the Golden Gavel Medal. He served as president of the National Speakers Association which has a membership of 4,000 professionals and is the founder of the National Speakers Association Foundation where the highest award for Philanthropy is named for him. Nido Qubein has been the recipient of many honors including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, a Doctorate of Laws degree, and induction into Beta Gamma Sigma, the honor society for business leadership.

Nido Qubein’s business savvy led him to help start a bank in 1986 and today he serves on the board and executive committee of a Fortune 500 financial corporation with 155 billion-dollars in assets. He is also chairman of Great Harvest Bread Company with 218 stores in 42 states. He serves on the boards of several national organizations including the La-Z-Boy Corporation, one of the world's largest and most recognized furniture retailers.

Nido Qubein is president of High Point University, an accredited undergraduate and graduate institution with 3,500 students from 50 countries and 44 states. He has written numerous books and recorded scores of audio and video learning programs including a bestseller on effective communication published by Nightingale-Conant and Berkley. He is an active speaker and consultant addressing more than 100 business and professional groups around the world each year. He doesn't just talk business, he lives it. He is an entrepreneur with active interests in real estate, advertising, and banking.

His foundation provides scholarships to 48 deserving young people each year. To-date the Qubein Foundation has granted more than 600 scholarships, worth over six million dollars.

Money magazine claims, "Qubein puts on a memorable program, gliding from one anecdote to another. Nearly 70 percent of his business comes from companies that have utilized him before. His client list is a 'who's who' of blue chip corporations."

Bizlife magazine says, "He coupled his charismatic style and positive nature with his acquired knowledge of human relations and communication...and built a multi-million dollar, multifaceted consulting enterprise -- proving the American dream is still alive and well."