When Jared Ritter was planning the third Be Bright Conference, he knew he wanted a keynote speaker who would stand out to his audience.

Look no further than Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk.

Ritter felt the former Super Bowl champion's positivity and work ethic made him a perfect keynote speaker for this year's conference, which takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 12 and 13 at the Drury Plaza Hotel Conference Center in Cape Girardeau.

Former Rams team member Marshall Faulk looks at his bust during the Rams Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, in Los Angeles.Associated Press file

"I wanted it to be someone — not only that I thought could have a positive impact in the room from their experiences since the event is about growing people personally, professionally and financially — but also someone that had the name recognition in this community," Ritter said. "Him being a huge part of the St. Louis Rams for all those years, I knew people would enjoy that."

Faulk won several accolades during his 13-year NFL career, including being named the league's Most Valuable Player in 2000. He was a three-time Offensive Player of the Year, three-time first-team All-Pro and received seven Pro Bowl nods during his time playing for both the Indianapolis Colts and Rams.

He rushed for 12,279 yards (4.3 per carry) and 100 touchdowns in his career while making 767 catches for 6,875 yards and 36 scores.

Ritter believes having someone who experienced such a great amount of success for an extended period will help inspire conference attendees.

"There's no magic potion. There's no magic pill you can take for success, but there are common themes," Ritter said. "Marshall's a guy who you can talk to about what was his routine like? How did he practice? There are going to be common things you can pick up for anybody who's achieved any level of success. So a guy that's achieved the level of success and the magnitude of success that he has, I want to be in that room and I want to hear those stories.

"It's obvious to think about the depth chart, and there's always someone breathing down your neck. There's always somebody that wants your position. But it is the same in our lives, professionally. It is the same with the goals that people want to achieve. There's somebody else who wants that same goal. What are some of those comparisons that we can talk about relating what Marshall has to offer and how that can influence our lives."

Ritter claims Faulk's time as part of the "Greatest Show on Turf" is a major reason he's a football fan today, and even admitted speaking with him for the first time felt surreal.

"It kind of made me fall in love with football, watching the 'Greatest Show on Turf' growing up with my with my family and cheering on a guy like Marshall Faulk," Ritter said. "I was probably playing him as my running back, back when video games had awful graphics, and loving every second of it. It was pretty unreal the first I talked to him about this event. It was hard not to just be a total fanboy."

In addition to Faulk, there will be several other speakers during the two-day conference including former Southeast Missouri State running back Ron Coleman, PORCH executive director Tameka Randle and founder and CEO of Premier Physical Therapy Dennis Riney.

"There's going to be a lot of energy, but we don't want people to leave without any actual tools," Ritter said. "We want to equip people with natural strategies, or resources, or maybe just a different way of judging themselves personally, professionally and financially."

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