All are welcome to attend the Fathers Matter Forum co-sponsored by DJ Construction and the Community Foundation of Elkhart County. The forum, in its fourth year, will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, at the Northern Indiana Event Center.
Through the Fathers Matter Forum, we aim to create awareness and inspire action. We bring together notable speakers, organizations, and community members to discuss solutions and support systems that can make a real difference. We invite you to enjoy dessert and explore ways we can support and uplift the kids in our community.
Guest speaker, Bill Courtney, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in building strong foundations. His presentation promises to inspire and ignite conversations on the importance of community involvement in our youth’s lives.
Before and after the presentation participants will have the opportunity to learn about area nonprofits who are addressing the important issue of supporting and encouraging fathers and families and have an opportunity to be inspired to action by supporting or volunteering with these organizations.
Register for a table
About our speaker:
William “Bill” Courtney from Memphis, Tennessee, is the founder and CEO of Classic American Hardwoods, Inc. a hardwood lumber manufacturing company with a 50-acre facility in Memphis, Tennessee and offices elsewhere around the world. His 2001 startup company now boasts 125 employees and over $80 million in annual sales.
Bill was the subject of the Academy Award-winning film, “Undefeated,” a documentary about his work as the volunteer football coach at Memphis’ Manassas High School. He is the author of “Against the Grain,” a nationally best-selling manifesto covering leadership, character, commitment, and other life defining tenets. He has appeared on numerous outlets such as Fox News, CNN, News Max, ESPN, as well as countless TV and radio shows discussing civility and leadership in today’s trying times.
Most recently, Bill has joined with Iron Light Labs to produce his podcast, “An Army of Normal Folks.” Launched on I Heart Radio in 2023, it has ranked as high as the #10 podcast in the United States on Apple as it highlights amazing stories and accomplishments of average daily Americans working to better their communities.
Bill is married and has four children. He is currently an executive producer on two films in production, is working on his second book, has been the voice of EA Sports’ Madden Football game, serves on the boards of directors for numerous organizations and businesses, and continues to run the day-to-day operations at Classic American Hardwoods, Inc.