Home Background Testimonials Student Programs Adult Programs Video Clips Recent Clients In The News On The Farm Contact Information	Speaker Uses Life Experiences to Make an Impact Doing farm chores one day and jetting across the country for a speaking engagement the next is not part of a typical workweek for most people. But Matt Lohr from Broadway is not your typical kind of businessman. With a family farm to run and a public speaking company to manage, Lohr is use to wearing many hats. “It's not a real common combination,” he admits, speaking from his cell phone on his way home from Salt Lake City last week. Lohr takes it in stride, embracing a lifestyle that allows him to focus on two things he's passionate about, agriculture and speaking. Lohr is the keynote speaker at the Broadway-Timberville Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet on March 6. BTCC's President Dale Showalter said the chamber promotes local businesses. “It was a good idea to get a local speaker,” Showalter said, noting Lohr was a good resource in the area and well known nationally as a motivational speaker. Motivational speaking grew out of Lohr's interest in agriculture. Lohr, who still lives on his family's 100-year-old Valley Pike Farm, said he was involved with production agriculture his whole life. He began speaking as a student at Broadway High School in the Future Farmers of America. Lohr said he enjoyed the FFA speaking contests that allowed him to share his ideas on farming and agriculture. “A topic near and dear to my heart,” he said. He said it was a good experience to get up and say what was on his mind and defend his views during the question and answer session that followed a speech. “It was right up my alley,” Lohr said. After graduation he continued speaking for FFA as president of Virginia FFA and later as vice president for the national FFA. He also met his future wife Andrea in 1990 at a national FFA conference in DC. After a five-year long distance courtship while Andrea attended the University of Kentucky and Matt attended Virginia Tech, the couple married and moved back to the Lohr farm. Both taught agriscience in middle school. Andrea taught at Broadway's J. Frank Hillyard Middle School, while Matt taught at North Fork Middle School in Mt. Jackson. Matt's degree in agricultural education also prepared him to help his father run the farm. Their farm produces broilers for Pilgrim's Pride, beef cattle and crops, including corn, wheat, hay and “U-Pick” pumpkins. Lohr manages the crop enterprises. The Lohrs decided to pursue their interest in public speaking by starting their own speaking company “New Directions” Communications in 1996. “It just began to grow and grow and grow,” Matt said. In 2001 the company was doing well enough that the Lohrs quit teaching to work full-time as motivational speakers. The couple used to do more speaking engagements together, but since the birth of their daughter Caroline Belle, they rotate parenting and public speaking responsibilities. Matt still spends summer and early fall farming, but from November to April he's traveling around the country for speaking engagements. His work has taken him to all 50 states with scheduled talks 140 days out of the year. “We're fortunate to make a living on that,” said Lohr. Lohr designed keynote speeches and workshops for audiences in education and agriculture. The Lohrs split their business between students and adults. Lohr, who has served on the Rockingham County School board since 2001, said he loves working with students because of their high energy. But working with both groups keeps his presentations fresh, Lohr said. “I really enjoy the mix. I don't get burned out.” Lohr said. Student topics range from recognizing and respecting diversity to living with determination and perseverance. The various adult programs include topics on reducing stress in the workplace and creating winning attitudes. The Lohrs' programs use humor, skits, crowd interaction, and high-energy activities to engage their audiences. According to his web site, his work has been described as refreshing, exceptional, and awesome! Lohr said some people thing that traveling is such a glamorous life style, but dealing with airplanes, rental cars, and hotels is rigorous. “You've got to do what you've got to do,” he said. Lohr approaches traveling with a positive attitude. “Every time I get on a plane, it's an adventure,” he said. Lohr has traveled millions of miles, including trips to Germany, China, Hong Kong, Austria, and two trips to Japan. He said his speaking career has given him many wonderful experiences. One of his favorite memories is when he was a national officer and met former President George Bush. He said his small group was ushered into the Oval Office and sat at a table with the President to talk for 15 minutes on agriculture and education. “That was definitely one of the highlights of my life,” Lohr said. Keeping flexible is the number one thing Lohr said he has to do as a motivational speaker. Lohr's message to his audiences is one of encouragement and to help people to be successful and get more out of life. “I get tested on what I preach,” he said with a laugh. When traveling to Wyoming last fall for a two-day conference for 500 students, Lohr's luggage containing nearly 200 pounds of materials never arrived. He successfully re-created the workshops from scratch. “I can pretty much improvise any situation if I need to,” Lohr said. *North Fork Journal Newspaper; March 2004