Graham and Ashkahn are two of the founders of Float On, a float center located in the misty beer-filled land known as Portland, Oregon. They had the pleasure of founding this conference and organizing it for seven years before turning it into an industry run non-profit. They now serve on the board mostly to crack jokes during the board meetings that they find funny and everyone else finds disruptive and mildly unprofessional. They hope to one day follow in the footsteps of Lot’s wife and be turned into pillars of salt.

Challenged with juggling her responsibilities as a mom, big data technologist, and consultant, Gloria found balance when she floated for the first time in 2015. Float Sixty (her baby) was born nine months later. Now with three locations and two more in early development she is putting her consulting skills to the test in her own businesses. Gloria has a bachelors and masters degree in management and technology adoption but her real education comes from constantly tinkering with software and data.

Jesse is a float enthusiast as well as a holistic nutritionist. He co-founded Float Toronto, a five-cabin Centre in the great white North, in 2014 with his buddy Sean. He has a deep appreciation for the collaborative nature of the float industry and has been invited to speak at the Float Conference to share strategies on community building and marketing. This chapter of owning and operating a Float Centre as been a tremendous life highlight! At the time of writing this, the records on his stores software system, ‘HelmBot,' says he’s floated 333 times - that’s kinda neat!

Lovinder is a filmmaker and college professor whose life took a left turn when he floated for the first time. Now he’s the owner of Nirvana Float in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Floating helps him work through the stories for his screenplays and his filmmaking helps him market his float center - a perfectly symbiotic relationship. Lovinder’s produced and directed documentaries all around the world including in Nepal on Mt. Everest, in India, Bolivia, Palestine and Guatemala. After spending many years exploring the world, Lovinder is happiest in a float tank exploring within himself.

Peter is an Aussie living in ASIA. He partners in a hands-on way with terrific people in the areas of Health & Wellness, Retail Real Estate Planning and Energy Service Stations. Peter is also the co-owner of Float Therapy ASIA in Hong Kong and of Cue Creator in Australia, a bespoke billiards manufacturing business, in addition to a Retail Planning Company in China and a Real Estate Development Company in India. He worked for Walmart for nearly 20 years in ASIA and is very proud of his accomplishments over the years. Retailing, Service and Retail Real Estate is in his DNA. Peter serves as Vice Chairman of the ICSC Asia Advisory Board and a Board Member of the Floatation Tank Association (FTA). Of course, he finds the best day of the week always includes floating.

From floating a thousand people out of their basement to now operating 6 tanks in Edmonton, AB, Matt and JP have always been hooked on what floating could really do for people. These guys love the industry and entrepreneurship, admiring how people from all walks of life, from all over the world, are building businesses and lifestyles that support their communities. In a weird twist of fate, with Matt originally hailing from a wellness background and JP having years of industrial mechanical experience, these two besties happen to be a great combo for operating a float center.

Thomas H Fine is a pioneer in the research of Floatation REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy). In 1978, along with John Turner, he established the Floatation REST research program at the University of Toledo College of Medicine (formerly the Medical College of Ohio), where he is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry.

Over a twenty year period, Tom and John published numerous papers and edited several books on the physical and mental effects of floatation therapy. Their work focused on psychophysiological and endocrine changes associated with repeated use of a Floatation Tank, and the effects of floating on various stress related disorders. Tom is currently beginning a collaboration with Justin Feinstein at LIBR examining changes in Heart Rate Variability that occur during the Floatation Tank experience.

Kevin and Jacob founded and operate Float STL, and have since organized and hosted the Rise Float Gathering. Jacob also co-curates Third Wave, a float industry magazine.

Kevin is a business school dropout turned psychotherapist. As it relates to the business of floating, Kevin has an interest in marketing, customer service, management, and organizational culture. From a personal and spiritual perspective, Kevin believes in the interconnectedness of all beings, is here to give and receive love, and to be in service to others.

Jacob earned undergraduate degrees in psychology, chemistry, and nursing, and completed a masters in psychology. Having over a decade of experiences in these fields, Jacob has evolved and honed his passion for exploring and understanding the human condition, consciousness, and love.

Sean is an avid yoga practitioner and former competitive hockey and rugby player. After studying political science and economics at Mcgill University he spent a few years as an entrepreneur in the world of online retail. Feeling completely overworked and over-stressed, he took his first vacation since university. A distinct lack of fulfillment combined with a newfound passion for introspection and silent contemplation led him into his first float.

Andy opened Float Milwaukee in August of 2015. Float Milwaukee was the Milwaukee, WI area’s first dedicated floatation center. Float Milwaukee has expanded to include three float pods and two open float pools. Andy has past and current experience as a director and treasurer of nonprofit boards and is excited to be part of the transition of the Float Conference to a nonprofit endeavor. Prior to starting Float Milwaukee, Andy worked for Joy Global for over four years as State Tax Manager, where he was responsible for the entire state and local tax function. Previously, he worked in public accounting for Ernst & Young and Grant Thornton for eight years. Andy is a CPA in the state of Wisconsin. He has an MS in Taxation from UW-Milwaukee and BBA degrees in Accounting and Finance from UW-Whitewater.