In music, a keynote is the most important note in a song and is meant to define the tonal progression of the piece. Opening keynote speakers at conferences are no different—their purpose is to set the tone for the event.
The 2025 SafeStart Forum is excited to announce that we have Jimmy Yeary as the opening keynote speaker in Cincinnati on October 28, 2025.
Jimmy is a dynamic speaker, an award-winning songwriter, a singer (he was the lead singer in the supergroup Shenandoah!) and a human emotion advocate. Jimmy has written more than two thousand songs, many of which have been featured on albums selling millions of copies—Grammy winners, gold and platinum awards among them. Nine of Jimmy’s songs have been certified “Number 1” hits as singles by Billboard Magazine.
His keynote, entitled I Feel, You Feel, demonstrates how to achieve engagement through authentically feeling what you are speaking—creating that heart and mind connection. A big part of Jimmy’s draw is his ability to relate to the audience. He promises to provide a unique experience for all in attendance. Not only will he have you hanging on his every word, but he will put it to music!
“You can connect with others within seconds, just like a song does,” Jimmy notes.
The SafeStart Forum is a highly interactive conference providing a unique opportunity to share best practices in human error and safety management in any industry. The keynotes for the SafeStart Forum were chosen with the SafeStart processes in mind to establish the curated learning experience further and elevate the networking opportunities the SafeStart Forum is meant to provide.
A keynote is also the note you expect a song to finish on. And we have the perfect keynote to close the SafeStart Forum on October 29—our very own Larry Pearlman. While Jimmy will open our hearts and minds with music, Larry will harmonize over 30 years of experience in safety, culture, leadership and change management with his ability to engage his audience by delivering the closing keynote, entitled How the Best of the Best Achieve TRIR of 0.05 or Less!
Larry is a very sought-after speaker. His keynote will be an interactive “capstone” activity to close the 2025 SafeStart Forum experience. The discussion will concentrate on how the top safety-rated companies focus on making safety and risk part of their company’s DNA. Then the audience will be engaged in activities to discuss the synergies they’ve experienced over the conference and what the next steps are to create change in their own facilities.
These are just the bookends of the stellar programming planned for the 2025 SafeStart Forum, which is a highly curated, interactive experience designed to have a lasting, positive impact on your safety perspective. To learn more about the keynotes and speakers at the SafeStart Forum, visit safestartforum.com. Early bird registration goes live on May 1!