Andrew Buerger
- Founder Jodi's Climb for Hope
- Fundraising Expedition Climber
- Founder of B'More Organic
In Person-Fee 🛈
Fee Range
$7,500 and Under
Virtual Fee:
$7,500 and Under
Travels From
Maryland
Andrew Buerger Speaker Biography
Andrew Buerger is an author, TEDx speaker, and an award-winning entrepreneur of for-profit and non-profit organizations.
When Andrew Buerger's sister was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, her courage and strength spurred Andy to turn pain into a passion. Andy founded Jodi's Climb for Hope, which has now raised a $1 million for research by leading mountain-climbing expeditions-an apt metaphor for the struggles women affected by breast cancer endure.
In 2008 tragedy struck again when Andy's wife Jen was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Jodi's Climb for Hope expanded the scope of its mission into multiple sclerosis research as well.
Jodi’s Climb for Hope has also gotten over 300 volunteer fundraising climbers safely to summits on four continents, including Mt. Cotopaxi, the world’s highest active volcano at 19,400 feet and Mt. Kilimanjaro. Other expeditions have included Mt. Rainier, and Pico de Orizaba, Mexico’s tallest mountain, among others.
On a fundraising expedition in Iceland, Andy discovered skyr, an Icelandic-style yogurt that’s high in protein. He came home, quit his job, and launched B'More Organic, America’s first organic protein drink with no added sugar. Within a few years, Inc. magazine ranked it as the fifth fastest-growing natural brand in the country. With engaging mountaineering, business, and personal stories, Andy’s motivational keynote speeches portray the guiding principles that have helped him navigate the peaks and valleys of his life.
Andy holds an MBA from the University of Colorado and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Vermont. His favorite jobs were being a ski instructor and white-water rafting guide in Aspen, CO.
He was selected by The Maryland Daily Record as one of the 50 Most Influential Marylanders in 2007 for Communications and again in 2017 for Philanthropy. His book, “Carrying a Flag From Pain to Passion” was a #1 Hot New Release on Amazon’s list of Mountain Climbing books.
He is currently the Director of Mission for RIND Snacks. Andy lives in Baltimore with his wife, two kids, and dog, Denali.
"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.” Jim Valvano
With Andy, you get all three in one hour. His hilarious, vivid mountain climbing stories along with touching tales of overcoming life’s challenges, has his audiences laughing, crying, and thinking.
After his closest family members were struck with devastating diseases, Andy suddenly discovered his purpose in life: to take a bite out of disease. Andy then turned his pain into passion. He started a non-profit, Jodi's Climb for Hope, to raise money for disease research by climbing mountains around the world.
With engaging mountaineering, business, and personal stories, Andy portrays the guiding principles that help others navigate the peaks and valleys of their lives.
Andy’s talk inspires people, entrepreneurs, and teams to:
• Carry A Flag: Overcome obstacles and achieve greater success by rigorously following your purpose. This is how Jodi’s Climb for Hope has such a high safe summit rate.
• Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: embrace doing hard things. Andy hates the cold yet climbs big, cold mountains. That will enable you prepare for when the next time things inevitably get difficult again. You’ll overcome those challenges, not quit, and even improve.
• Find a Guide. How to embrace asking for help/finding a mentor when taking on new challenges. Not only is asking for help a sign of strength not weakness, but it will also allow you to achieve more by making fewer mistakes. Mistakes in the mountains can be deadly as they are in business sometimes.
• Go Fast & Light. In the mountains, it’s important to get up and back down early in the day. You have to go Fast & Light to the summit. The same applies in business where being weighed down and moving slowly can cost you a big strategic advantage. That’s how Andy beat all the major food & beverage companies to market with the first organic protein smoothie with no added sugar. He achieved shelf space at the largest retail grocery chains before Big Food – Kroger, Publix, Whole Foods, Wegmans….
Perfect for:
• Corporate retreats
• Team building meetings
• Strategic offsites
• Organizational development seminars
• Entrepreneurship events
