BERNIE YOUNG

Bernadette “Bernie” Young is founder & president of “Bernie” Young & Associates, Inc., formerly CCT Consultants, Inc., the 2002 Winner of the Outstanding Business of the Year (under 25 employees) by the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University where she was named a distinguished alumnus in 1987. She has been an adjunct professor at several Chicago area colleges and has appeared on both radio and television. Bernie is an international speaker who, according to one reporter, “plants the seeds of passion within her audience, spurring them on to new heights in motivation and fulfillment.”
 
As a consultant, professional speaker, and corporate trainer for over 28 years, Bernie has consulted, designed processes, and presented programs in the areas of: leadership selection and development, change, team development, communication, sales, strategic planning, leadership succession planning, volunteerism, marketing, and service cultures.
 
Customers who have benefited from Bernie’s expertise and humor include Quaker Oats, Square D Corporation, American Hospital Association, ISM (formerly NAPM), Smith & Nephew, FTD, Del Pharmaceuticals, Tech Data, Honeywell, Marriott, Nokia, Florida Blood Services, Transitions Optical, Juvenile Welfare Board, the St. Petersburg PIER, the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, and scores of municipalities & hospitals.
 
She is the author of many articles, audiotapes, CDs, and handbooks on change, leadership, and teambuilding, including When the Shift Hits the Fan!, Difficult or Just Different?, and T.L.C. = Teamwork, Leadership, Cooperation.

In July 2002, Bernie was named one of 10 outstanding businesswomen of Tampa Bay. Bernie is the past chairman of the board of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce (interim president/CEO for nine months in 2005– 2006), and was awarded the 2007 Leadership St. Pete Alumnus Award for “outstanding contributions” to the St. Petersburg, Florida community. She is vice chair of the board of trustees of Bayfront Health Systems, where she also chairs the Quality Committee for Bayfront Medical Center. She is a board member of the St. Petersburg Suncoasters (awarded the “Sunny” Award in 2006) and is a founding faculty member of the St. Petersburg Chamber Entrepreneurial Academy. Bernie is the founder and past president of South Central Rotary Club, past president of Executive Women in Sales & Marketing, has served on the boards of the Mercantile Bank Maximo branch and American Stage Theater, and is Vice President of Strategic Planning for the Heart Gallery of Pinellas/Pasco.