Pat Croce

Speaker Bio

Since the 6th grade, when Pat Croce began delivering daily newspapers door-to-door, he has demonstrated a dynamic entrepreneurial spirit. Upon graduation from the University of Pittsburgh in 1977 with a BS in Physical Therapy and certification in Athletic Training, he pioneered the concept of sports medicine. In 1979 he opened the first sports medicine center in the United States with the Haverford Community Hospital Sports Medicine Center. Four years later, he opened Sports Physical Therapists, the first private non-hospital-based sports medicine center in the country. Ten years later, he opened the fortieth center.

Following the highly profitable sale of Sports Physical Therapists to a public company in 1995, Croce focused his entrepreneurial energy and indestructible positive attitude on the purchase of the NBA's last-place team, the Philadelphia 76ers. During his 5-year tenure as president and minority owner (1996-2001), the team rose from worst to first in the NBA standings and broke franchise records in attendance, revenue, merchandise, and consecutive wins on the way to the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2001. Croce's ascension from the training room to the board room, and his remarkable success in the resurrection of the Philadelphia 76ers as a NBA championship contender, inspired NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol to call Croce "the architect of one of the NBA's greatest turnaround stories."

The entrepreneurial bug bit again when Croce pursued his passion for pirates by building the world's first authentic pirate museum Pirate Soul in Key West, FL. The museum has received rave reviews from media and press around the globe. The piratical complex was completed when Croce opened the Rum Barrel restaurant/bar next door.

Croce has also tackled television in his high-energy roles as a lively commentator on the NBA on NBC; a Tae Kwon Do expert for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Greece; the host of a nationally syndicated daily TV show, Pat Croce: Moving In, syndicated by Sony Pictures Television; and most recently as a panel judge on ABC's hit show American Inventor.

Croce has been the proud recipient of the "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award, was a finalist (with Sports Physical Therapists) for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, and was featured on the cover of Inc magazine as "The Dale Carnegie of the 21st Century." He continues to thrive as a serial entrepreneur, funding and launching companies in the fields of fitness, healthcare, spirits, technology, retail, real estate and entertainment.

Programs

Feeling great and maintaining a positive outlook requires effort, second efforts, and sometimes a dose of "Dr. Seuss effort". Learning modules help make your journey straightforward and simple. Stories from Pat Croce's life as well as tips and checklists will help you realize your potential.

Achieve The Impossible

The theme of Pat Croce's high-energy motivational presentation entitled "Achieve the Impossible" is that nothing is impossible when you take action on your passion with a focused determination and an expectation of success.

Using equal doses of enthusiasm, passion and humor, Croce's storytelling touches on his historic rise from the training room to the board room of the Philadelphia 76ers, his remarkable recovery from a devastating motorcycle accident, and his belief in the power of forging relationships from the street to the elite.

Sprinkled throughout Croce's presentation are his "Pat Croce Pointers" which emphasize lessons on everything from the art of listening to the power of a positive attitude. And no one will leave his talk and forget to wipe the "should" off themselves.

Negotiating For Success

10 Commandments Of Customer Service, Pat Croce's Ten Commandments:

1. Say Hello and Goodbye
   Be sure to get your customers coming and going by greeting them with a hearty "hello" and a well-meant "goodbye". And it doesn't have to just be customers or clients; offering everyone you encounter a hello and goodbye is a common courtesy. You make a difference in another's day, and the best part, you feel great!
2. Use First Names
   Our name is the first thing that separates us from everyone else and makes us an individual. When you use a first name, you personalize your experiences with people and make them feel important. Every day, call those first names out loud!
3. Listen, Listen, Listen
   People who talk, talk, talk may monopolize the conversation. But it's the people who listen, listen, listen - and then ask strategic questions - that actually control the conversation. Never underestimate the power of silence, especially when negotiating.
4. Communicate Clearly
   There's nothing so simple that someone can't misunderstand it. Making a clear and full explanation is like going around closing windows - windows that might otherwise be left open to misunderstanding. It takes a measure of discipline to achieve, but it's an important habit to cultivate.
5. Be Neat, Clean and Fit
   People respond more readily to someone who takes an obvious pride in their appearance and environment. This attitude automatically establishes you as a person who can be trusted and an authority who should be respected.
6. Be Prompt and Professional
   Being habitually late creates the impression of being unreliable. Being on time is a habit, nothing more. It requires a little organization, a little discipline and a little planning.
7. Be Positive
   Life has a way of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you always expect the worst, then you'll hardly ever be disappointed. We are all capable of starting out in a positive frame of mind. But to be able to sustain that through failure upon failure...that is the true measure of a positive attitude.
8. Extend Compliments
   Heartfelt praise elevates a person's spirits, leaves them feeling better about themselves, and will often result in them having an encouraging word for someone else.
9. Have Fun
   A good sense of humor makes other good things possible - a positive attitude, passion, pride, productivity, a sense of well-being, and compassion for others.
10. Do It Now!
    If you do not immediately implement what you learn today, then the world will have changed by tomorrow and you will be two steps behind.

For More Information

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