Brand Development Expert Addresses CBA, Students

The Canterbury Business Association (CBA) hosted its first guest speaker of the school year on Monday, and he certainly knows his business. Investor, entrepreneur, and Canterbury parent Chris Tisi P ’27 brought more than 20 years of business development, sales, marketing, operations, and finance experience to his presentation, and he shared his story—and plenty of advice—with our Saints.

“You probably don’t realize it today, but what you are doing right now is priceless,” Chris told them. “Some of you will end up in finance, some might become entrepreneurs, others in different places in life. You are lucky to be interacting with each other today as opposed to the path I took—I call myself a ‘20-year overnight success.’”

History Teacher and CBA Faculty Advisor Ted Smith was pleased not only with the student turnout (60+), but with the positive message Chris delivered to his rapt audience. “Chris taught the students about perseverance, the value of a community like ours, and a different path to success in the ultra-competitive private equity field,” Ted said following the event. “The Q&A and one-on-one post-speech interactions were lively, as attendees were treated to his generosity of time, openness, and humility.”

Chris is Founder and CEO of Hyper Network Solutions of Florida (HNS) and Lifeagen Bio Sciences of Florida Inc., which have created and distributed 200-plus products—such as Healthy Delights, Nulife Vitamins, and Gluten Cutter—in multiple channels. He is also credited with reviving the SlimFast brand with a complete overhaul that included new products, fresh flavors, and an enhanced nutrition profile. In 2018, Chris was appointed by President Donald Trump to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, which creates and promotes initiatives to “motivate people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to be active and eat healthy,” according to its website. 

“You hear people say there are only 24 hours in a day. I look at it as there are 96 15-minute intervals,” he shared. “You can do a lot in 15 minutes. You can read 15 minutes a day about building a brand, being an entrepreneur, AI, or anything else. Most people spend five or six 15-minute intervals building somebody else’s dream. But if you would take two of those intervals and use them for something you are really interested in or need to learn, over 10 years you are going to get better and have success—15 minutes at a time.”

CBA President Eva Berkovich ’23 was excited to hear from someone in the field with that level of experience and success. “Mr. Tisi built his way up through entrepreneurship, starting with shoe shining and newspaper routes, all the way to being the CEO of SlimFast,” Eva said. “He is driven, and he does not see large roles as major responsibilities because he has the desire to do it. He left me with a new perspective on the value of delegating your time to productive actions.”

What also resonated with students was Chris’s general philosophy in life: “Your philosophies—what you hold to be true—dictate your attitude,” he said. “Your attitude dictates your actions. What is it you are going to do today, tomorrow? Your actions dictate your results, and your results dictate your life. I took that and applied it to all aspects of business.”

In addition to coming to campus as a guest speaker, Chris is now officially a member of the Saints family—his daughter, Sofi ’27, started at Canterbury this fall and is the Director of Events and Planning for the CBA.

Special thanks to our student photographer Alex Avedisian ’25 for the photo.