Convention 2023 Speakers

Ben Nemtin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? and The Bucket List Journal. Ben is ranked the #2 Motivational Speaker in the World by Global Gurus and starred in The Buried Life, MTV’s highest rated show on iTunes and Amazon. As the co-founder of The Buried Life movement, Ben’s message of radical possibility has been featured on The Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, FOX, and NBC News. President Obama called Ben and The Buried Life “inspiration for a new generation” and Oprah declared their mission “truly inspiring.”
In his first year of university, Ben was unexpectedly hit with a depression that forced him to drop out. In an attempt to feel more alive, he created the world’s greatest bucket list with his three best friends. They borrowed a rickety old RV and crisscrossed North America, achieving the unthinkable. And most importantly, every time they accomplished a dream of their own, they helped a complete stranger cross something off their bucket list. From playing basketball with President Obama and having a beer with Prince Harry to reuniting a father and son after seventeen years and surprising a young girl with a much-needed bionic arm, So far, he’s crossed off 96 of his 100 list items and in 2025 he’ll be crossing of #100: Go to Space. Ben’s message of radical possibility has inspired millions to unlock their true potential.

After surviving three near-death encounters in his native country of Trinidad — including almost losing his ear in a gang fight at age 14—a 17-year-old Ifoma Pierre turned his life around. He received a craftsman diploma from John Donald Technical Institute and started making various types of clothing that he sold on a wall eight hours away by boat in the sister island of Tobago.
From this, he grew his tailoring business from one sewing machine to six and had his clothing featured in many fashion shows.
Pierre met and married the love of his life, Hazel, at age 22. But after a bad property deal took their life savings, they decided to start over in New York City and moved into a basement rental so small his nine-month-old son’s room was a closet.
Pierre humorously thought himself “the perfect candidate” when he answered a newspaper ad to make money in real estate with no experience or money required! When the opportunity didn’t work out, he quickly realized a license would lead to better opportunities, but it would be three years before his first sale. Despite the slow start, he continued to invest every dollar he had on personal development books, coaching, and tools and by 2018, Pierre was named one of the “Top 20 Rising Stars in Real Estate under 40” by the Long Island Board of REALTORS®.
Pierre has been an International Corporate Trainer and is a John Maxwell Certified Speaker Trainer and Coach. He has acquired the designations of ABR, GRI, MCNE, SRS, PSA, E-PRO, CBR, and ITI.

Addie Owens is a public speaker, industry leader, and owner of Touchstone Real Estate Group, Inc. TREG operates a full-service real estate brokerage, referral group, real estate school, and leadership academy. With 18 years of successful real estate sales experience, Addie has put her skills to work educating fellow REALTORS® across the country and helping develop leaders on their own journey.

Shane Norris joined Summit Sotheby’s International Realty in 2017 as general counsel for its agents and brokers, contributing his over 20 years of insight and experience on legal matters related to real estate transactions. Through the expansion of the Summit Sotheby’s ownership group, Shane is now general counsel for Sotheby’s franchises in Nevada, California, Idaho and Utah. Shane previously was Coldwell Banker/NRT’s in-house litigation counsel as well as the general counsel and president for a Utah title insurance company.
Raised in Las Vegas where he obtained an undergraduate degree at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Shane moved to Utah to attend the University of Utah, SJ Quinney College of Law. Shane went on to private practice in insurance defense and real estate litigation. He now instructs on current legal issues relevant to the real estate licensee, in addition to offering continuing education classes specializing in real estate challenges. Shane also contributes his legal knowledge to the greater community as a member of both the Park City and Utah Association of REALTORS® (UAR) forms committees.

Kreg Wagner is legal counsel for the Utah Association of REALTORS and has been with the UAR since 2012. In his role as legal counsel, Kreg oversees the UAR’s Legal Hotline and the UAR Forms Committee. Conservatively, Kreg has answered over 100,000 questions on the UAR’s Legal Hotline on topics ranging from contract formation and dispute resolution to real property and agency law. Kreg is a licensed continuing education instructor and teaches a variety of real estate law classes to real estate licensees.
Kreg received his bachelor’s degree in communication, with an emphasis in public relations, from BYU – Idaho and his juris doctorate from the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minnesota.

Molly Nielson is the director of education and product with UtahRealEstate.com. She has been supporting real estate agents in building their businesses for more than 10 years. Prior to serving at the MLS, Molly worked as the member services director for the Salt Lake Board of REALTORS® where she developed her passion for this exciting industry.
Upon joining the URE team, Molly discovered an obsession for researching and analyzing real estate statistics — an enthusiasm she hopes to inspire in others. When she is not speaking or training, Molly can be found hiking, running, paddle boarding, or cooking.

Matty Epstein is director of sales at FBS. After his industry debut selling the first virtual imaging software in 2000, Matt took an opportunity to work as a REALTOR® in Huntington Beach, Calif. He’s since spent the last 17 years selling MLS software — 10 of which have been with FBS. In his free time, Matt is out catching waves, traveling with his wife and kids, and playing with their dog, Grom.