President & CEO - Warp Speed, Inc and Legends Cause Marketing, Inc.

Lou Raiola of Minneapolis, MN is an innovative and leading strategist in the burgeoning field of Cause Marketing, capitalizing on the knowledge and insight gained working in the field of sports and entertainment for more than two decades, producing special events and promotions on behalf of major sports and entertainment properties and some of the largest Fortune 500 companies in North America. Raiola is President & CEO of two corporations, WARP SPEED, Inc. and LEGENDS CAUSE MARKETING, Inc. The two companies serve a need to align corporate philanthropy and community affairs initiatives with sales and marketing strategies to identify and integrate strategic partnerships with causes (Warp Speed provides the strategic consulting) and representation of nonprofits to develop new programming and marketing initiatives that appeal to many constituents including celebrities and corporate sponsor prospects (Legends Cause Marketing: program development and event management).

A sample of recent work includes high profile programs on behalf of the properties, nonprofits and sponsors at the Super Bowl, GRAMMY Awards, NBA All Star Game, NBA Europe, and MLB All Star Game. Nonprofit causes that Raiola has served in recent years to advise and help showcase their assets include, Magic Johnson Foundation, John Elway Foundation, Dan Marino Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, NRA Foundation, NFL Alumni, Starkey Hearing Foundation, GRAMMY Foundation, NBA Cares and various causes of USA Today.

As advisor and strategist to Starkey Labs, Gander Mountain, NRA Sports, USA Today and other corporations, Raiola’s passion is to demonstrate to companies the value of Cause Marketing with direct business results.

Raiola is a native of Minnesota and is married with three children.