Apr 14 - 17 2026
SIOR’s Spring 2026 Event – Keynote Speaker David Burkus – Palm Springs, CA
JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa
Best-Selling Author and Chick-fil-A marketing executive David Salyers shows audiences how to build remarkable brands and cultures through servant leadership and generosity.
David Salyers was one of the original two marketing executives at Chick-fil-A, where he spent 37 years helping shape the company’s growth, including work on the iconic Cow Campaign. He most recently served as Vice President of Marketing, Growth and Hospitality and witnessed the brand’s rise from a small operation to a global, multibillion-dollar organization.
Today, David brings those lessons to audiences, helping leaders and organizations create meaningful cultures and sustainable growth using the same principles that defined his career.
David Salyers is available to be booked for corporate and private events. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group today to inquire about David Salyers’s fees.
Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group at (215) 995-0905 to book David Salyers for corporate or private events, keynote speeches, workshops, fireside chats, motivational speaking, or virtual appearances. Our agency will work directly with your organization and our keynote speakers to create an unforgettable event.
The Mollie Plotkin Group is the leading keynote speakers agency and entertainment bureau bringing excitement to audiences, clients, and employees. We represent subject-matter experts in every possible field. So whether we’re your partner in creating a memorable meeting or your meeting planner’s secret weapon in securing the perfect keynote speaker, we’re in this with you.
David Salyers began his career at Chick-fil-A just hours after graduating college, working out of a mobile office in Hapeville, Georgia. Over nearly four decades, he played a central role in building the company’s marketing function and brand identity, contributing to its expansion to more than 2,500 locations around the world. His leadership helped shape a culture rooted in servant leadership and generosity, principles he saw drive both business performance and organizational strength.
David co-authored Remarkable! with Dr. Randy Ross, which debuted as the number one selling Business Management book on Amazon. He now works with organizations seeking to create competitive advantage through strong cultures and purpose-driven brands. In addition to his speaking work, David serves on multiple boards and has helped launch startups and nonprofits. His work today centers on helping leaders build organizations defined by meaning, impact, and long-term success.
Find out how to hire David Salyers to appear at your next event. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group to inquire about David Salyers’s availability and cost. When booking David Salyers for an event, we need to know the type of venue and location the event will take place. David Salyers is a popular choice for corporate events, private events, and virtual events. So, you can click the Check Availability button or contact us and an MPG David Slayers booking agent will get back to you within 48 hours.
How much to book David Salyers depends on the type of event. So, the cost to hire David Salyers for corporate or private events is available by contacting a Mollie Plotkin Group Agent. Notably, David Salyersis available for conferences, festivals, private parties, and events. Just contact the Mollie Plotkin Group and tell the booking agent the proposed date, time, and location.
Our speakers are in high demand! View their upcoming events.
Build a customer base that fuels growth by creating true raving fans.
What organization doesn’t want to create more sales? But truly Remarkable organizations aren’t focused on increasing sales, they’re focused on creating raving fans. Raving fans are people who 1) are happy to pay full price, 2) come more often and 3) tell other people about your organization. In this talk, Former Chick-fil-A Marketing VP David Salyers recounts Chick-fil-A’s biggest successes and shares the principles and strategies behind those successes that you can use to connect deeply with customers, who ultimately demand and fund your business growth.
Key Takeaways:
Ideal for: Sales teams, marketing leaders, and customer experience focused organizations
Shift from extracting value to creating value that sets your organization apart.
How many businesses do you come across in a day that are just plain unremarkable? They have nothing unique that sets them apart from their competitors, and they exist only to extract value from their customers. To put it simply, there’s nothing about these types of organizations that’s worth remarking about.
But what if we could shift the paradigm? What if we could truly understand what makes certain businesses “remarkable” and apply those principles to our own organizations? In this signature talk, David Salyers powerfully does just that. In “Remarkable,” David will walk through how the shift from extracting value from other people to creating value for other people can radically change your business and the impact it will make to your customers, employees, stakeholders and even your bottom line. Exploring key themes on culture, values, and mission, “Remarkable” is an engaging and memorable speech that has the potential to impact you and your organization to the very core.
Key Takeaways:
Ideal for: Executives, organizational leaders, and teams focused on culture and long term growth
Attach purpose to your work to build lasting value beyond profit.
Every business exists to make money; there’s no question about that. However, the bigger question is – is that all your business exists to do? The reality is that most businesses don’t have a purpose beyond financial success, and the result is that they become commodities that can be easily replicated or, worse still, easily forgotten.
However, what the world’s greatest organizations know is that having a purpose beyond money is one of the most critical components of lasting success. In “Meaningful,” David masterfully shares how great brands attach meaning to their basic product and service offerings, which in turn multiplies the value they are creating for customers. Using compelling service and marketing examples from businesses like Chick-fil-A, Nike, The Ritz Carlton, and Uber, “Meaningful” will both inspire and instruct your organization to think beyond making marginally more money, and instead to realizing your limitless potential.
Key Takeaways:
Ideal for: Business leaders, brand strategists, and teams focused on purpose driven growth
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