Che Pope is a Grammy award-winning American hip-hop producer from Boston, MA. Pope is also the former president of G.O.O.D. Music. He is perhaps best known for producing Grammy-nominated "Bound 2" by Kanye West, as well as executive producing the album Cruel Summer and co-executive producing Yeezus.
Sebastian Jackson is the Founder and CEO of The Social Club Grooming Company and has nearly 20 years of experience in the men’s grooming industry. He has been recognized by the Michigan Ross School of Business, Harvard Business School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business as a guest lecturer. He is currently an Entrepreneur in Residence at Rock Ventures.
Shop Talk is transforming the age-old barbershop conversation and has the potential to do the same to our society in the process. It’s equal parts inspiration, affirmation and co-creation of the world that everyone in the room wants to see.
Gary Peters is a United States Senator from Michigan, who is a proud husband and father of three, five generations in Michigan, 20+ years in business, 10+ years in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and a fighter for the middle class.
Chef Chris McClendon found his passion for cooking at the early age of 19 working for his family’s catering business. Once this passion was discovered, he enrolled in the Culinary Arts program at Schoolcraft College. It was at Schoolcraft where he met his mentor and brother Chef Shawn Loving.
After working with Chef Loving for many years, Chef McClendon moved to New York to pursue a career as the Personal Chef to NBA star Eddy Curry. He has also worked as a Personal Chef to celebrity clients John W. Barfield, William Wesley, Allen Iverson, Matthew Stafford and Greg Monroe, just to name a few. Chef McClendon returned to Detroit in 2010 where he became Chef for the Non-Profit organization “The McKinney Foundation”.
In 2015 Chef McClendon became Head Chef at the Northern contemporary soul restaurant concept “Savannah Blue”. As Head Chef, he emphasizes hiring culinarians who live in the community where the restaurant is located with the goal of having a positive impact and pouring into the lives of the employees while also ensuring that positive impact translates into the kitchen where it will then have the same effect on the patrons of the establishment. He learned this concept from Chef Loving. Chef McClendon continues to consult for many restaurants and has recently became the author of his first Cookbook entitled “The Sexy Breakfast Cookbook”.
