The man who takes good and makes it… GOODER!

Matt says, “You can do more, be more and have more than you ever thought possible, you just have to be willing to get over yourself to get there.”

From the time Matt was in the 8^th grade he knew his life’s ambition was to help others become more than they ever thought possible.  Since then, his speeches, seminars, and books have inspired thousands of people. Including his most recent book, Stress Free You.  A book solely focused on helping people turn off their stress with the flick of a switch.

However, whenever the global pandemic annihilated his public speaking business, he knew he had to make an enormous pivot. With ample time on his hands, he began pursuing a lifelong dream of becoming a sculptor and creating artworks of bronze. Unbeknownst to him, a God given talent had been lying in wait for the right moment to sprout.  In his first year of creating, his artwork has already received national and international acclaim. The legendary Four Sixes Ranch of Texas has even secured him to begin creating works of art that are “ranch inspired.” Most recently, his lovely wife Katy Rush, has launched her own business, Turquoiseology, a line of custom precured turquoise jewelry and the two have embarked upon a new trail, with a new message.

His story of planting new seeds to overcome adversity is an inspiration to any audience.

Matt has served as the former CEO of the New Mexico Farm Bureau, served on the American Farm Bureau’s Foundation for Agriculture Board of Directors and been a partnering speaker with the Zig Ziglar family. He has been quoted in Bloomberg Business Weekly, NPR, PBS and ABC News. He and his wife make their home in Levelland, TX.

Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM, has been a member of RLI since 1998 and he earned the elite ALC Designation shortly after in 2001.

Since 1985, Dean has specialized in Florida land and conservation easements. He served in the US Senate as Agricultural Liaison, Special Assistant, and Director of External Affairs to US Senator Lawton Chiles, then Governor Chiles (D FL).

From 1992 to 1996 he served in the Florida House of Representatives. Combining a passion for supporting landowner property rights while also conserving natural land in Florida, Dean proposed and became one of three main sponsors of Bert J. Harris Private Property Rights Protection Act. This legislation later evolved into Florida’s conservation easements programs. The concept of state-owned conservation easements was truly revolutionary 25 years ago, but the success of this idea is recognized today as a tremendous positive impact on our state.

He comes from an eighth-generation Florida agricultural family, earned a BSA from the University of Florida in Fruit Crops, Food and Resource Economics, and is a recognized Florida land and conservation easement authority.

In 1996, Dean formed the real estate brokerage firm as Saunders Real Estate, LLC and affiliated with the Coldwell Banker Commercial brand in early 2006. This affiliation brought a national and global presence to the firm.

In 2019, Saunders Real Estate affiliated with the SVN Shared Value Network®, a globally recognized commercial real estate brand united by a shared vision of creating value with clients, colleagues, and communities. The brokerage also more fully integrated with its sister company, Saunders Ralston Dantzler Realty, a comprehensive commercial real estate brokerage, to become SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate.

Dean receives significant recognition for exemplary sales performance and industry leadership.

He is the former chair of the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC), which oversaw nearly 200,000 real estate licensees in 2001 and is past president of the Florida Chapter of REALTORS® Land Institute (RLI). Dean served as Chairman of the Legislative Committee for RLI and on the Board of Directors of RLI. He also served on the Board of Directors for Alico, Inc.

Dean resides in Lakeland, FL with his wife, Gina, and their four children and is an avid hunter with numerous trophy mounts. Each year, the Saunders family commissions an original painting to add to The Saunders Collection: Natural Lands of Florida and Agricultural Heritage from well-known Florida wildlife artists.

David Whitaker attended Missouri Auction School in 2008. Since then, he has been a contract hire auctioneer as well as the owner of Whitaker Marketing Group. Although David enjoys his auctioneer role in many types of auctions, Whitaker Marketing Group’s primary focus is selling farmland and fundraising. David’s passion for the industry has led him to many state championships, international rookie champion, and a world auctioneer spokesman of the year award. David is the Chair of the board for the Iowa Auctioneers Association. He is the President-Elect of the RLI Iowa Chapter.

Joe Michaletz, President & CEO, has 33 years of expertise in the financial service industry. He founded Discipline Advisors, Inc., an SEC registered investment advisory firm, in March of 2006, to manage his clients’ investments, using his unique process to maximize risk-adjusted returns. Because Joe is a strong believer in diversification, he has expanded the firm’s service offerings to include private equity and private real estate alternatives. Along with advising clients and implementing investment strategies, Joe is involved with the investment committee and actively participates in the due diligence process, particularly with alternative investment products. As an entrepreneur by nature, Joe is passionate about advocating for his clients’ financial well-being. He is continuously seeking opportunities to add value to clients of DAI.

Joe is a graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, graduating with honors, and currently holds Series 7, 63, 66 and 24 licenses. Joe was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Alternative & Direct Investment Securities Association (ADISA). He also serves on the Board of Directors of First National Bank Minnesota and is a past board member of Leave a Legacy Mankato Area. Joe and his wife support many local charities including Mayo Clinic Health System Andreas Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic Health System Hospice Program and the Mankato Family YMCA.

In his spare time, Joe enjoys hunting, fishing and hobbies that involve sports and the great outdoors. He is a private pilot which allows him to fly to client meetings across the United States.

Cathy Cole has more than two decades of experience buying and selling private residences and some of the her Texas region’s most spectacular farms and ranches. During that time, she has amassed a record of success that includes 16 Top Producer titles, and the South Central Texas Board of REALTORS® recognized Cathy as their first two-time “REALTOR® of the Year” in 1997 & 2005. She was also awarded the People’s Choice Award for Best Realtor®.

Her dedication to the “country life” and work for clients buying and selling amazing rural properties earned her the honor of serving as Secretary of the Texas Chapter of the REALTORS® Land Institute, the most trusted, accomplished and highest performing land experts across the state. Cathy has served on RLI’s Government Affairs Committee. She is a founding member of the Texas Land Brokers Network, an organization dedicated to networking and education of land professionals. Cathy has also been on the Political Involvement Committees Board for the Texas Association of Realtors®. Cathy says the best advice she ever received was to “be honest and love my work.”

Craig Kaiser is the President and co-founder of LandGate.

He is the former Owner and Chairman of Kamara Kaiser Mining Company, a non-profit West African precious minerals mining organization. He is also a former executive in Alaunt Exploration, a private equity (Warburg Pincus) backed exploration company focused on energy assets in Colorado and Wyoming. Craig has worked for Anadarko Petroleum, Newfield Exploration, Lion Mountain Mining Co., among other energy companies serving in areas of focus ranging from greenfield exploration to full-scale project development.

He received a BSc. in Geosciences from Chadron State College, where he also earned NCAA Football First Team All-Conference honors. He later earned an MSc. in Petroleum Geology from the Colorado School of Mines while receiving fellowships and scholarships from Devon, BP, and numerous other academic and industry organizations. His thesis, “The Graneros-Greenhorn Petroleum System: Greater Wattenberg Area, Denver Basin, Colorado”, was later published and won Paper of the Year for 2014 in the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists.

He and his wife Elizabeth have been blessed with four beautiful daughters.

Andrea Goodhart is Director of Industry Relations for REALTORS® Property Resource (RPR), which delivers on-the-go access to an all-encompassing real estate platform, available exclusively to REALTORS®, and offered at no additional cost.

Kasey Mock has served as the Director of KW Farm & Ranch & Land since its inception in 2014, leading the company from startup to now being one of the fastest growing, networks of land specialists in the country. He founded The Mock Ranches Group in 2014, and in 2017 Kasey was awarded the National Rising Star Award from the Realtors Land Institute. In 2018 Kasey was named the National Recreational Land Broker of the Year by RLI & Land Report’s APEX Awards, and was recognized as an Apex Top Producer in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Kasey is a Co-Founder of the Land Broker CO-OP, and is a Business Productivity Coach with MAPS Coaching. Kasey holds a Bachelor of Science from Tarleton State University. He lives on a small ranch in Driftwood, TX with his wife, Elizabeth and their two children, Maddox and Caroline.

Russell Riggs is a Senior Policy Representative with the National Association of Realtors in Washington, DC. For the past 25 years, Russell has advocated on behalf of Realtors on a variety of public policy issues, including energy, environment, land use, property rights, visas and natural resource issues before Congress and federal regulatory agencies.

Russell serves as the Advocacy Liaison to the Realtors Land Institute, NAR’s Global and Business Affairs Group and NAR’s Resort and Second Home Group.

Prior to his position with NAR, Russell held positions with the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Governors Association and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Russell holds a Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and Master’s Degrees from Tufts University and New York University.

He resides with his family in Falls Church, VA.