Theme: Unlocking Potential.
A full day at Wilson Creek Winery for CEOs, C-Suite executives and senior leaders of Temecula Valley's "Big Small" companies. Keynote, TED-style speakers, expert-facilitated breakouts, a moderated panel, and curated networking — for peers, with peers, by peers.
The Valley Business Journal’s October issue gives the 2026 CEO & C-Suite Summit a full page (p.13), alongside Mike Richardson’s piece on why Temecula Valley’s “Big Small” companies need a local leadership eco-system (p.15).
Invitation only. We curate the room so every conversation is among true peers.
Wilson Creek Winery in the heart of Temecula Valley wine country — the same venue that hosted the 100-person inaugural Summit in November 2025. The day flows across the main hall, breakout rooms, gazebos, and gardens, ending with a wine-country reception at golden hour.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026 · 10 AM – 6 PM · Wilson Creek Winery
Plus dedicated HRX programming for HR executives, NPX programming for nonprofit leaders and AIX programming for AI leaders, all under the same roof.
From the inaugural CEO/C-Suite Summit at Wilson Creek Winery, November 2025 — 100 leaders in the room. This year we're doubling it.
“This type of event is so important — to bring the leaders together for that small-big business.”
Inspiring Possibilities: Unlocking Your Gold Medal Potential
Olympic Gold Medalist · Six-time World Champion · TEDx Speaker · Host of Inspiring Possibilities — The Courage to Jump In (Top 20 global podcast)
From failing her first swim level four times to standing on the Olympic podium, Michelle's journey reflects what it truly takes to move through fear, navigate pressure, and show up when it matters most. She'll bring 30+ years of experience with high-performing teams and leaders to a room of Temecula Valley's Big Small executives.
Over the past 30+ years, Michelle has spoken on stages internationally, worked with thousands of leaders and teams, and contributed to major initiatives — including helping lead a United Way campaign that raised nearly $50 million.
Michelle works with high-achieving individuals and teams to move beyond overthinking and the pressure to be perfect — into aligned, sustainable action and real momentum. As a mom of four and married nearly 35 years, she brings a grounded, real-world perspective on leadership, life, and what actually matters.
Her core belief: success doesn't have to come at the cost of connection, energy, or enjoyment. When people feel seen and supported, performance naturally rises.
The 2026 Summit theme is Unlocking Potential. Michelle's story — failing swim level four times, then Olympic gold — is exactly the arc that resonates with Big Small executives navigating the messy middle: real pressure, real setbacks, real people counting on you, and no clean playbook.
She'll open the day. Everything else the Summit does — the breakouts, the panel, the networking — is designed to help attendees put the keynote to work in their own leadership.
Short, focused talks from people running Big Small organizations in Temecula Valley right now — on the fight for the valley itself, AI, succession, unrelenting standards and the nonprofit imperative. Each one speaks to this year's theme: Unlocking Potential.
SDG&E’s proposed 500 kV Powerlink would run 20-story towers through Temecula Creek, past schools and neighborhoods, and across the views Wine Country is built on, to serve San Diego County and the LA Basin. Stacey Lauren and Avery Crumrine facilitate their Megaphone methodology for billion dollar impact with Save Temecula’s Mark Winkler and Natalie Garcia, making the case that protecting the valley keeps our community on its journey of unlocking potential, and why its business leaders have a voice in what happens next.
Most leadership teams started the year with AI on the agenda. Far fewer are ending it with AI unlocking potential in the work. Keith Jensen takes stock of where Big Small companies really stand: what’s delivering, what’s noise, and the few moves worth making before the new year.
Every family business eventually faces the same question: how do you hand on what you’ve built without losing what made it work? Done well, succession is about unlocking potential in two generations at once. Bill and Cassidy Wilson share how they’re approaching succession at Wilson Creek Winery together, and the coaching, on both sides, that’s making it possible.
Oili brings the oil change to you. Colton Telford makes the case that a service business wins on standards, not slogans: the precision of an F1 pit crew, the consistency of a Michelin star kitchen, and a team that holds the bar every time. Standards like that don’t constrain people, they are the key to unlocking potential, and that is how a good idea becomes a trusted brand.
Nonprofits are corporations driven by service rather than profit, yet they’re routinely expected to do more with less, often by the very business leaders who sit on their boards. Launa Wilson makes the case that when we start valuing nonprofits as “real” businesses, we start investing in their leaders, unlocking potential so that missions, and communities, truly thrive.
Attendance is by invitation. Tell us about you and your company, and we'll be in touch with next steps.
