Keynotes
FABTECH 2025’s keynote lineup will feature renowned leaders who will share actionable insights on leadership, teamwork and business performance.
Sept. 8 |
Over the Wall Thinking
Andy Papathanassiou, NASCAR visionary and motorsports industry innovator, will explore how high-pressure environments demand quick decision-making, teamwork, and innovation. He will discuss how the strategies he introduced to NASCAR pit crews—emphasizing preparation, communication, and continuous improvement—can be applied to business settings to optimize efficiency and leadership.
Sept. 9 |
Game On: A Championship Vision
Emmitt Smith, Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, entrepreneur, and bestselling author, will discuss leadership, resilience, and the importance of teamwork. As a three-time Super Bowl champion and the league’s all-time leading rusher, Smith will share insights on overcoming challenges, setting goals, and adapting to new opportunities—both on the field and in business.
Sept. 10 |
Raise Their Game: How to Improve Your Leadership Performance, Impact and Influence
Alan Stein Jr., performance coach, speaker, and author, will break down the leadership habits and mental performance strategies used by elite athletes and high-performing organizations. Drawing from his experience coaching NBA greats like Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kobe Bryant, he will outline practical methods to enhance leadership, strengthen team culture, and create an environment where employees perform at their best.
About the Speakers
NASCAR Visionary and Motorsports Industry Innovator
Andy Papathanassiou became NASCAR’s first pit crew coach when hired by Hendrick Motorsports in 1992, as an original member of Jeff Gordon’s Dupont #24 race team. Prior to racing, Andy attended Stanford University on a football scholarship and started four years on the offensive line. He graduated with his Bachelor’s in Economics and Master’s in Organizational Behavior. His philosophy and views as an outsider to NASCAR ultimately shifted the paradigm of how pit crews recruit, select and develop team members. Previously, pit crews were comprised of mechanics who devoted little time to practicing pit stops - relying instead on their vast, individual knowledge of car building and racing experience. Andy employed an athletic mindset and problem-solving approach, which centered on practice and repetition, coaching and review, innovation, and process improvement. Collectively, he calls this philosophy, Over the Wall™. Over The Wall thinking changed the paradigm of how all NASCAR teams select, train, and compete. After a 30-year racing career, with over 250 wins and 16 series championships, Andy speaks, conducts experiential events, and consults around high-performing teams, transformative leadership, culture, paradigms, disruptive thinking and athletic mindset.
Pro Football Hall of Fame Running Back
A respected entrepreneur, bestselling author, and one of the most valuable personal brands in the sports-entertainment field — these are just a few of the ways to describe Emmitt Smith. His illustrious football career includes three Super Bowl championships as a member of the Dallas Cowboys and the honor of being the only player to have won a Super Bowl MVP, NFL MVP and NFL Rushing Crown in the same season. Join Emmitt as he talks about adapting to change and overcoming obstacles, achieving goals, leadership and teamwork – while highlighting his journey as a football player, businessman and even “Dancing with the Stars” champion.
Performance Coach, Speaker, and Author
Sharing the same proven strategies that athletes use to perform at a world-class level, Alan
Stein, Jr. helps companies improve organizational performance, create effective leadership,
increase team cohesion and collaboration, and develop winning mindsets, rituals, and routines.
In his keynote programs and workshops, Alan shares real-world lessons, illustrated by powerful stories, so that every audience can immediately put new ideas into action. He has a passion for helping organizations create high-performance cultures, and his clients include American Express, Pepsi, Under Armour, Starbucks, Charles Schwab, Orangetheory Fitness, and numerous college athletic programs such as Penn State Football and UConn Men’s Basketball.
An acclaimed basketball performance coach, Alan spent 15 years working with the highest performing athletes on the planet (including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kobe Bryant). He transfers that knowledge to reveal how leaders and teams can utilize the same approaches in business that elite athletes use to perform at a world-class level.
The strategies from Alan’s books, Raise Your Game and Sustain Your Game, are implemented
by corporate teams and sports teams around the country. His inspirational words are featured on a 12-foot mural outside the Penn State Football Training Center, so that players run past it on the way to practice every day.
