Relias Announces CNN 2017 Hero of the Year, Amy Wright, As Keynote Speaker for Impact Nation Conference

Wilmington, NC-based entrepreneur to be joined by inspirational speaker Marcus Engel, along with Relias CEO and Triangle Business Journal’s Businessperson of the Year, Jim Triandiflou

CARY, NC, April 17, 2018 – Relias, a trusted partner focused on reducing variation in care for more than 7,000 clients around the world and across the continuum of healthcare, today announced that Amy Wright, owner of Bitty & Beau’s Coffee and the 2017 CNN Hero of the Year, will be a keynote speaker at Relias’ 2018 Impact Nation healthcare conference. Also keynoting the event will be Marcus Engel and Relias CEO Jim Triandiflou.

Amy Wright was honored by CNN for her advocacy for those with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Amy has two children with Down syndrome, and has committed to not just supporting her children, but others as well, at her Wilmington, NC-based company, Bitty & Beau’s Coffee – named after her two children. The shop provides jobs for 58 individuals with IDD. Amy has recently opened a new Bitty & Beau’s in Charleston, SC with plans to expand to additional cities in the next year.

This year, Impact Nation will be held October 2-4 at the Raleigh Convention Center. For more information, visit the Impact Nation website. The theme of this year’s conference is “Get Connected. Get Better,” highlighting the power of integrating data, key learnings and best practices to improve performance.

“Bitty & Beau’s Coffee has become a powerful platform for connecting people with and without disabilities,” said Amy Wright. “I’m particularly excited about the theme of Impact Nation 2018 and look forward to sharing our story.”

“As fellow North Carolinians, many folks at Relias were already familiar with Amy’s amazing story,” said Jim Triandiflou, CEO at Relias. “Her values are so well aligned with ours, it seemed a natural fit to have her speak at Impact Nation.”

Marcus Engel, M.S., CSP, CPXP will bring his inspiring story to Impact Nation as well. As a college freshman, Marcus Engel was blinded and nearly killed after being struck by a drunk driver. Through two years of rehab, over 350 hours of reconstructive facial surgery and adaptation through a multitude of life changes, Marcus witnessed the good, the bad and the profound in patient care. He is the author of four books, and with his wife, Marvelyne, is the co-founder of the I’m Here Movement. Marcus is an in-demand speaker, sharing his experiences on the receiving end of patient care.

Amy and Marcus will be joined by Relias CEO, Jim Triandiflou, the Triangle Business Journal’s 2017 Businessperson of the Year, and more than 60 other speakers at Impact Nation, Relias’ annual conference that brings together healthcare professionals from around the country to discuss best practices and share key learnings around healthcare training.