STN EXPO East attendees are looking forward to an energizing new keynote speaker who will be featured during the conference coming up March in North Carolina.
Jim Knight is a best-selling author with a colorful background in “Rock ‘n Roll,” documenting his 21-year-long career as head of global training and development at Hard Rock International. Knight plans to use his business expertise to give STN EXPO East attendees strategies on revitalizing company and organization culture, developing leadership and maintaining excellent customer relations to achieve exceptional results.
On Saturday, March 28, Knight will act as a thought starter for the exclusive leadership sessions at the Transportation Director Summit held at Topgolf Charlotte Southwest. Drawing upon his career start in hospitality and extensive experience in organizational culture, he looks to inspire student transportation leaders with his “Leadership That Rocks” non-negotiable traits to develop a winning team. Regardless of an organization’s history or current culture status, Knight plans to provide concrete strategies for systemic changes.
On Monday, Knight will return to guide all conference attendees through his signature “Culture That Rocks: Set List on How to Amp Up the Company’s Culture (to Eleven) and Deliver Sustainable Results” keynote session.
Knight has been recognized by Training Magazine representing one of the top 125 training companies in the world. His work at Hard Rock International included facilitating corporate training, managing training materials (including creation of training videos), facilitating leadership transitions, and more. His best-seller “Culture That Rocks,” and unique presentation style have earned recognition in multiple national publications, including Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur and Business News Daily.
In addition to Knight’s keynote session, attendees will have a wide variety of educational sessions, hands-on training and networking events over the course of the entire STN EXPO East conference to gain innovative solutions to transportation’s biggest challenges.
STN EXPO East will be held March 26- 31, 2026 at Embassy Suites by Hilton Charlotte Concord Golf Resort & Spa. Save $200 on main conference registration when registering by Dec. 19. at stnexpo.com/east.
Related: STN EXPO East Opens Online Registration for March 2026
Related: STN Launches Peer-to-Peer Mentorship Program at 2026 Conferences
Related: WATCH: STN EXPO East 2025












