Profile
Thoughtful Instigator. Creator. Adventurer. Speaker. Coach.
Steve Garguilo works with people from all walks of life from all over the world to help them make their ideas happen.
He led the revolution to transform the culture of the 5th largest company in the world by instigating and shaping a grassroots movement at Johnson & Johnson that engaged 23,000 employees and led to countless stories of product and people development. Steve’s groundbreaking programs are known for being incredibly engaging and highly immersive and interactive. Net Promoter Scores for his programming range from +86 to +100.
Garguilo has also worked on social ventures globally, including in Kenya and India. In 2014, he completed The Mongol Rally, a 10,000-mile adventure from London to Ulan Bator, Mongolia, fundraising for the African Prisons Project.
He has lived all over the world and has spoken at TED and TEDx events across the globe in the United States, Switzerland, Brazil, Scotland, Tunisia, and Lithuania. A global citizen, he has visited each of the 48 contiguous United States and is a member of the “century club” having visited over 100 countries.
Experience
RECENT Press
- It's all about Action. (Emerging Prairie)
- From Starting TEDxPSU to Writing His First Book, Meet the Alumnus Making People's Dreams a Reality (Onward State)
- Engaging the Workforce in Innovation Initiatives (CSR Wire)
- Innovation is Every Employee's Job (PSFK)
- Connections: How They Impact the World (Medium)
- Two Guys and an X (TED)
- Steve Garguilo's Excellent Adventures (Big Ten Network)
- Solving Problems That Matter (Featured in the Amazon Best-Seller)
Publications
CERTIFICATIONS
RECOGNITIONs
AFFILIATIONS
What people are saying
Steve was dedicated to creating an experience...
...for our attendees that was more than just a speaking engagement and to ensure we were aligned on the audience and goals of the conference. During the presentation, Steve provided engaging content, fun icebreakers, and real life examples of how you can incorporate out of the box ideas to create a memorable experience for attendees of every demographic. Our conference was a day-long event with a number of different components, but Steve's 45 minute session is still all our attendees talk about. HIGHLY recommend.
– Rachel Dobroth Director of Operations and Events, Social Tables
Brilliant. Wise. And damn funny.
Of the 250+ speakers I've hosted at events, Steve has activated more of my audiences than anyone else. His insights, wisdom, and action oriented talks leave guests ready to make an impact. Best of all, he is hilarious and keeps folks on their toes the entire way through his messages.
– Greg Tehven Executive Director, Emerging Prairie
Steve Garguilo encompasses all the qualities of a great speaker.
He connects, engages, and inspires through storytelling. Steve motivates audiences to collaborate and literally has them out of their seats talking and building ideas. In the 7 years I’ve been recruiting keynote speakers and managing events for our membership the recent event he led for us was one of the most memorable. He had the most positive feedback from a sold out crowd I’ve received in years. I’d recommend him to any event planner looking for that wow factor.
– Brent Kaufman Programs Director, BMA Milwaukee
He inspired a new community spirit.
In late 2016, Steve spoke to ABB’s top 100 communication leaders from around the world - including the Head of Corporate COM, regional managers and representatives from all communication disciplines - during a global summit held in Switzerland.
He talked about grassroots innovation and how each employee could introduce big changes in their organization by starting within their closest environment. Upon coming on stage, he captured the audience within 30 seconds, he inspired a new community spirit within 3 minutes and at the end of his 30-minute interactive presentation, we had all actively experienced how little we actually need to peek out of the box to make a significant change. He was the optimal speaker to address our group and we would recommend him to anyone who is looking for a personable, inspiring and engaging speaker for their event.
– Daniela Luzalin Head of Internal Communications, ABB
