Presenters Show Up and Speak Up About Achieving Goals
January 26—”Make the most of your time” was the theme of this week’s Power Lunch Series. Through our partnership with Lumity, we were joined by two entrepreneurs. Ahmed “Flex” Omar of GlobalEventz, and Bryant O.C. Wallace, CEO of cyber security firm WallScott Solutions.
Omar, who came to the United States as a refugee from Somaliland, has spent his life balancing his education, his family, and his career. He spoke with students about striving for greatness and developing lasting professional skills such as time management, building relationships, and letting go of ego.
“24 hours in a day is a lot. You only sleep for eight. What will you do with the other 16?” Omar asked of the 12 students in attendance.
Wallace spoke with a group of 15 students about overcoming obstacles and believing in themselves to achieve greatness. His passion for inspiring young people and staying dedicated to constant self improvement shone through his talk.
His words of wisdom are simple: “The most important thing you can do is show up. You have to show up. The fact that you showed up today is everything,” he said.
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ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS
Bryant O.C. Wallace
“Turning obstacles into opportunities”
Mr. Wallace is the president and C.E.O. of WallScott Solutions which he founded over 10 years ago. He is a native of Davenport, IA, and worked at Greatest Grains and Happy Joe’s Pizza, where he learned the value of being your own boss, working and keeping up with academics. He also played football and was a varsity wrestler. He attended the University of Northern Iowa with the idea to become a sports coach; however, he was drawn to the growing computer industry and graduated from Northern Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in business and started his technology career at John Deere.
He always had a dream to own his own business, so he moved to Chicago, where he started the computer consulting firm called WallScott Solutions. Mr. Wallace found a way to combine his love of both coaching and technology through the founding of his company and has become a leader in coaching businesses on how to use technology to grow.
He credits all the people who gave him guidance, direction and encouragement in his life and is grateful they helped him learn the value of overcoming obstacles. He believes that opportunities are open to everyone, no matter their race, sex, economic situation or age. All you need is the drive to find the right tools and the desire to make your dreams come true
Ahmed “Flex” Omar
“Making connections”
Flex talks about how his innate ability to make connections between people and organizations has helped fuel his success in technology, sales, event production and in his nonprofit efforts.
A native of Somaliland, Ahmed, an entrepreneur and activist, grew up in the UAE before immigrating to Chicago as an adult. He’s worked at UBS Wealth Management Group, American Express, RSM Mcgladrey and Deloitte before founding Global Eventz, an event marketing company that has organized over 500 corporate, nightlife and charity events. In 2015, he co-founded the Muslim American Leadership Alliance and was a delegate at the 2015 United Nations NGO conference. He was a speaker at the UN Women’s Commission on the Status of Women, 60th Session. Ahmed also implemented nationwide screenings of the critically acclaimed documentary film, He Named Me Malala by Participant Media. He’s an active member of the Chicago Leadership Alliance.
