Calvin Stovall

Deliver iconic customer experiences

Calvin Stovall is the CEO, Chief Experience Officer and Iconicity Enthusiast for ICONIC Presentations, LLC. Calvin specializes in delivering high-energy, customized keynote presentations for organizations that desire to reach or maintain ICONIC status. Calvin focuses on delivering the perfect blend of business concepts, story-telling and music themes to bring home an impactful message that touches both the heads and hearts of his audiences.

Armed with more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality and non-profit services industries, Calvin’s audiences learn real-life, hands-on practical customer experience and leadership principles which can be easily applied to business challenges today. Calvin designed a practical and systematic technique called The ICONIC Framework™ to help organizations achieve and maintain iconic status in the eyes of their customers. The ICONIC Framework was built based on nearly two decades of practical branding and leadership experience, and countless hours of readings from secondary research of iconic brands over the years.

Calvin most recently served as CEO of the Soulsville Foundation, a Memphis-based non-profit built on the rich legacy and tradition of the iconic 60’s and 70’s soul recording label, Stax Records. Calvin also served as marketing and brand strategist for the fundraising arm, ALSAC, for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The pinnacle of his hospitality career was his promotion to vice president of brand marketing with Hilton Worldwide where he was responsible for the marketing and public relations efforts for more than 150 Homewood Suites by Hilton hotels. While under his leadership, Homewood Suites by Hilton was voted best in class by numerous consumer advocacy publications, including Consumer Reports and recognized four times by J.D. Power and Associates for its unwavering commitment to customer service quality

Calvin was born and raised in the infamous Cabrini Green housing projects in Chicago during the era of the iconic 70’s syndicated television show, Soul Train. Calvin’s enthusiasm and immeasurable passion for music has continued throughout his adult years. Today, he leverages his life experiences as a business leader along with the universal language of music to engage and connect with his audiences. He has energized and motivated people nationwide with his high-content, unorthodox, and humorous platform.

Calvin holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University and a Master’s of Hospitality Management from Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. He currently resides in the Charlotte, NC area with his lovely wife Taisha, and two boys, Caden and Carson.