Speakers

John C. Martin
Director, Estate and Gift Planning
American Cancer Society
John has more than 25 years of experience in financial services, insurance and non-profits
where he has served as a Business Development Executive, a Registered Representative
and a Certified Sales Trainer.
In John’s role at the American Cancer Society he works with Estate Planning Professionals
and their clients all over the state of Texas to secure gifts for cancer research and patient
services. This is an important and personal matter for John as he has had several friends and
family members succumb to different forms of cancer.
In addition to being a small business owner, John has worked for such organizations as
American Century Funds, VALIC, Thrivent Financial, TD Ameritrade and JPMorgan Chase.
John graduated from the Baker University with a BA in business administration. He also
attended University of St Thomas, Houston where he studied Certified Financial Planning.
John resides in the Woodlands/Conroe area. In addition to raising four kids, his purpose is to
give back to others which includes the Rotary Club of Houston, 1st Tee Golf and serving as
the Trail Steward for the Carl Barton Jr biking trail in Conroe. He is also a team leader for the
Woodlands Church.
“The rare individual who unselfishly tries to serve others has an enormous advantage. He has
little competition.” - Dale Carnegie
For more information about Planned Giving, call 1-800-227-1885.
To contact this Director of Estate and Gift Planning directly, please call 1-936-697-0388 or email
john.martin@cancer.org.

Ms. Bazzelle advises and represents clients in real estate, business transactions, corporate planning, corporate structuring and entertainment law.  She assists clients in the purchase, sale, financing, development, and leasing of commercial and residential properties. Ms. Bazzelle also counsels national and international companies on a wide range of general corporate matters, including, corporate compliance with federal and state regulations, contracts, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property protection and corporate structuring. She provides her entertainment expertise to individual artists and entertainment companies with entertainment contracts and copyright and trademark matters.

Ms. Bazzelle is a frequent speaker on corporate, real estate and intellectual property matters for organizations, including, the University of Houston communications law program, Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law CLE and student programs, Texas Business Alliance One Woman Conference, Women Business Owners National Business Convention, Houston Bar Association CLE program and the National MBA Association Houston Division.

In his third career, Greg Hess is passing on all he has learned from his prior careers as a
basketball coach, teacher and business executive. As a certified business coach with
Action Coach, Hess is a resource for business owners and organizations.
A unique combination of experiences is what allows Hess to make an impact. The son of
a marine, Hess grew up around the country, but spent the majority of his childhood in
Southeast Idaho. After playing college basketball in Canada, Hess took a head coaching
job at a high school in Southern California. He then coached at the college level, while
earning his Master of Business Administration from California Lutheran University.
Once he finished, he decided it was time to start a new chapter by starting his career in
corporate America.
“I thought I was going to change the world through education,” says Hess, “but
realized there were also ways to make a difference using my coaching experience
in business.”
With 14 years of coaching experience, Hess built teams for numerous companies such as
Sun Microsystem, Dell and Halliburton. He enjoyed working with each company to
make it better, and even more successful. During his second career as a business
executive, he got the life changing news of a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
“That was like a bomb,” says Hess. “The fact that I’m talking to you today is truly
a miracle..”
Hess did not recognize it at the time, but he had already made an impact in the lives of
so many through all of his teams and classes as a basketball coach, teacher, and
positions at different companies. When word got around Hess was ill, he started
receiving a flood of messages from people he had coached and worked with.

“Over 200 messages came to me saying how I had made a difference in their
lives, because I did this, helped with that or just cared,” says Hess. “The message
was loud and clear, as I was recovering, that my life had been saved to continue to
make a difference. I made a commitment right then to do what I consider my
destiny is, and that’s to help people, coach people and work with them.”
Now in his third career, Hess is going back to his first career as a coach while taking on
all he learned in his career as a business professional. As a business coach, Hess says he
covers all the areas a lifestyle coach or an executive coach would, but he focuses on the
business side. When he works with a business, his goal is to make it more successful and
more profitable.
“I guarantee whatever people pay me for coaching, that they will get that back in
17 weeks,” says Hess. “So basically, the amount invested in coaching services will
be gained or coaching is free.”
Hess works with all types of clients ranging from small to medium sized businesses, but
also philanthropic organizations. No matter the business Hess wants to help. Through
one-on-one weekly coaching sessions, Hess helps his clients evaluate their strengths to
then execute strategies and initiatives for growth.
“I’m a coach with a powerful purpose,” says Hess. “I want to give back and help
people be successful in all aspects of business and life.”
Another great resource, Hess provides is his YouTube video series the Desk of Coach
Hess. He provides tactical steps and thought processes for business owners to think
through how to grow their business. With his many years of experience, Hess has a lot to
offer. The passion runs deep and the learning curve never flattens out.
“I’m having a blast at this point,” says Hess. “I’m changing lives in a lot of ways,
and I enjoy that part of it so much. I’ll do this until the day I die.”
To connect with Hess, email him at greghess@actioncoach.com. For more information
about his services, visit greghess.actioncoach.com.

There he is on the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, 30 years ago last spring: May 8, 1989. He is on a pitcher's mound, rearing back with a baseball in his right hand, his left foot in the air, his pink face bathed in sunlight beneath the green cap of Brenham High. His tongue is squeezed between his lips. Above his head, a single word in yellow capital letters: SUPERKID. Never before had a high school baseball player been featured on the cover of SI. The story inside opens with a photo spread in which he stands solemnly on that same mound, turned toward centerfield with his hat held over his heart during the playing of the national anthem, his eyes cast downward. Behind him, the school band members in their white polos, and beyond them a sea of blurry faces in the grandstand behind home plate. The headline: AN AMERICAN CLASSIC.