Late last month, the CPIA selected this year’s Leadership Conference keynote speaker, Connor Fields. A three-time Olympian, Fields is the only American athlete to receive an Olympic Gold Medal for BMX Racing. Known for his many accomplishments in professional sports, he is a recognized inspirational speaker and performance strategist.
About Fields
A second-generation American and native of Las Vegas, Fields’ personal story of life-long learning, success, failure, life-threatening injury and recovery is a powerful story of inspiration that focuses on helping others to triumph by learning how to achieve their personal G.O.L.D. (Goals, Overcome, Learn, Determination) medal.
Before launching his speaker career or becoming an Olympic Gold Medalist, Fields’ story started around age seven when his mother found a Nellis BMX flyer at a local bike shop. After taking his first ride on the Las Vegas-based track, Fields was determined to become a professional rider.
By age 11, Fields stopped participating in all other sports and shifted his focus to strictly BMX. At age 16, Fields ended his amateur career with three National Age Group titles.
In 2005, the Olympic Committee made an official announcement that BMX would be added to the program—giving Fields a new goal to chase. For years Fields’ determination would not waiver and in 2008 after the debut of Olympic BMX he wrote, “I will one day become world champion and win an Olympic Gold Medal” on the wall of his parent’s garage and work-out room.
After a few years of reflecting on that self-made message and a knee injury in 2011, Fields officially became a professional BMX rider. In his BMX career, Fields participated in 10 BMX World Championships, taking Gold in 2012 and 2013. He also represented the United States at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, coming in seventh overall.
But Fields didn’t stop there. In 2016, Fields received an Olympic Gold medal in men’s BMX Racing at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, making him the first American to ever win an Olympic BMX Gold. At the time and throughout much of his BMX journey, Fields credited his parents with being his biggest supporters and was thankful for an amazing group of coaches, training partners and sponsors.
Four years later, Fields crashed with a fellow racer during the semifinals of the postponed Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, leaving him with brain shearing and bleeding, a broken rib and a collapsed lung. According to reports, the accident was one of the most horrific in Olympic history and had left him to rely on intubation to breathe.
After months of recovery and therapy, Fields was able to overcome his traumatic brain injury from the accident. While Fields chose not to return to competitive sports afterward, he instead embarked on his speaking career where he could share with others his passion for overcoming adversity and achieving success.
Apart from being a professional in BMX, Fields had juggled education throughout his career and was always determined to receive a college degree. For nine years, he enrolled in classes when time permitted, ultimately graduating from the University of Nevada Las Vegas with a degree in business management.
It is reported that his education and personal experience have made him an expert in goal setting, managing pressure, dealing with adversity and peak performance. Fields is also committed to community betterment, highlighted by his involvement with St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, The Goodie-Two-Shoes foundation and Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada.
At the CPIA Leadership Conference in October, Fields is expected to share the many lessons learned throughout his 20-year racing career with highlights that include competing in more than 25 countries; racing in three Olympic Games; meeting three presidents; and representing the United States over 50 times at global sporting events.
In his talk, Fields will also touch on his experience with branding strategy, marketing campaigns, product development, high-pressure team environments and more.
About the CPIA Leadership Conference
This year, the CPIA Leadership Conference will take place Oct. 10-13, at The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa in Henderson, Nevada, in conjunction with Technology Publishing Company’s Commercial Contractor Connect event.
While the agenda for the conference is slated to be announced in the coming weeks, the association promises guaranteed facetime with top commercial painting contractors and coatings suppliers, educational sessions, and meetings between leadership teams of some of the most successful commercial painting businesses in the world.
The event also promises world-class group activities, which include golf at one of the finest courses in the country and a helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon, courtesy of The Sherwin-Williams Company! (Be sure to arrive Sunday, Oct. 9, to participate in Monday-morning activities.)
For those who love golf and want to stay an extra day, there is limited space for a golfing activity on Friday, Oct. 14, at the Wolf Creek Golf Club in Mesquite, Nevada.
Registration for the CPIA Leadership Conference can be accessed here.
Registrants are welcome to invite colleagues and a spouse or significant other. A special rate is offered for spouses/significant others who are not in the commercial painting business. While they will not attend conference sessions, they can enjoy meals, recreational activities, receptions and all the resort has to offer.
If interested in sponsoring the second annual CPIA Leadership Conference, please contact Executive Director Mike Stanley at mstanley@thecpia.com, or call 610-301-4248.
