901-754-9404
My List0

We've now made it easier for you to research and save your favorite keynotes speakers. Click on the + sign to add a speaker to your Speaker List and email your favorites to colleagues and friends.

using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
Chad Pregracke

Chad Pregracke

    • Founder & President, Living Lands & Waters
    • Former CNN Hero of the Year
    • Author of "From the Bottom Up, One Man's Crusade to Clean America's Rivers"

     

Full Bio
In Person-Fee 🛈

$5,000 - $10,000

Virtual Fee:

$7,500 and Under

Travels From

Illinois

The Profit: Marcus Will Learn How Vital It Is To Keep The Mississippi River Clean w/ Chad Pregracke | CNBC Prime

The Profit: Marcus Will Learn How Vital It Is To Keep The Mississippi River Clean w/ Chad Pregracke | CNBC Prime

Chad Pregracke

Chad Pregracke

Executive Speakers Bureau Chad Pregracke, Founder of Living Lands & Waters

Executive Speakers Bureau Chad Pregracke, Founder of Living Lands & Waters

Chad Pregracke - 2013 CNN Hero

Chad Pregracke - 2013 CNN Hero

Chad Pregracke Speaker Biography


Chad Pregracke is living proof that an average person can make a big difference. He holds the title of 2013 CNN Hero of the Year. He is also the Founder & President of the internationally recognized not-for- profit organization, Living Lands & Waters. In addition, Chad is a professional public speaker, sharing his stories at many of the world's largest corporations and most prestigious universities. His adventures and challenges translates to audiences of all ages and backgrounds, leaving them inspired to take action. Chad exemplifies how one person can make a difference in the world.

Growing up 30 feet away from the Mississippi River, Chad became very familiar with the majestic waterway. Spending up to 10 hours a day in the depths and current of the pitch black water, he worked as a Commercial Shell Diver during his teenage and college years. Over a six year period, he crawled 150 miles of the river bottom. He gained a new perspective on the river, looking at it from the bottom up. Chad was both marveled by the river's beauty and frustrated with its plight due to years of neglect. The river and its shores were littered with thousands of barrels, tires, cars, campers, plastic bottles, appliances, and much more.

At the age of 17, he set out on a mission to do something about the disregarded river. Since 1998, when Living Lands & Waters was established, over 8 million pounds of garbage has been removed by Chad, his crew, and over 70,000 volunteers. Over 730,000 trees have also been planted through the MillionTreesProject, started in 2007. Furthermore, thousands of students have been educated aboard his floating classroom on the barge he and his crew live on up to 9 months of the year. Chad is accomplishing his mission to clean up America's rivers and launched a social movement that engages people and betters the world in the process.

Chad's sense of humor, passion, and enthusiasm help carry the message that we can all make a difference by amplifying his story and entertaining his audiences. His vision and leadership have been recognized through countless awards and honors. A few include CNN's Hero of the Year Award, the Jefferson Award for Public Service (America's version of the Nobel Prize), and being recognized at the Points of Light Tribute in front of all four living former U.S. Presidents. They even gave him a standing ovation for his inspirational message on dreaming big, taking action, persevering, leading, and collaborating. He was also named "America's Hardest Working Person" by a competition hosted by Mitchum. Chad's non-stop work ethic and determination have also been featured in major media outlets, such as CNN, the Discovery Channel, Time, People, NBC Nightly News, CBS Sunday Morning, the Chicago Tribune, and Outdoor magazines. In addition, Chad authored a book about his journey titled "From the Bottom Up: One Man's Crusade to Clean America's Rivers", published by National Geographic in 2007.

Chad currently lives and works with his wife Tammy, dividing their time between life on the Teamwork Barge and their home in East Moline, IL.

To book Chad Pregracke call Executive Speakers Bureau at 901-754-9404.

From the Bottom Up  
Chad's unique presentation takes his audience on an adventure where they learn the value of hard work, perseverance, and big ideas while engaging in an interactive talk with Chad.     

From the darkness of underwater shell diving to the brightness of a community river clean up, Chad's tale epitomizes the importance of setting ambitious goals, staying determined when the going gets touch, and creating a solid team dynamic even in the most difficult environments.   

Chad's sincere enthusiasm creates an uplifting wave for audiences of all ages as he portrays his personal convictions and struggles to clean up America's rivers. 

Take Away Points:

  • How an average person can make a big difference
  • How to create and lead a vision that inspires people to take action
  • How strong leadership and teamwork can effectively solve a problem, no matter the size
  • How to inspire people to work together towards a single vision
  • How philanthropic organizations have enhanced their roll from simply providing funding to empowering employees to champion a cause
  • How to creatively solve problems, like how to steer a 350-ton barge with a bicycle chain

Related Speakers

Seth Davis, Motivation Speaker

Seth Davis

CBS Sports Analyst & Staff Writer for Sports Illustrated

Brandon Williams, keynote speaker

Brandon Williams

Principal & Founder

Nicole Malachowski, Military Speaker

Nicole Malachowski

Pioneering Aviator and First Woman Thunderbird Pilot

Erin Jackson keynote speaker

Erin Jackson

First Black Woman to Win an Individual Olympic Gold Medal in the Winter Olympic Games

Lauren Sisler keynote speaker

Lauren Sisler

2-time Emmy Award-Winning Sports Broadcaster with ESPN and SEC Network

Allan James Moore

Allan James Moore

Safety

Julius Erving, Legends Speaker

Julius Erving

Three-time MVP of Pro Basketball

Dr. Sheri Prentiss keynote speaker

Dr. Sheri Prentiss

Healthcare Consultant 

Todd Henry Speaker

Todd Henry

Consultant to dozens of industries on creativity

Bill Looney, Leadership Speaker

Bill Looney

Retired 4 Star General and Leadership Speaker

Rolfe Carawan, Communications Speaker

Rolfe Carawan

Corporate Visionary with the head of a CEO and the heart of a pastor

Eric Thomas

Eric Thomas

Teaches how to "Live Life Like The Top 1%"

Reviews

Testimonials

Everyone on the ESB team has been great to work with for our events. Looking forward to keep working with ESB!

Plexus Worldwide

We had a positive experience with ESB. Matt Meyer is a great communicator and easy to get a hold of. His helped us through the process to mak..

BNSF

ESB was patient, thorough, and responsive during the planning process. Thank you for making this such a great experience for us!

ConnectWise

ESB supported our needs and the needs of our speaker throughout the entire process. I highly recommend working with ESB to find your next spe..

DogWatch

"It's always a pleasure to work with ESB. Very professional and personable staff. Thanks!"

Testimonial | Texas Society of Architects

"Excellent! Thank you for being a true partner to our organization and its development."

HCA Healthcare

"They are the only speakers bureau I will even consider using!"

Testimonial | Youth Villages

A wonderful bureau to work with! Big ups to everyone who helped make our event a success. Fingers crossed we get the chance to collaborate fo..

MDRT | Testimonial

"As always, you are the best most responsive speaker bureau I've ever worked with!"

Image Media

Angela Schelp was a great partner in finding the right kick-off speaker for our conference. This was my first conference identifying the keyn..

CubeSmart
Need Suggestions? Have Questions?

Need Suggestions? Have Questions?

Call to discuss how we can you help find the right speaker(s) for your organization.

© 2024 Executive Speakers Bureau. All Rights Reserved.

Design and Developed by eBiz Solutions

Get Ideas in 1 hour or less

Executive Speakers Bureau consistently receives praises about our speed and efficiency. From the beginning of your event planning, our extensive online speaker database and resourceful staff allow us to quickly equip you with the best speaker for your event.

Need a last minute speaker? No worries. Our speed and efficiency help us give you ideas for speakers in one hour or less.

Please fill in information below