Earlier today, I caught up with Brad Lomenick. I like to call him Mr. Catalyst. I think his official title is something rather tame like “Executive Director.” Brad is really sharp, and he’s orchestrating a movement that’s committed to equipping the next generation of leaders.
TONY: It’s been almost a year since we last talked on my blog, what’s new at Catalyst?
BRAD: Lots of new things on the Catalyst front. This has been a very busy and intense year with moving Catalyst from one event to multiple events and locations. This year we added two new events, with our West Coast event in April and the One Day events with Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel. We have also launched a publishing imprint with Zondervan focused on resources for leaders in the Church, and will be celebrating our 10th anniversary of the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta in October.
TONY: No, I mean what’s really new. Give me some dirt that the tabloids don’t even know about.
BRAD: Launching the West Coast event was a ton of fun. We are really excited about building the Catalyst community and network on the West Coast. And we actually now have a West coast office with LV Hanson leading the charge out of Orange County- our “satellite office.” We are actually concepting some potential online events for 2010, a new international focus, several major partnerships, and a potential BIG global event in 2010 in conjunction with several organizations. That’s all I can say…..
TONY: I’m looking forward to the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta coming in October. Tell us about the speaker line up.
BRAD: It’s the best lineup ever in my opinion, including all of our main session speakers as well as lab session speakers. And a wide range of voices, which is always a Catalyst trademark. We love hearing from all angles around the topic of leadership. Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Francis Chan, Dave Ramsey, Rob Bell, Malcolm Gladwell, Tony Dungy, Chuck Swindoll, Matt Chandler, Shane Hipps, Priscilla Shirer, Josh Hamilton, Margaret Feinberg, Perry Noble, Reggie Joiner, Nancy Ortberg, Mark Batterson, Dave Gibbons, Ed Stetzer, and many others.
TONY: Any surprises that will make this year’s conference more “Catalysty” than it’s ever been before.
BRAD: Yes, but I can’t really share them. Let me just say that because it is the 10th year anniversary, we are working hard to make it extra special, and extra “Catalysty” as you put it!
TONY: By the way, I heard a rumor that Andy is really jealous of Malcolm Gladwell’s hair. Is that true?
BRAD: Not sure if Andy is, but I know I am. I definitely have “hair envy” of Malcolm’s hair. But since I have no hair, I am pretty much jealous of any hair.
So, here’s the deal. Not only is Brad a relatively decent interview, he’s also a generous guy. I twisted his arm and he agreed to offer a one-of-kind discount for TonyMorganLive.com readers. Get your pen and paper ready. This could get pretty complicated. You need to register with the priority code “TONY” to get the $40 discount on individual registrations. And you need to do that by the end of the day on Thursday (June 25). If you don’t, the discount goes away.
Now, remember, the priority code is “TONY.” Don’t try to use “ANDY,” because that won’t work. Don’t try to use “LOUIE,” because that won’t work either. And, whatever you do, don’t use “ED.” Everyone knows friends of Ed Stetzer always pay full price.
