Founder of Chick-fil-A to Speak at Faith-Based Leaders Conference

By Kevin P. Donovan, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Truett Cathy, founder and president of Chick-fil-A, is among those scheduled to speak next month at the 2009 Heart of a Leader Conference.

During the day-long event in Orlando, Fla., Cathy will share his stories of transformation and what he's learned in his life journey in hopes of teaching corporate leaders how they can move from "success to significance" by leveraging their influence to help others.

Attending the event will Christian businesspeople and non-profit leaders from Florida and across the Southeast who want to make a difference in their communities.

"We're anticipating a full house of 1,300 corporate and community leaders," reported Steve French, president of the Orlando-based Lifework Leadership, which is organizing the event. "Attendees can expect to walk away with new hope, ideas, relationships and tools they need to persevere in this economy."

Lifework Leadership, which mobilizes business leaders through Christian faith-based leadership training, will be hosting the event at the Hard Rock Live venue at Universal Studios CityWalk on Wednesday, March 4, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The conference, which is open to the public, will feature live music and light refreshments and help community leaders learn how to maximize their relationships with attending corporate partners.

Discounted "early bird" tickets for the conference are being sold until Feb. 15 at www.heartofaleader.org, and sponsors are still being recruited. Past sponsors of the conference have included Walt Disney World, the Evangelical Christian Credit Union, and Florida Hospital.

Also scheduled to speak originally was Millard Fuller, the millionaire entrepreneur who co-founded the Christian house-building charity Habitat for Humanity. Fuller died around 3 a.m. Tuesday, however, at the age of 74 after being taken to a hospital emergency room. The cause of death was not immediately known.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Lifework Leadership has not announced how Fuller's death will affect the conference.