Eric Chester

Eric Chester is the premier expert on the new emerging workforce of teens and young adults aged 16-to-26; a cohort he's labeled Generation Why.  As a former teacher and coach—turned motivational speaker for youth, Eric's spent a decade an invited guest speaker to more than 1500 high school and college campuses all over North America. He’s not just another academic with an opinion on generational workforce issues; he’s an in-the-trenches ally to thought-leaders around the world.

In 1998, Eric founded Generation Why, Inc., a speaking, training, and consulting firm that helps companies and organizations recruit, train, manage, motivate, and retain young talent.  He’s the author of the two bestselling books on this topic:  EMPLOYING GENERATION WHY - Understanding, Managing, and Motivating Your New Workforce (Tucker House Books, 2002) and GETTING THEM TO GIVE A DAMN – How to Get Your Front Line to Care About Your Bottom Line (Kaplan). He’s been the keynote speaker at annual meetings and conventions for such giants as McDonald’s, Wells Fargo, Harley-Davidson, Alcoa, Nationwide Insurance, and Sprint and was a 2004 inductee into the International Professional Speakers Hall of Fame. He frequently appears on national media (Good Morning America, MSNBC, FoxNews, CNN, ABC News 20/20, etc.) and is interviewed in major publications (Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Business Week, Harvard Business Review, etc.) to provide insight and perspective to business leaders, owners, and operators.

Eric and his wife, Lori, live in Golden, CO and have four adult children in the Generation Why age demographic.