Opening Session Keynote Speaker...
Rudolph W. Giuliani
Thursday, October 1 at 8 am
Sponsored by Lumbermen’s Underwriting Alliance
& American Hardwood Industries

Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York City, was born in 1944 in Brooklyn, New York.  As the grandson of Italian immigrants, he was taught the value of a strong work ethic and a deep respect for America’s ideal of equal opportunity. He attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, Manhattan College, and New York University Law School.

After joining the office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Rudy Giuliani rose quickly through the ranks, becoming the Chief of the Narcotics Unit at age 29. After the inauguration of Ronald Reagan in 1981, Giuliani was named Associate Attorney General,
the third highest position in the U.S. Department of Justice.

In 1983, President Reagan appointed Rudy Giuliani as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Giuliani spearheaded successful efforts against organized crime, white-collar criminals, drug dealers and corrupt elected officials. Few U.S. Attorneys in history can match his record of 4,152 convictions with only 25 reversals.

In 1993, Rudy Giuliani was elected Mayor of the City of New York. Campaigning on the slogan “One City, One Standard,” he focused on reducing crime, reforming welfare, and improving the quality of life. In 1997, he was re-elected with 57% of the vote in a city in which Democrats outnumbered Republicans five to one.

Under Mayor Giuliani’s leadership, overall crime was cut by 56%, murder was cut by 66%, and New York City – once considered the crime capital of the country – became the safest large city in America according to the FBI. New York City’s law enforcement strategy has become a model for other cities around the world. This is particularly true of the CompStat statistical accountability program, which won the 1996 Innovations in Government Award from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

When Mayor Giuliani took office, one of every seven New Yorkers was on welfare.  Mayor Giuliani implemented the largest and most successful welfare-to-work initiative in the country, turning welfare offices into Job Centers and reduced welfare rolls by 640,000 – nearly 60%.

On September 11, 2001, America suffered the worst attack in its history when terrorists crashed planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Mayor Giuliani immediately began leading the recovery of the city as it faced its darkest hour. Mayor Giuliani was widely lauded for his steady hand during challenging times. He was named “Person of the Year” by Time magazine, knighted by the Queen of England, dubbed “Rudy the Rock” by French President Jacques Chirac, and former first lady Nancy Reagan presented him with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Freedom Award.

Limited by New York City law to two terms as mayor, Rudy Giuliani founded Giuliani Partners in January, 2002, quickly establishing the professional services firm as a leader in emergency preparedness, public safety, leadership during crises, and financial management. Drawing on his experience in turning a city described as ungovernable into a city that is now a worldwide example of good government and effective management, Giuliani was recognized in Spring 2002 as “Consultant of the Year” by Consulting magazine. Mayor Giuliani is also a Partner in the law firm of Bracewell & Giuliani LLP.  Bracewell & Giuliani is a major international law firm with over 400 lawyers, serving mainly clients in the energy and financial service industries.

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General Session 2nd Keynote Speaker...
Dick Vitale
Sponsored By Industrial Timber & Lumber Corporation

Dick Vitale, college basketball’s top analyst and ambassador, joined ESPN during the 1979-80 Season, just after the network’s September 1979 launch, following a successful college and pro coaching career.

His thorough knowledge of the game is brought forth in an enthusiastic, passionate, sometimes controversial - but never boring - style. In February 2004, Vitale was named a finalist for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor.

Vitale called ESPN’s first-ever NCAA basketball game – Wisconsin at DePaul on Dec. 5, 1979. Since then, he’s called close to a thousand games, including NBA contests for ESPN during the 1983 and ’84 seasons.

But Vitale’s talents and influence extend way, way beyond just game analyst. He provides commentary on a variety of topics in his “Dick Vitale’s Fast Break” segment which airs Wednesday evenings during the college basketball season on SportsCenter, and serves as a college basketball analyst for ESPN Radio. He has been a college basketball analyst for ABC Sports since 1988, and has also covered the NBA Finals and the 1992 Summer Olympics for ABC Radio. His weekly ESPN.com column is one of the web site’s most popular features.

Vitale is also a columnist for Basketball Times, has been a guest columnist for USA Today since 1991, and has been a featured guest on virtually every sports radio station across the nation. He’s also been profiled by a wide array of national magazines, ranging from Sports Illustrated, Sport and The Sporting News to People, Playboy and Travel & Leisure. He received eight CableACE nominations, and captured awards in 1994 and 1995.

“I’m living the American dream,” Vitale once said. “I learned from my mom and dad, who didn’t have a formal education, but had doctorates of love. They told me that if you gave 110 percent all the time, a lot of beautiful things will happen. I may not always be right, but no one can ever accuse me of not having a genuine love and passion for whatever I do. And ESPN has been grateful enough to recognize this.”

And while his knowledge, preparation and enthusiasm are unparalleled, his “Vitale-isms” have unwittingly taken on a life of their own.

But Vitale’s roots are in teaching the game he’s loved since a child. Following college, he got a job teaching at Mark Twain Elementary School (Garfield, N.J.) and coaching junior high school football and basketball. He began coaching at the high school level at Garfield High School, where he coached for one season (1963-64). He then earned four state sectional championships, two consecutive state championships, and 35 consecutive victories during his seven years at his alma mater -- East Rutherford, N. J., High School (1964-70). He joined Rutgers University for two years (1970-72) as an assistant coach, helping to recruit Phil Sellers and Mike Dabney, two cornerstones on an eventual NCAA Final Four team (1976).

Vitale then coached at the University of Detroit (1973-77), compiling a winning percentage of .722 (78-30), which included a 21-game winning streak during the 1976-77 season when the team participated in the NCAA Tournament. In April 1977, Vitale was named Athletic Director at Detroit and later that year was named the United Fund’s Detroit Man of the Year. In May 1978, he was named head coach of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, which he coached during the 1978-79 season prior to joining ESPN.

Vitale has authored eight books, the most recent of which is Dick Vitale’s Fabulous 50 Players and Moments in College Basketball: From the Best Seat in the House During My 30 Years at ESPN. ESPN has televised two nationally acclaimed Vitale specials --”The Game of Life,” which first aired December 1991 and “Game Plan For Life,” which first aired December 1994. Both were motivational speeches Vitale delivered to high school players at basketball camps.

Vitale graduated from Seton Hall University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He also earned a Master’s Degree in Education from William Paterson College and has 32 graduate credits beyond the master’s degree in administration. Born June 9, 1939, in East Rutherford, N.J., Vitale and his wife, Lorraine, have two daughters, Terri and Sherri.

2009 National Hardwood Lumber Association Annual Convention & Exhibit Showcase
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