BIO - Greg's Bio

WEBSITES:  Greg's website  - The First Thirty website  - www.ShakingUpAmerica.com, click Enter Here

Mentoring Program: www.BrunchBunch.org

Greg's nonprofit site - www.ShakingUpAmerica.org (Click HISTORY)

BOOK SUMMARY:  One page synopsis of The First Thirty

BACKGROUND:  The First Thirty by Jillip Naysinthe Paxson is based on the true story of Greg Forbes Siegman; his efforts to collaborate with the F&B Industry to bring people of diverse ages, cultures and backgrounds together; and the first thirty things to be learned from his setbacks and successes along the way. The First Thirty is now used internally and/or externally by a wide variety of F&B companies, hotels, restaurants, and others. 

FURTHER BACKGROUND - F&B/HOTEL:    Greg's first job ever, first job in college and first job after college were all in the F&B-Restaurant-and/or Hotel Industry. His first job was hotel restaurant busboy.  His first job in college was food delivery for a local sandwich shop.  His first job after college was doorman at a restaurant/club/wine bar. The latter of those three jobs is discussed in detail in the book -- including lessons learned from the boss while working at a restaurant/bar. After college, Greg founded BrunchBunch.org - the mentoring program in which he collaborated with restaurants (and hotel restaurants) to bring together people of different ages, races, cultures together over weekly brunches. Dozens of top restaurants and 700 people took part in the program.  Greg personally coordinated and attended the first 243 consecutive outings.  The book also highlights how the kindness Greg was shown by an unnamed bagel shop led to his creation to 'pass it on' by creating a program involving volunteering with senior citizens. More than 200 people spent more than 800 hours as part of that program. The book also highlights the experience planning banquets and Galas at a restaurant and at a hotel (and about discovering the importance of great service).    In recent years, Greg launched another F&B related program -  www.ShakingUpAmerica.com

FURTHER BACKGROUND - TOURISM: Throughout the story, characters find themselves exploring places outside their immediate boundaries and learning lessons in the process.  They include:  summer camps in the wilderness in the Midwest, attending college in the Deep South, and working in a socioeconomically diverse community.

THE MILKSHAKE CONNECTION:  As a result of Greg's affection for milkshakes -- and the role milkshakes played in his efforts to bring people together of different backgrounds -- the symbol of the shakes have become central to much of Greg's efforts (such as the logo for his Foundation, the trophies for its scholarships, etc.). The 'milkshake' connection led to an unusual stream of publicity for those involved -- including newspaper, magazine and TV coverage such as Greg appearing in a cover story for The NonProfit Times drinking a milkshake (complete with milk moustache), to Good Morning America  burying a Time Capsule which chronicled hiss efforts to turn three milkshakes into a nationally-acclaimed mentoring program, to a letter from First Lady Laura Bush noting that Greg had "changed the way she looks at milkshakes."  Part of the book revolves around Greg's seemingly ridiculous dream to see the whole world come together for milkshakes.  Despite its 'silly' basis, the dream has actually begun to happen - with dozens and even hundreds of people at a time joining him for milkshakes in places like California, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Connecticut, Chicago, Boston, Canada and Africa.

CLICK HERE TO READ WHAT FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH HAD TO SAY ABOUT GREG & MILKSHAKES.

SAMPLE OF MEDIA/HONORS/PUBLIC FIGURES: 
== Nation's Restaurant News stories on Greg's civic collaborations with restaurant industry
== Good Morning America buries Time Capsule chronicling Greg's efforts to use food/milkshakes/restaurants to break down racial, cultural boundaries
== Beverage World feature on Greg's efforts incorporating milkshakes into his philanthropic fundraising efforts

== First Lady Laura Bush writes that Greg has "changed the way we look at milkshakes."

==  Greg was named one of today's "Trailblazers" by EntrepreneurshipWeek USA in 2007. EntrepreneurshipWeekUSA was presented by Kauffman Foundation; Inc. ; and The New York Times.  Others on the list, which are described as a "sample of people who have taken on their BIG idea and made it into a reality", include leaders of some of the most popular companies in F&B and related fields.

== Then-President Bill Clinton recognized efforts of BrunchBunch.org Mentoring Program

== In 2007, The First Thirty was selected as NSDLC Multicultural Book of the Year

== Leadership Conference on Civil Rights honors BrunchBunch.org as one of America's "Promising Programs"
== Other letters of support for Greg's efforts involving restaurant community to bring people together of different races and cultures, come from: former President Bush, current President Bush, NAACP CEO Kweisi Mfume, Governors, Senators
== Honorary degree in Hospitality Management
== Other honors include: Jefferson Award for Public Service, America's Daily Point of Light, Hasbro's Real-life American Heroes, CBS Tylenol Hometown Hero, Education Center Director's Award
== NBC, National Public Radio, Yahoo!, Washington Post Co, Education Week among others

SAMPLE OF SPEECHES & THOSE USING THE BOOK: 

==  Greg was the guest speaker at an off-site meeting for staff of General Mills.  In advance, organizers ordered copies of The First Thirty

== Jamba Juice ordered copies of The First Thirty for people in Africa as part of The First Thirty Elevator Project Africa

==  In Canada, Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Center ordered some copies of The First Thirty as a way to recognize special acts of kindness by guests

== In Florida, less than 1 hour after reading the book, Claudine Mourjan, host of the French bistro, Bistro Provence, ordered 100 additional copies  -- using some for a staff-wide reading (citing the value of the lessons learned from Greg's time working at a restaurant, as chronicled in the book), and the others to give out to top customers (citing the book's focus on restaurants as a place that brings special people together).

== Senior Lifestyle Corporation, one of America's most prominent companies in the senior housing industry, booked Greg to speak at an event for executives (and also ordered copies of the books for all the attendees).

==  Eatzi's Chicago ordered copies of The First Thirty for its staff during the 2007 holiday season

== Steak 'n Shake (Galesburg, IL branch) ordered copies of The First Thirty for local students, and in conjunction with Greg speaking in their town, gave away hundreds of certificates for free milkshakes. Steak 'n Shake, on the corporate level, subsequently ordered copies for some staffers.

==  The Republic of Tea ordered copies of The First Thirty for some of its staff (as well as MBA students) in St. Louis, then sponsored a surprise visit by Greg to give a speech.

== A Bakers Square location ordered copies of The First Thirty to give to local college students as part of their community engagement effotrs around Thanksgiving

== Sodexho provided milkshakes for a post-event reception after Greg spoke in Albany as part of Black History Month 2008.

== Brinker International ordered copies of The First Thirty for some staffers as part of their emphasis on Diversity

== In Illinois, the Alton Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau ordered copies of The First Thirty for a staff-wide reading

== In Connecticut, Tosca Restaurant and Wilma's Scoop du Jour ordered copies of the book to give to customers

== Green Tourism Association in Canada ordered copies of The First Thirty for staff, and sponsored a prize for an essay contest based on the book for Canadian students

== An outlet of Whole Foods generously sponsored an essay contest on The First Thirty for local kids in their community (who were part of a mentoring program involving local college students)

== In Canada, Travelodge Hotel Airlane ordered dozens of copies of The First Thirty and its companion workbook A Place To Sit for its staff as a holiday gift - emphasizing the book's relevance to hospitality and service

== In California, Greg and John Sculley (Former CEO of Pepsi) spoke at the Valley Business Conference  There were more than 40 sponsors of the event, including:  Producers Dairy, Ruiz Food Products and Chukchansi Gold Resort
== Campagnia Restaurant sponsored an essay contest for students based on The First Thirty
== In California, Piccadilly Inn Airport Hotel did a Senior Staff-wide reading of The First Thirty
== In Denver, Maggiano's Little Italy sponsored an art contest based on the book for local students there

== The head of a local branch of GNC Live Well, the popular health & nutrition store, ordered copies of The First Thirty for his staff as a holiday gift -- citing the story's emphasis on living on a positive way and working collaboratively with those around you
== KC got copies of The First Thirty for every student in Honor Society in conjunction with MLK Day, booked Greg to be Commencement Speaker and gave him an honorary degree

== Wilma's Scoop du Jour (ice cream shop) ordered copies of The First Thirty for local kids in Connecticut 

SAMPLE OF CHARITABLE COLLABORATIONS
== On the night of Greg's 30th birthday, there was a special event at the movie theater to benefit his nonprofit foundation (The 11-10-02 Foundation).  Maggiano's Little Italy catered the event for hundreds of people - on the house.
==  In an individual instance and/or on an ongoing basis, dozens of top F&B or Hotel groups have supported BrunchBunch.org, and other top industry-related corporations have contributed to Greg's civic efforts (such as Kraft Foods, The NutraSweet Co,  Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co, Brinker International, P.J. Clarke's, Levy Restaurants, Big Bowl and Einstein Bros. Bagels)

SAMPLE OF FEEDBACK FROM GREG'S SPEECHES & READERS OF THE BOOK &/OR VISITS TO HOTELS/RESTAURANTS

 
"Thank you for giving the Regency Lodge the opportunity to serve Greg during his trip to Omaha.  It was a real pleasure meeting and getting to know him, he is an amazing person.  The PR provided is priceless and we truly appreciate it however I would have been happy to have him stay with us even without it.  His influence on our staff and guests was a breath of fresh air.  Somehow he was able to come in for only a couple of days and re-energize the staff by simply interacting with them, I can only imagine the results of hearing him speak in a more formal setting... " -- Brian Tornquist, Director of Sales and Marketing, Regency Lodge Omaha

"I read The First Thirty and having it come to life through Greg's presence was awesome...Great message that really hit home with our folks. It isn't rocket science, [just] real-world practical advice about living. Obviously our group really enjoyed it and they are still talking about it. I appreciate Greg coming early and staying with us through lunch - he visibly demonstrated how one individual can make a difference in people's lives. Very impactful. He exceeded my expectations." - - Mike Noble, Plant Manager, General Mills West Chicago

"This should be required reading in business school. It's a case study in how to start small, think big and lead by example." -- Bob Middlemas, Executive Vice President, Nordstrom

"For anyone who's been knocked down or told you can't do it, The First Thirty is an uplifting read that will make you want to get up, shake yourself off, have a milkshake and get back to work..." - Fresno Famous

"The First Thirty illustrates the responsibilities we have as parents, grandparents, teachers and business leaders to influence the people around us.  Every teacher should make The First Thirty required reading.  It's William Saroyan for the next generation." - Sam Geil, Parent & Company President, California