About Us

Wally Adamchik

When you work with Wally Adamchik, you get the accrued knowledge of a lifetime dedicated to leadership and improvement – both organizational and personal.

In his youth, Wally often worked with his father and brother in construction. Both master craftsmen, they insisted upon and produced top-quality work. He learned more about excellence and first-rate performance from his mother, who was the first woman to referee a basketball game at Madison Square Garden. His parents encouraged him to achieve and he now encourages others to do the same.

In his senior year at the University of Notre Dame, Wally was the mascot—that’s right, he was the Leprechaun. Win or lose. Rain or shine. Home or away. Wally put 100 % of himself into the game. This same level of commitment defines his work today. His total focus is on meeting your needs and delivering tailored solutions to make a positive and lasting effect on your business.

As an Officer of Marines, Wally deployed throughout the world to participate in training, peace-keeping, and combat operations. First, as commander in a tank battalion and then, as the pilot of AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters, he sought out the challenging assignments. His years in the Corps honed his motivational and training skills. His influence remains in a legacy of Marines who provide inspired leadership for this country and for their organizations.

Seeking a new challenge, Wally entered the hyper-competitive private sector to apply his leadership philosophy to the pursuit of operational excellence in business. He was recognized for superior performance and award-winning leadership at two national restaurant companies. At the same time, he earned his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The next step up was a move into consulting and speaking. As a Senior Consultant with FMI, management consultants to the construction industry, his clients recognized his solutions as practical, profitable, and powerful.

He founded FireStarter Speaking and Consulting in response to demands from organizations for relevant and effective leadership development. He understands the Fortune 500 firm as well as he does the family business and is able to modify his approach to make an impact in both.

Wally recognizes that a good presentation is one that galvanizes the audience. If people are not inspired to use the material and take action, then the speech was merely entertainment.

Practicing what he preaches about family balance and quality of life, Wally believes that true change only happens when you make a true commitment. He understands the importance of scheduling time for the things that truly matter: his family, his friends, his clients, and his own personal interests (golf and exercise). This total approach to life gives you a complete speaker who connects with your audience on a human level and sparks a fire in them--the fire that leads to great achievement.

"As a result of the session you delivered to my group, using “No Yelling” as the guide we have experienced an exceptional start to our 2009 construction season. Safety as usual is paramount, and our production rates have exceeded even my high expectations. There has been a positive shift in ownership from all that attended, which leads me to believe we could have the same success if we did the same kind of training with our front line labor force."

Bob Peeke
Construction Manager
Alberta Highway Services Ltd.