Al Betz
BIOGRAPHY OF ALFRED A. BETZ
Alfred A. Betz was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on January 28, 1949. He graduated from Nazareth Senior High School in 1967 and attended Baltimore Junior College in 1967-1969. Al served as an Official Court Reporter in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland for seven years. In 1977, he formed Al Betz & Associates, Inc., a reporting and litigation support business. In 1973, he was invited by the Federal Judicial Center to participate in a pilot program to test the efficacy of Computer-Assisted Transcription (CAT) in the United States Courts. This successful experiment lifted Al to national prominence as a leader in CAT, making him a pioneer in the development of Computer-Assisted Transcription, a technology that has fueled the monumental growth of real-time reporting and advancements in closed-captioning.
Following his participation in 1977 as a court reporter in the high-profile criminal trial of then Maryland Governor Marvin Mandel, Al’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to form his company. Shortly thereafter, the company was asked to participate in the landmark case of The United States of America vs. AT&T, which became known as the "divestiture trial." The breakup of AT&T enabled the telecommunications revolution to begin, and it continues today. Thereafter, Al’s company participated in many trials of national and international importance, including the trials of Reagan Administration officials Nofziger, Deaver, Poindexter, and North; grand jury investigations of Clinton Administration officials; civil litigation involving asbestos, tobacco, cellular telephones; and accounting fraud involving Enron and WorldCom.
In 1996 Al formed The Life Histories Center, publishers of personal life stories of its clients. One of the more interesting projects the company participated in was the story of Daniel Lee, a passenger in the airplane that struck the second of the World Trade Center Towers on September 11, 2001. His experience writing the stories of others inspired Al to write a book of his own, entitled Polishing the Pearl, the Art of Professional Performance. A chapter in the book on a topic called Silent Marketing, which has grown into a larger topic called Outfluence, speaks to Al’s early life experiences as a timid young man and an unsophisticated young adult. Al credits his discovery of Outfluence and his application of its principles over his lifetime with his happiness as a human being and his success as a professional. Beginning in March 2006 he has traveled the United States speaking to audiences about the many benefits of Outfluence. In October 2008 Al released his second book, titled Outfluence, The Better Way to Influence, a 292-page inspiration that includes a workbook.
Al has volunteered in his community as a member of Kiwanis, in the Chamber of Commerce, in his church, in his son’s schools, and also as a committee member, officer, and presenter at local, state and national professional association functions.
Al has been married to Kay Betz since 1969 and they are the parents of Matthew and the grandparents of Taylor and Myranda. Al is a business owner, an author, and a public speaker who loves his family and his country. He believes in hard work, inspired performance, giving back, second chances, and always moving forward.
To get a thumbnail view of possible speaking topics, please view "Thumbnail Sketch of Speaking Topics," outlining "Beyond Timidity" and "You're Here--Where Do You Want to Go Now?"
BIOGRAPHY OF ALFRED A. BETZ
Alfred A. Betz was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on January 28, 1949. He graduated from Nazareth Senior High School in 1967 and attended Baltimore Junior College in 1967-1969. Al served as an Official Court Reporter in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland for seven years. In 1977, he formed Al Betz & Associates, Inc., a reporting and litigation support business. In 1973, he was invited by the Federal Judicial Center to participate in a pilot program to test the efficacy of Computer-Assisted Transcription (CAT) in the United States Courts. This successful experiment lifted Al to national prominence as a leader in CAT, making him a pioneer in the development of Computer-Assisted Transcription, a technology that has fueled the monumental growth of real-time reporting and advancements in closed-captioning.
Following his participation in 1977 as a court reporter in the high-profile criminal trial of then Maryland Governor Marvin Mandel, Al’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to form his company. Shortly thereafter, the company was asked to participate in the landmark case of The United States of America vs. AT&T, which became known as the "divestiture trial." The breakup of AT&T enabled the telecommunications revolution to begin, and it continues today. Thereafter, Al’s company participated in many trials of national and international importance, including the trials of Reagan Administration officials Nofziger, Deaver, Poindexter, and North; grand jury investigations of Clinton Administration officials; civil litigation involving asbestos, tobacco, cellular telephones; and accounting fraud involving Enron and WorldCom.
In 1996 Al formed The Life Histories Center, publishers of personal life stories of its clients. One of the more interesting projects the company participated in was the story of Daniel Lee, a passenger in the airplane that struck the second of the World Trade Center Towers on September 11, 2001. His experience writing the stories of others inspired Al to write a book of his own, entitled Polishing the Pearl, the Art of Professional Performance. A chapter in the book on a topic called Silent Marketing, which has grown into a larger topic called Outfluence, speaks to Al’s early life experiences as a timid young man and an unsophisticated young adult. Al credits his discovery of Outfluence and his application of its principles over his lifetime with his happiness as a human being and his success as a professional. Beginning in March 2006 he has traveled the United States speaking to audiences about the many benefits of Outfluence. In October 2008 Al released his second book, titled Outfluence, The Better Way to Influence, a 292-page inspiration that includes a workbook.
Al has volunteered in his community as a member of Kiwanis, in the Chamber of Commerce, in his church, in his son’s schools, and also as a committee member, officer, and presenter at local, state and national professional association functions.
Al has been married to Kay Betz since 1969 and they are the parents of Matthew and the grandparents of Taylor and Myranda. Al is a business owner, an author, and a public speaker who loves his family and his country. He believes in hard work, inspired performance, giving back, second chances, and always moving forward.
To get a thumbnail view of possible speaking topics, please view "Thumbnail Sketch of Speaking Topics," outlining "Beyond Timidity" and "You're Here--Where Do You Want to Go Now?"
