THE CCLD STORY

The Cunningham Center for Leadership Development is a division of Columbus State University and the University System of Georgia, located in West Central Georgia on the border of Georgia and Alabama. The CCLD opened its doors in 2004 and is now recognized as a trusted source of leadership and sales training as well as being a regional favorite as a state of the art conference center.

Columbus, Georgia is a community known for its leadership through a series of unique public-private partnerships that have converted a small southern mill town to a progressive southern city full of Cultural Arts. The city boasts of the first consolidated government in the state and houses Fort Benning, Home of the Infantry, and the greatest leadership training center in the world. The CCLD capitalizes on all of this as it is becoming the most dynamic and creative leadership and sales development institution in the region.

The Center is staffed by a group of professionals experienced in leadership, sales and conference planning. They are supported by the faculty of CSU and other institutions as well as subject matter experts from around the country.

CCLD annually produces extraordinary leadership conferences to include the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum, boasting speakers such as Secretary of State Colin Powell, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Business Authors John Maxwell and Ken Blanchard and Foreign Affairs Expert, Thomas Friedman. The Women's Leadership Development Conference, The Success Summit, the Poverty Symposium and the Maximum Impact Simulcast are other products of CCLD.

The CCLD's modern and expansive building on the campus of CSU is capable of accommodating large conferences concurrently with numerous other smaller activities involving sales and leadership training. CCLD is equipped with the latest audio-visual technology, making programs effective and accessible to all. The CCLD staff also takes programs on the road to accommodate its customers.

The CCLD is also known for its exemplary customer service and quality of food. Packaged programs enable executives to remain at the center for extended periods of time participating in development programs and strategic planning and enjoy a relaxing friendly environment which is typical of a small southern city.

The CCLD staff acknowledges that we will never be as good as we are capable of being. Therefore, the staff continues to improve its own performance and knowledge through self-development and research. To continue to improve ourselves and our organization is critical to the CCLD's success.

Who was John Cunningham?

When John Cunningham was just a boy, the Great Depression was in full swing and John had to drop out of school to help his mother provide for the family. Fortunately for John, this was not a difficult task. He never had a problem bringing home extra money.

Before his death in 2002, Cunningham said during an interview at CSU, "I knew how to sell right off the bat when I was born - I don't know how, but I knew it."

His determination led to years of self study and reading. This led to a successful career and the creation of two businesses. One of the only regrets Cunningham cited was not being able to finish school with a formal education.

After Cunningham's death, his personal notes were found to contain pages and pages of his recorded thoughts and comments on the sales profession. To preserve this valuable resource, the Cunningham Sales Institute compiled these remarks in a publication simply titled, John F. Cunningham - His Thoughts and Comments on Sales. To request a free e-book of Cunningham's thoughts, just provide your contact information.