Inside the 2026 TrueNorth Summit
On May 11 and 12, the inaugural TrueNorth Summit brought together business leaders from across the country for two days of learning, conversation and the kind of connection that doesn’t happen over email. Here’s a look back at what made the event so special.
By the numbers
- 420 total attendees
- 16 sessions across two days
- 35 speakers and panelists
- 22 sponsors who helped make it possible
- 10+ industries represented
- Over 90% of survey respondents are likely to refer the event to a colleague
Setting the tone: Patrick Lencioni on organizational health
If there was a theme that ran through the entire Summit, it was this: the health of the organization matters as much as its strategy. Maybe even more.
Patrick Lencioni, bestselling author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and founder of The Table Group, delivered a keynote that challenged the room to think differently about what makes businesses succeed over the long term.
“The best leaders in the world are constantly reminding people of what matters.” — Patrick Lencioni, TrueNorth Summit 2026
The conversation continued in the fireside chat between Patrick and TrueNorth CEO Jason Smith, a candid exchange that gave the audience a genuine look at how these ideas play out at the leadership level in an organization.
Main stage: The conversations leaders are having right now
The Summit’s main stage programming was designed to put the most pressing questions from business leaders front and center. Here’s a brief look at what we covered.
Economic outlook: Mid-2026 and beyond
Economist Dr. Anirban Basu of Sage Policy Group gave the room an unfiltered look at where the economy stands at the midpoint of 2026, highlighting inflation trends, labor market dynamics and the indicators worth watching in the months ahead.
Nuclear verdicts: Understanding catastrophic exposure
Industry experts Ben Samuelson from UnityPoint Health, Sean Gelsey Sr. from Copic Insurance Company and Todd Gray from Lewis Brisbois provided the latest insights into how nuclear verdicts continue to evolve and how carriers and organizations are adapting their defense strategies, coverage structures and claims protocols.
CEO panel: Executive leadership in workforce strategy and risk governance
This panel brought together leaders from across industries — Jason Klootwyk (Agtegra Cooperative), AJ and Sauny Tucker (Tucker Freight Lines), Mark Guetzko (Seedorff Holdings) — to talk about the workforce and governance challenges that show up at the top of every organization.
Breakout sessions: Your track, your takeaways
Attendees chose their own learning path based on what was most relevant to their business. Topics covering everything from alternative risk structures and the independent contractor model in transportation, to D&O liability trends, M&A strategy, contract management, health data and plan innovation, and the organizational health framework introduced in Lencioni’s keynote.
What attendees had to say
We asked attendees to share their feedback after the event, and the response was humbling. The comments reflected exactly what we hoped people would take away.
“The organization and thought that went into this is next level. I am so grateful that I was able to attend and that TrueNorth has invested time, materials, labor and energy into providing this conference.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed Patrick Lencioni’s presentation session and the less formal conversation between him and Jason Smith. It was wonderful to hear Jason’s perspective on the application of Patrick’s principles and his learnings and reflections along the way.”
“Speakers were top notch! Completely unexpected gifts upon arrival and departure from the event. Compliments to ALL who put time, energy, resources and effort into such a great summit!”
“I felt like I could bring information back to my team and implement something — which is always nice to have something to bring back.”
Ready to dive deeper?
Select main stage recordings and presentation materials are available upon request. Simply complete a short interest form and we'll follow up with you.
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To our attendees, speakers and sponsors: thank you. This event was built on your participation, expertise and investment in what we're creating together. We're proud of what the TrueNorth Summit became, and we're already looking forward to what comes next.
