Jamie Belinne

TMVA is pleased to welcome Jamie Belinne, Assistant Dean at the University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business, to speak about The Care and Feeding of Your Young Employee. In this lively and entertaining session, Jamie pulls together her more than ten years of research and 30 years of managing and teaching young people to delve into who Gen Z is, how they are different from Millennials, and what we can do to be successful when working with or managing them.

Brandon Creighton

Brandon Creighton has served Senate District 4 since 2014 which includes Harris, Chambers, Jefferson, Montgomery and Galveston counties. Senate District 4 is the heart of the southeast Texas petrochemical industry and home to the Houston Ship Channel. An eighth-generation Texan, Brandon grew up on a ranch where he learned the value of a strong work ethic.

As a business owner and job creator, Brandon understands the power of the free market to rebuild communities, and that Texas is the economic engine that keeps America running. Brandon’s guiding principle as a lawmaker is simple: ‘Let Texas Run Texas.’ He has led the way to uphold Texas Sovereignty under the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and he has honored his commitment to keep government limited, budgets balanced and taxes low.

Brandon has a proven conservative record. He led Texas’ support for the nation of Israel. His “Buy American Steel” legislation embraced President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda. When the federal government failed to protect our state from illegal border crossings, Texas acted. Brandon led the effort to allocate $800 million toward border security funding. Brandon worked as a pipe fitter for Texaco Chemical and as a policy aide in the Texas Capitol to put himself through college and law school. He then came home to build a business and start a family in the community he grew up in. Brandon is a lifetime member of First Baptist Church of Conroe and the proud father of Presleigh and Cannon. Guided by his faith, a never quit attitude, and desire to keep Texas the best place to start a business and raise a family, Brandon works every day to Let Texas Run Texas

David Marler

A native of Atlanta and a true Georgia Tech fan, David has a B.S. in Business administration along with a Master’s degree from the School of Hard Knocks while owning 2 separate businesses. From feeling the pain of covering a payroll to the stress of exceeding a sales quota, he has developed a simple and very common-sense approach the world of sales and marketing.

He brings his skill set to the world of warehouse automation with LightSpeed as their VP of Sales and Marketing. In his 7 years at LightSpeed he’s helped the company achieve significant growth and profits with the successful launch of new products and bringing technology to smaller operators.

He currently lives in Marietta Ga with his wife Sherrie and their three-year old golden retriever Palmer. An avid golfer with a professional 16 handicap he openly admits to the college football season as his favorite part of the year.

Christopher Blomquist

Christopher Blomquist graduated from Trinity University in 2015 with a BS in Marketing and Psychology. Shortly thereafter, Chris joined Parlevel Systems, a San Antonio-based technology company specializing in unattended food and beverage technology, as a Junior Marketing Intern. Over the next 6 years, Chris focused heavily on helping transform Parlevel from tech startup to major player in the wide world of unattended retail, working his way to Director of Marketing in the process.

Eric Dell

Eric Dell serves as the External Vice President for the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA). NAMA serves the convenience services industry. Dell previously served as Chief of Staff and Counsel to Congressman Joe Wilson for nine years and Senior Vice President for NAMA. At NAMA, Dell’s team has oversight of meetings and events, government affairs, communications, membership, education, and public relations. Dell has also previously served as Vice President of The Keelen Group, a lobbying firm in Washington, DC. Dell’s career has focused on association, political, government and legal service.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from The University of South Carolina and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Dell received his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), with a finance concentration, at the Johns Hopkins University Carey School of Business. Dell’s community involvement includes previous service on the parish council of St. Peter’s Catholic Church; Rotary Club of Capitol Hill; board member of the South Carolina Business Council and volunteer leader for Boy Scouts of America. A native of South Carolina, Dell resides in Alexandria, VA, with his wife Torry and sons Noah and Charles.

Wes Fisher

Wes Fisher is the Director of Federal and State Affairs at the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA), the national trade group representing the $31 billion US convenience services industry. He leads state government affairs and grassroots organizing across the U.S. and works closely with NAMA’s state councils. He has traveled across the nation to testify before state and local governments, provide legislative briefings, and host state lobby days.

Prior to joining NAMA in 2018, Wes led state legislative outreach and membership across fifty states for the American Legislative Exchange Council and has previously held several roles in politics and public policy, including interning in the Office of Congressman Bob Goodlatte (VA-06).

Wes has a degree from James Madison University in Political Science and is a Virginia native.