Larry Cole, Ph.D.
Improves Leadership Effectiveness
Larry Cole earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma. Larry was on the faculty of Arkansas Tech University and served as CEO of a Comprehensive Mental Health Center before founding his consulting company, TeamMax®, in 1989.
Since then, Larry has specialized in improving leadership effectiveness and teamwork while fostering the fact that frustration is your best friend. He created the TeamMax® Advantage methodologies to measure behavior change in realtime. In addition to the books and manuscripts listed below, he has written numerous articles for professional, business and trade magazines, and written several unpublished manuscripts that he offers. He has worked in the agriculture industry for over fifteen years.
SPECIALTIES: LEADERSHIP | MANAGEMENT | CULTURE | CUSTOMER SERVICE
Kelly Mathison
30+ Year of Industry Experience
Kelly started his career as a sales representative during the high interest crunch of the 1980’s He then spent 10 years in sales and marketing with the distributor and wholesale manufacturer, Flexi Coil, covering Canada, Australia and the U.S. In 1996 he became a partner in a single store John Deere Dealership in Brandon, Manitoba. Over the next 12 years, it grew from 1 store to 7 when they eventually merged with Enns Brothers in 2008. Over the years, he gained experience as a Sales Manager, Aftermarket Manager, General Manager and Group Marketing Manager. In 2011, Kelly sold his partnership interest and took a contract as Group Product Support Manager with Chesterfield Australia, one of the country’s largest John Deere Dealer groups.
In 2014, Kelly launched a consulting and training company, Kayzen Management, and in 2015 joined Western Equipment Dealers Association’s Dealer Institute as a consultant and trainer. Kelly brings his unique, real life experience and time tested best practice solutions to a wide scope of dealership issues. His philosophy of “continuous improvement” can be applied over all dealership departments.
SPECIALTIES: AFTERMARKET | PARTS | SERVICE
Trent Hummel
30+ Year of Industry Experience
Trent Hummel is a lead management consultant and trainer for the North American Equipment Dealers Association’s Dealer Institute. As a fourth-generation equipment dealer, Trent’s family successfully used advanced management techniques of wholegoods’ assets and progressive procedural systems to produce results that exceeded dealership goals and industry benchmarks.
Trent’s 30+ years as an owner and general manager provided him with invaluable experience and extensive knowledge in managing and leading dealership operations. Trent has used his experience to move to this next level of his career.
Since 2011, Trent has been active in designing and delivering curriculum-based training, providing onsite consulting services and guiding dealer peer groups.
Trent’s experience and passion in the management of inventory, with an emphasis on used equipment, has earned him the distinction as one of North America’s strongest and most innovative voices in dealership wholegoods’ management. His strategies with inventory turnover, aging and margins have rejuvenated struggling wholegoods’ departments throughout North America.
NAEDA’s Dealer Institute provides solutions and resources for dealerships interested in growing their businesses, training their employees and improving operational and financial efficiencies. Dealers now have expanded access to a variety of affordable training programs and consulting services that can be delivered in a way that works best for their businesses.
SPECIALTIES: WHOLEGOODS | OPERATIONS | SALES | FINANCIALS
Dann Olesen
30+ Years of Industry Experience
Dann started his career behind the parts counter in his family’s farm equipment dealership. In 1983 he became a partner and took the role of Parts Manager. Several years later he trained his replacement and moved into equipment sales. Dann assumed the role of CEO of the company in 1995 and led many years of double-digit growth and expansion. Throughout this period he also spent hands-on time working in every department in order to gain a full understanding of how everything works together. His career growth was supported by membership in a 20-Group followed by a TEC group. Dann also held many positions, including Chairman, of the Canada East Equipment Dealer’s Association (CEEDA).
After closing the dealership in 2012 Dann joined a larger dealership group as VP-Aftermarket. In addition to leading the Parts and Service teams to year-over-year growth and profitability, he spearheaded the Leadership Development program for all managers within the company. This program involved customized training that focussed on leadership skills, financial management, operational management and was supported by ongoing coaching/mentoring. As a lifelong student of business, Dann helped plan the dealership’s long-term strategy and successfully execute their objectives.
Dann joined WEDA Dealer Institute in 2021 to continue sharing his knowledge, experience, and passion with others within the industry.
SPECIALTIES: LEADERSHIP | OPERATIONS | FINANCIALS
Scott Brigden
Scott Brigden grew up on a farm in southwest Manitoba, where he would help his now 70-year-old father. In addition to helping around the farm, Scott worked at a local furniture shop while in high school. He went on to study business at Brandon University and found himself working at a local furniture store upon graduating. He later moved to Drayton Valley, Alberta, where he managed another location. After a year in Drayton Valley, he moved home, where he managed a bar, restaurant and hotel for seven years.
From this experience, he got an understanding of customer service, attitude and how to manage staff. When he decided to leave the hospitality industry, Scott started his career as a parts counter salesperson at Brandon’s John Deere dealership at the time, Countryside Equipment. Even though he thought it would be a short-term job, he stayed for the long haul. After moving into an ag service writer position, Scott played to his strength of learning and dove into the business. He learned about technician efficiencies, billing gains and losses, and the value of time. He used his business knowledge and love of numbers to help the department succeed.
When Countryside merged with Enns Brothers, Scott had the opportunity to become the service manager at Enns Brothers Portage la Prairie location. This allowed him to attend Doug Friend meetings where he began to understand the strategies behind the numbers he had learned as a service writer. Scott continued developing his expertise and soon managed both the service and parts departments. He coached the parts team on sales tactics, customer service and problem-solving.
Scott eventually moved to Enns Brothers head office as service project coordinator, travelling to all locations to work with their service departments. This included training staff, improving the company’s process and standardization, and developing new managers.
About 3.5 years ago, he left Enns Brothers and embarked on a new journey with a Truck and Trailer Repair shop in Brandon. He saw the move as a unique challenge as the single-location family-owned business was growing and had just added a parts business he could develop.
As a new Dealer Institute trainer, Scott looks forward to helping dealers succeed by improving their parts and service operations.
SPECIALTIES: AFTERMARKET | PARTS | SERVICE
Jim Kelley
Jim has spent most of his career in the agricultural industry. Born and raised on the family farm in Weyburn, Saskatchewan where the Kelley family began farming in 1916, he has had a distinguished 30-year career in agriculture.
Jim understands all aspects of equipment dealerships, having experience with three major equipment manufacturers. Starting as a technician, he transitioned to sales where he progressed from Salesperson to Sales Management, Regional Sales Management, then Partner in a multi-store operation.
Jim has developed a non-theoretical, hands-on agriculture sales training program focusing on account management and relationship sales. Using this long-term proven technique, he has guided sales representatives to develop and grow their relationship-based strategies, allowing them to successfully increase customer loyalty, sales, and profitability.
Jim’s approach to training is practical and straightforward. He is able to effectively connect with the individuals he trains having been in their shoes. His non-theoretical approach ensures the successful implementation of the training.
SPECIALTIES: WHOLEGOODS | OPERATIONS | SALES
Gord Thompson
28+ Years Experience in the Equipment Industry
Gord began his career with a national accounting firm prior to joining his family’s CIH dealership in 1986. He was dealer principal and general manager of the two store dealership in Saskatchewan until 2014 when he sold it to Redhead Equipment and In 2015 retired from
Redhead.
As a dealer, he served on the board and as president of the Canada West Dealers Association, now part of WEDA. His dealership also belonged to a 20 group throughout that time. In 2016 he joined WEDA’s Dealer Institute as a trainer, specializing in dealership financial management and training dealer staff on understanding and utilizing financial information.
SPECIALTIES: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT | MERGER & ACQUISITIONS