Bakersfield Business Conference

Although they didn't always agree on politics, my father and Colin Powell attended events all over the country together and enjoyed great telephone conversations and many laughs over the years.

I wanted to post in Colin Powell's honor, but so many of the articles about his death are focusing on COVID-19 and vaccination, I've decided just to post his biography so that we can remember the exceptional life he lived.

Powell included a photograph of himself speaking at the Bakersfield Business Conference as the only color photograph in his biography.

Colin Powell Colin Powell was the first African American appointed as the U.S. Secretary of State and the first, and so far the only, to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

T. Boone Pickens was a favorite speaker at the Bakersfield Business Conference. Rest in Peace, Mr. Pickens.

Oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens dies at age 91 OKLAHOMA CITY — T. Boone Pickens, a brash and quotable oil tycoon who grew even wealthier through corporate takeover attempts, died Wednesday. He was 91.

John Bogle was one of our conference's most popular finance speakers. He transformed an industry. He was extraordinary.

John Bogle, who founded Vanguard and revolutionized retirement savings, dies at 89 Mr. Bogle pioneered low-cost, low-fee investing that was ridiculed at first, but would enable millions of ordinary Americans to build wealth.

President George H.W. Bush was a favorite guest of the Bakersfield Business Conference's audience over the years. We are saddened to learn that he has passed away, but we wanted to post to honor his memory and the extraordinary life he lived.

First Lady Barbara Bush was a favorite at the Bakersfield Business Conference when she spoke to our audience. From National Review's elegy: "She was a lady of the old school, but of the sort who should not be mistaken for a shrinking violet: strong-willed and sharp-tongued, nobody ever doubted that she was a formidable presence of her own." That's no small part of why she was loved by our audience in Bakersfield.

Years ago, the Bakersfield Business Conference invited Heather Nauert to debate James Carville when she was little known because we saw that she had great potential to make an impact. We were right.

Nauert's meteoric rise takes State Department by surprise When the ax fell on Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, his spokeswoman was half a world away, a distance he and his inner circle preferred and enforced. Now, it's Tillerson who's on his way out after his ...

Our 2016 conference site website was down for awhile. For historical purposes, we've made sure it is back online. Thanks to all who sent us a message for the heads-up!

Home - Bakersfield Business Conference If you aren't enjoying a particular speaker, you might want to check out another speaker addressing the conference at the same time. We publish the schedule of speakers in advance and then show announcements about who will be speaking in which venue on our video walls and around the conference groun...

Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. He was also a speaker at the Bakersfield Business Conference. But, he's not done yet. Here's an article from Wired about his plans to reinvent the way we share information online...

Tim Berners-Lee, Inventor of the Web, Plots a Radical Overhaul of His Creation The creator of the web just received the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for computing. But his work is far from over.

Here's some fun news. Years ago, the Bakersfield Business Conference hosted a debate between James Carville and a little known political commentator we thought had a lot of potential: Heather Nauert. Heather went on to Columbia Journalism School and to anchor for ABC News and Fox News Channel. This last week rumors have been circulating that she will be appointed as the next Communications Director for the Trump Administration's State Department. Congratulations, Heather!

Fox News anchor Heather Nauert in talks to be State Dept. spokesperson Nauert is currently a news anchor for the network’s morning show “Fox & Friends.”

In 1993, Donald Trump addressed the crowd of the Bakersfield Business Conference with a strident, populist speech attacking NAFTA and crony capitalism. We congratulate him on becoming the 45th President of the United States.

It looks like 2016 Bakersfield Business Conference panelist Rick Perry will likely be the next Secretary of Energy. Congratulations, Rick!

Donald Trump chooses Rick Perry to be energy secretary The former Texas governor met with Trump Monday about the position