Jim has been a professional trainer and consultant since 1999. His OEM clients have included Ford of Canada, Daimler-Chrysler, Honda Canada, Mercedes, Volkswagen N.A., and Porsche Motor Cars. In the aftermarket area, he has worked with Echlin and NAPA. Jim has also conducted sessions for The Canadian Automotive and Trucking Institute (CATI), Canada's premiere automotive and transportation college.

Non-automotive clients include the YMCA of St. Paul/Minneapolis, Fergus Grand Theater, and the Elora Arts Festival. At ease from the shop floor to the sales floor, Jim brings his fifteen years of "hands on" dealership experience to all types of workshops, training, and facilitating sessions. Jim's sense of humor and ease in relating to people add to his effectiveness in training.

Jim hails originally from the Motor City, Detroit, Michigan. All the family was involved in the full service gas stations that his father owned. Their motto was 'Fixed Right All the Time' and 'Treated Right All the Time'. That motto still works today!

Donna's professional career began in June of 1985 after completing an Associate Degree in Productions Operations Management. General Motors hired Donna to build V-8 engines and she joined UAW Local #659. A severe cut back of the work force of Flint Engine caused her to take a plant move to Flint Truck & Bus Metal Fabrication. Here, Donna learned the art of MIG Welding ARC Hand and welded "lead-off" on the E/K Cradle. It was here that Donna involved herself as a trainer for the skilled trades in first aid and emergency care. After one year and more layoffs, Donna was offered the opportunity to join the Saturn team. Her functions at Saturn have ranged from Health and Safety to Human Resources to Sales, Service and Marketing for the Saturn team.

It was while she worked for Saturn in Tennessee that Donna graduated Magna Cum Laude with her Bachelor Degree in Applied Science with a focus on business and labor from the University of Alabama's External Degree Program. Donna volunteered through the Maury County ARC as an Instructor Trainer, member of the local Board of Directors and a member of the Nashville Blood Bank Board. In 1994, she was offered the opportunity to join the Sales, Service and Marketing team which provided her with the turning point for further career growth. Donna completed her MBA in June, 1997 through the University of Phoenix and since 1999 - has been a member of the University of Phoenix Online Faculty facilitating courses for graduate-level students.

Donna functioned as a member of the General Motors field team for 12 years with assignments as a Sales and Service District Manager from the Carolinas across to Texas. Focus of the job function was day-to-day operational achievement of business goals and strategizing, implementing and achieving long-term business goals; brand critical standards, sales performance, customer ownership experience, retention of customers and employees, training, culture 'change', and accomplishment of 'immediate needs' which included a range of activities from owner events to campaign/recalls, to brand image in the marketplace.

Accepting early retirement in the fall of 2009 brought Donna back to the challenges and excitement of training and consulting. Donna Samuels joined the BTS Consulting and Training team in the fall of 2009.

Tim is a passionate and highly motivated professional with years of experience in the automotive industry. During his career he has worked at large automotive OEMs in the manufacturing/assembly, financial services and divisional field branches supporting sales, services and parts.

He is an accomplished trainer who has facilitated training in over 100 domestic and international locations for numerous automotive brands and other prestigious companies including GM's former University of Automotive Management. Tim changed up his career focus by joining the Mike Nicholes dealership organization and worked for several years as their coach/consultant/trainer supporting the Toyota, Nissan, Subaru and Saturn franchises.

Tim is a graduate of Ball State University. In his spare time Tim volunteers as a NHSTA Certified CPS Technician and canine handler for Sumner County, TN Sheriff's Office and K-9 Captain for Emergency Management Agency. His unit works both criminal and search and rescue operations.

During the 1980's and early 1990's Edward delivered training over 25 different Xerox sales, management, and coaching courses to U.S. Marines and DOD personal. After a distinguished career in the Marine Corps, Edward moved into the private sector where he has worked with industry leaders like General Motors, Harley-Davidson, Victory Motorcycles, Akzo Nobel Coatings, Eurofins Biochemical, Saturn Consulting Services, Vanderweil Engineers, Florida Solar Inc., and The Global Leadership Institute.

For over fifteen years Edward has delivered consulting services, facilitation, and training for leading manufactures on a diverse array of subjects including organizational and team development, strategic and operational management, effective communication, managing for success, customer based selling, customer satisfaction, continuous improvement strategies and processes, change management and leadership.

In addition to facilitating live and web-based workshops; Edward continues to be actively involved at the ground level, working with automotive and motorcycle dealerships to improve their customer retention, accessories sales, internal processes, communications skills, team building, and sales and profitability.

Edward's philosophy is simple, "In a world where change is constant and competition relentless, the only true competitive edge we can have is our people. The style with which we do business, handle our customers, and build our organizational teams is the one thing that is truly ours."

Leanne is a highly skilled and organized Project Manager. She joined BTS in 2007, and has been responsible for standalone projects with Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche. Leanne comes from a medical background and has worked in various areas of the healthcare setting including Emergency and Surgical services. She has served as Clinical Director for several surgical practices during her ten years in the healthcare field and has integrated many of those skills to succeed as a Project Manager on the BTS team.

Leanne likes to describe herself as a "generalist" on the BTS team. Although her main function is as a Project Manager, Leanne has been cross-trained in many other aspects of the training industry. Leanne is able to jump in on virtually any project currently in progress at BTS and provide a number of functional roles. Leanne's eye for detail and entrepreneurial spirit has also encouraged the BTS team to pursue training opportunities in up-and-coming areas such as eCommerce and Social Media.

Lynne is a highly skilled developer and program administrator with over 20 years of comprehensive business experience. She is results-driven and is highly accomplished in problem solving, data analytics and strategy and curriculum development.

Lynne has demonstrated success managing marketing and training programs and the personnel required to implement those programs. Her specialties include creating and producing dealer and field events, media and advertising campaigns, and integrating systems and applications. Lynne has several years of experience working directly with Automotive Dealers, consulting with them on all aspects of their Sales, Service, and Parts operations. Additionally, she has served as a liaison between business partners such as Saturn and the UAW, Volkswagen and Tweddle Production and numerous internal and external groups.

Lynne is currently responsible for the design, development and implementation of several training and certification programs for Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche Cars North America, and has also created supporting articles for test content.

Lynne received her BS in Management and Supervision from Central Michigan University and an AA in Management Information Systems from Macomb Community College.

Holly is a highly skilled and multi-faceted consultant who has over 23 years of experience designing, developing and delivering organization and corporate communication, training and marketing initiatives. This experience also includes setting up organizational structures, business operations and managing organizational resource needs.

Holly began her career in the '90's as an independent contractor in video production producing automotive product training videos, corporate events and ride & drives for several prestigious Metro Detroit companies. In 1999, Holly was recruited by Campbell-Ewald Advertising to design, develop and implement communication, marketing, promotional, and point-of-sale programs on behalf of Chevrolet Motor Division.

In 2002, Holly was enlisted by Collaboration, LLC as the Program Director to create and implement a distribution for an electric vehicle test and research. The program was designed to test low-speed, low emission vehicles in market. Later, Holly was promoted to Event Director for General Motors Advanced Technology Vehicle events. In 2007, GMAC Insurance recruited Holly to develop internal and external communication processes for the organization. In 2009, Holly returned to the training industry and joined the BTS team.

Holly holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Telecommunications from Michigan State University.

Specialties

Training Design and Development, Writing and Editorial Services, Project Management, Process Mapping, Event and Video Production.

Rachel has been an assistant project manager with BTS since 2006. She helps BTS to deliver the best product possible to our clients by gathering feedback from training program participants and editing training materials with an attention for detail that BTS clients have grown to expect. Rachel received her B.A. in French, Asian Studies, and Political Economy from Tulane University in May, 2009, and is now pursuing a J.D. from George Mason University in the DC area.

Sally grew up in Lansing, MI, the home of Oldsmobile, REO and Fisher Body. During her school years, visiting the plants was a yearly privilege, and thus began her interest in the automotive industry.

Sally earned both a Bachelors and Masters Degrees at Michigan State University. After graduation, Sally taught high school physical education and coached synchronized swimming for ten years in Lansing and various Michigan school systems. Sally shifted her focus from educating youth to training adults when she became a real estate sales and management facilitator, working for one of the largest Better Homes and Gardens franchises in Flint, Michigan. Her entrance into the automotive industry seemed a natural move for her talents.

Sally has been in the automotive training business for 26 years. During that time, she spent twenty years with General Motors, making several trips to Australia while training for Holden (G.M. of Australia). Sally has had the opportunity to work for almost all of the automotive manufacturers. In addition to facilitation, Sally has written courses, conducted Train-the-Trainer sessions, filmed video programs for the Chevrolet library, as well as coached personnel in-dealership. Whether, it's sales, service, management or customer satisfaction training, Sally is a diverse and talented consultant who knows how to energize a training audience into action that delivers results.

Sally's training style features much conferee involvement, lots of activity and brain storming, as well as organized process development. Students leave her sessions with a renewed sense of dedication and a zest for adopting new ideas in their positions at the workplace.

Beverly Griffin, owner and CEO of Griffin International, Inc., has a diverse background, ranging from the public education classroom to the automotive dealership to the manufacturing facility, combining over 20 years experience in education and design and development and delivery of timely result-oriented solutions.

Beverly also has extensive experience in executive coaching, consulting and training, and is a certified distance learning facilitator. Her experience with training and coaching includes Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Mazda, General Motors, GMAC Educational Services, Motors Insurance Corporation of the US and Canada, Interbrand, Hubbell Lighting, Nuvox Communications, Maritz Performance Improvement, Inc., Campbell Ewald, Sewell Village Cadillac and Lee Hecht Harrison.

Her retail and wholesale automotive experience allows her to design, develop and deliver a variety of training including Wholesale Area Managers, Service Management, Service Consultants, Sales, Diversity Marketing and Warranty Information and Systems.

Most recently, Beverly is a Founder, and the Vice President and CFO for the Greater Greenville Scottish Games and Highland Festival. Beverly plays a major role annually producing the event held at Furman University which is attended by over 20,000. As Chairperson for the Games Friday Night Main Street Greenville Parade, she is instrumental in putting together an event that consistently produces large pubic largest turnouts that result in increase local revenue opportunities. The Games in their inaugural year were ranked in the Top Five worldwide by the 20th Earl of Caithness, Malcolm Sinclair, who served as the Honored Guest for Clan Sinclair. Recently, Beverly was co-executive producer of a television show chronicling the metamorphosis of the Games that lead to a recent visit of His Royal Highness The Prince Edward.

Beverly has also been featured locally as a high profile business and industry leader within her community; known for her entrepreneurial endeavors from serving as a major sponsor for Little League Baseball to a CFO for a major not for profit organization to classroom training to curriculum development to executive coaching that includes Fortune 500 executives, aspiring Presidential Appointees and literary authors. Recently, she was nominated by Furman University as one of the "Women Leaders of the Upstate".

Very successful in the field of automotive facilitation, Amy has been selected repeatedly to participate in educational initiatives for various automotive manufacturers. Her client list includes Sonic Automotive, Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Lexus, Infiniti, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Toyota, and Volvo.

In addition to her ability to present program material in the way in which it was intended, Amy brings a wealth of automotive knowledge and experience to bear. She has held managerial positions on the corporate level as a zone manager for Ford Division in Los Angeles and on the dealership level at Ford dealerships in San Diego, California. These experiences provide her with a solid knowledge of corporate and dealer interaction, marketing, financial analysis, planning, implementation, sales, service, warranty administration, inventory, and customer relations. She has been in direct contact with customers and is aware of the realities of dealer operations and life in the automotive world. Her successful background as a corporate zone manager, combined with dealership experience, also provides her with the confidence to deal comfortably with all automotive personnel.

As a sincere believer in customer loyalty and teamwork, Amy is committed to assisting dealers with implementing these concepts in their day-to-day operations, whether it involves improving their product knowledge skills, changing their corporate cultures, or implementing effective process improvement in all departments to achieve overall dealership goals.

Amy holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated with honors. Her graduate thesis was Positive Corporate Image: An Intangible Asset. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration, with high honors, from the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama. With Ford Motor Company, she also participated in dealership management training through J. D. Power and Associates.

Anne has over 20 years of a multi-faceted background in management, consulting, facilitating, presenting, sales, marketing and technology.  With proven success in managing people, budgets and projects; analyzing and managing business processes and change; assessing, developing and delivering skills improvement programs; a strong background in technology; a passion for working with people; and a solid understanding of business processes, she is able to assist organizations maximizing their most important resource:  PEOPLE!

As a process and performance consultant, her goal is to understand the areas of concern for an organization and help them get past the "we've always done it this way" thinking to come up with more creative approaches and successful solutions.  Anne provides valuable and thought-provoking information with an entertaining and exuberant style. Her creative, enthusiastic and straight-forward approach to business strategy provides an opportunity to analyze and solve problems in a fun, relaxed environment that leads to change and results. Her communication skills are superb and ability to connect with all levels in an organization allows her to make a difference and create action with her training and coaching services.

Anne's expertise in the automotive industry stems from a five year project with GM's Standards for Excellence (SFE) program.  The focus of this project was to work with GM dealerships assisting them in increasing sales, exceeding customer expectations, improving employee involvement, skills and enthusiasm, and develop leadership excellence in all areas of the business.  Methodologies used include facilitating leadership and employee team meetings, analyzing research data from customers, competition and employees, mapping processes, executive coaching, and utilizing other tools and analytics to drive change and success with dealership goals.  She was successful in improving processes that had a direct impact on sales, CSI and dealership teamwork.

Chris Pearce comes to BTS with 10 years of experience in the automotive service industry.

Starting with a position as a customer relations manager, she spent her time listening to dealership customers in both sales and service. She then moved into the position of a warranty administrator, gaining a unique perspective of both the customer's expectations from their brand, and the manufacturer's expectations of its dealers and customers. As a master certified VW service consultant, she consistently delivered outstanding customer satisfaction.

In 2008 Chris won the top honors in VW's Service Qualification Championship and represented the United States in VW's international service competition in Wolfsburg, Germany. Chris brings to the table a multifaceted background in customer service, fixed operations, as well as warranty policy and procedures.

Johna is a well-established facilitator and consultant with "ground up" experience in the automotive industry. She worked in retail and became familiar with all departments of the dealership before moving to training and consulting in 1992.

She enjoys using her knowledge and experience to facilitate a genuine understanding and ownership of improved processes and behaviors in any dealership department. Success to her is participants that walk away with their idea of how to make positive change. Her upbeat, high-energy style combined with her in-depth knowledge allows her to provide impactful, fun training in a wide variety of topics.

Johna is experienced consulting and training for both sales and services. On the Sales side, she has conducted various ride and drives, product launches, technologies training and in-dealership product training. From a fixed operations perspective Johna has worked with multiple manufacturers on service processes to parts inventory management to body shop operations and warranty administration.

Johna communicates in a fun, real world, action-oriented way. She resides in San Diego with her dog Elvis and is an avid golfer. She also enjoys traveling to New York to spend time with family.

Julie Cassell is a seasoned management professional with the ability to support multiple simultaneous projects through her outstanding project planning, implementation, investigative and resource utilization skills. Her ability to develop business relationships is unparalleled.

Julie's last thirteen years have been spent as Director of Operations for an instructional design, development and facilitating organization. Her diverse background also includes critical needs instruction, mortgage lending and real estate paraprofessional.

During baseball season Julie can be found on the bleachers supporting her favorite pitcher and grand slam hitter. She and her family have served as a host for the Southwest Team during the Big League World Series for the past six years.

Stefeny, originally from the Cleveland, Ohio area, studied Graphic Design & Fine Art at the University of Akron and Coastal Carolina University graduating in 2003. She has worked as a graphic designer, marketing director and business manager. Her latest path is with BTS Consulting & Training as a Travel Administrator and Project Manager.

Married with a 3 month old daughter, she currently resides in South Carolina. Favorite pastimes include traveling, swimming, jogging, party planning and reading.

Trisha is a results-oriented administrative professional with over 25 years of extensive experience in project coordination, office management, and presentation graphics within industries that include training, marketing, communications and video production. She has always been a key member of every team she has worked with and takes pride in her ability to deliver quality results. Her skills and proficiencies include:

• Excellent computer skills in MS Office, Adobe Photoshop and Internet Research
• Adaptability, flexibility and works well independently, while at the same time being a team player
• Strong customer service skills
• Self-starter focused on success with tremendous follow-up skills
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills

Trisha consistently raises the bar on customer expectations and knows what it takes to get the job done on time and on budget.

Stephanie Hoeve joins BTS Consulting with her collegiate skills and experience in customer service. She has recently completed her undergraduate degree at Grand Valley State University with an emphasis in business management through Seidman Collage of Business. Stephanie's retail experience includes restaurant hospitality, health and nutrition, and apparel merchandising. Her most notable collegiate project is a marketing and management plan developed for a prototype company over the course of 3 semesters, which won top performance in her class. Through her professional practices, she aspires to consistently exceed the expectations of those surrounding her.

Chris Hunsicker is a nationally recognized authority on organizational leadership and change management. A Sought after speaker in the corporate and public sectors, he has a powerful gift for touching the heart as well as the mind. His keynotes and workshops are best described as e3 (a combination of education, entertainment and energy). Because of his ability to tell the hard truth with a humorous and dynamic presentation style, Chris has become a trusted advisor to some of America’s most successful companies. His training, consulting and coaching has allowed him to interact with people across industries and communities throughout North America. He has published an article on the Cost of Mediocrity (2004) and co-authored a book entitled, "10 Things Legendary Leaders Do". His latest book, "Three Critical Shifts" will be released at the end of this year.

Chris’s clients include organization and business from the public and private sectors. Applying principles of Performance Cultures, Personal Accountability, and Learning Organizations, Through Xcel Development Chris has worked organizations such as Ms. Field’s Cookies, Phoenix Medical Center, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, The City of Peoria, Detroit Area United Way, City of Las Vegas, Simula Automotive, St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Yuma Regional Medical Center, The Florida Main Street Federation, Chevron Texaco, St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, and many other small businesses.

Danielle Dancey comes from a broad background in Luxury Retail Management. She is a 2007 graduate of the International Academy of Design and Technology with a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising and Management. Through her years with various high-end retailers, Danielle has successfully trained and managed sales professionals with a strong emphasis on customer satisfaction. She has been awarded for her involvement in committees focused on developing and implementing customer service initiatives. Danielle resides in Chicago, IL. She is an avid reader and can be found running along the lake in the summer.

Growing up a self-confessed "car guy" in Detroit, Ted's 30 years of working experience started out in the parts, service and sales departments of automotive dealerships in Michigan and California. Entering the corporate world in 1987, he quickly became a sales manager for a large industrial supply company. He grew a sales force to 150 agents and managers, and was head of national accounts for Ford, Honda, Toyota, General Motors and Chrysler. A former open wheel and sedan car racer, and recognizing a good fit, (Ted's company made the strongest fasteners in the world) he became the expert and trainer of the Indy Car teams for 5 years. Other areas of industrial knowledge include electrical, cutting tools and chemicals. His safety clinics were in high demand in the mining industry and manufacturing plants. Motivation and coaching have always been natural talents, and he has always had the sales and customer satisfaction results to prove that.

For the last year, Ted has run a 501(C) 3 nonprofit foundation to benefit Big Brothers-Big Sisters, Make-A-Wish, and soup kitchens in Michigan and California.

Most recently, he has come on board with BTS Consulting and Training, who are using his talents to work with automotive clients and new business acquisition.

Alyssa Morley joins BTS as a project manager, bringing skills in technology and communication to the team.  Alyssa graduated from Elon University in 2008 with anthropology and sociology majors. These educational underpinnings have contributed to her keen appreciation for different workplace cultures. One such culture she experienced was a secondary school in Malawi. Alyssa spent two years as a peace Corps Volunteer in this southeastern African country, returning to her Michigan home in the summer of 2011. Though her primary role in the Peace Corps was as a teacher, she also designed and conducted business training with Malawian farming groups. These experiences enhanced her expertise in organization, business, communication, and culture-sensitivity. In addition to Peace Corps, Alyssa has worked as a teaching assistant at Elon University and as a proofreading intern with anthropology faculty and with the Dow Chemical Company.

Alyssa has an open-minded yet detail-oriented approach, which materializes in her editing, management, and team-work skills.

Brian joined BTS in 2001. With over 15 years in the Automotive Industry, Brian brings a wide range of skills to the BTS team.

Brian has a Bachelor of Science in Power Technology from Central Missouri State University, with an emphasis on Automotive Management. Brian is an ASE certified technician who is passionate about passing on diagnostic techniques to technicians. He is a certified service training instructor for multiple automobile manufacturers and has developed multiple technical training courses covering topics such as climate control, automotive electronics, engine controls, etc. He is an experienced technical writer who has written over 35 technical manuals for the Automotive, Rail, and Manufacturing Industries.

He is also a highly skilled and organized Project Manager, having successfully managed multiple projects in the manufacturing sector, including Y2K remediation at a major U.S. automotive manufacturing plant.

Brian's primary role has been to develop test content for the Porsche Dealer Certification program and to be a Facilitator for the Porsche Event Based CSI Training Program. He was also a developer on the Volkswagen Managing Parts Inventory for Results training course.

Karen jointed the BTS team in 2010 as the Administrative Assistant to Lead Project manager Dede Dancey. Karen started her career in the health care industry where she worked for 31 years in various positions as a Data Entry Operator, Provider Registration Specialist, Quality Specialist, and Departmental Training.

Karen enjoys working with “such a wonderful team at BTS”, and the BTS team enjoys working with such a wonderful individual.

John joins the BTS team as an Instructional design intern from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. John is in his second year as an Interactive Technologies graduate student in the Instructional Design program at Wayne State University. John earned his Bachelor degree in English and Political Science from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.

Here at BTS, John or as he is more commonly referred to, JTI (John the Intern), is gaining an invaluable experience in his exposure to the real world of creating custom learning solutions for clients. Through his assignments at BTS John has been exposed to far more than just creating Design Documents, he has been exposed to the design and development process from start to finish, from program launches, to client reviews and actually sitting in and seeing a course facilitated. Though John’s main role at BTS is in assisting in the Design process, he has been involved in website maintenance, creating marketing materials, Project Management, and much more.

John is extremely happy to have gotten the chance to work and learn with the wonderful team of professionals at BTS, and looks forward to the challenges and projects that await him when he walks through the door each morning.