Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/575161
10 • October 5, 2015 • Powersports Business NEWS www.PowersportsBusiness.com in several countries around the world as a small business management resource provider and Spader 20 Group facilitator. He has also consulted and worked with associations and manufacturers, always with the focus on the privately-owned business whose owners' sav- ings are on the line. Spader Business Management is headquar- tered in Sioux Falls, S.D. John Spader resides in Sioux Falls with his wife Carol and their two children. MATT STRADER COMMERCIAL TECHNOLOGY LEADER, GE CAPITAL COMMER- CIAL DISTRIBUTION FINANCE Matt Strader is the commer- cial technology leader at GE Capital, Commercial Distribution Finance. In his role, Matt is responsible for driving customer ana- lytics and interface solutions with the Business Intelligence, Data Scientist, Marketing, Informa- tion Technology and Commercial teams. Matt joined GE in 2005 and has held roles as eCommerce leader and most recently, midrange product leader, where he supported global cus- tomers (dealers, distributors and manufactur- ers) in the wholesale/inventory finance space responsible for customer facing dealer and OEM transaction and analytical tools. Prior to GE, Matt served as the director of Information Systems and the director of Pro- cess Improvement and Automation at Bombar- dier Capital. Matt and his family reside in the Chicago- land area. GART SUTTON PRESIDENT, GART SUTTON & ASSOCIATES An internationally-recog- nized speaker and educator, Gart Sutton is the president of Gart Sutton & Associates, Inc., a company he founded in 1980. His retail- ing background has been a family tradition since his grandfather opened a Los Angeles Ford dealership in 1921. While Gart's expertise is in sales, he has worked in every facet of the vehicle retail business. His business acumen is built on a strong foundation of formal educa- tion (business and psychology degrees) and real-world experience (retail management). Gart has been a Powersports industry management consultant for over 35 years. His skillset includes keynote speaking, facili- tating educational workshops, moderating dealer groups, conducting industry research, developing training solutions for powersports manufacturers and conducting on-site dealer- ship training and consulting. He has moderated hundreds of powersports 20-group meetings in the U.S. and Canada over the last three decades. Gart has authored over a dozen industry books and spoken to thousands of retailers, manufacturers and distributors worldwide. His featured columns have been seen in Pow- ersports Business, and his industry insight has benefited many. His ride exploits can be found on his blog at gartrides.com. Gart is presenting at the Pow- ersports Business Institute @ AIMExpo for the third time. BERNIE THOMPSON CAMPUS DIRECTOR, POWERSPORT INSTITUTE Bernie Thompson started his career in the powersports industry as a factory moto- cross mechanic for Steve Stackable from 1973 to 1977. With four national wins and an AMA Supercross Championship win, Bernie moved on to share his love the indus- try and pursue a career in technical education. Starting out as a technical instructor in 1980, his strong leadership skills lead to becoming director of education in 1990. Bernie supervised all Orlando campus educational programs including Harley-Davidson, Kawa- saki, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Volvo Penta and Mercury Marine Training. Bernie received a B.A. in business management in 1997 from the University of Phoenix. Bernie's ability to inspire a sense of coop- eration and teamwork among superiors, staff and students led him in 2006 to start the PowerSport Institute in Cleveland. His strong relationship with manufacturers and his expe- riences as an educator has lead to the design and development of a unique valued technical school in the industry. JOHN VAUGHAN-CHALDY CO-FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, MAX OPP MARKETING John grew up surfing, water- skiing and riding motorcy- cles. By 16 he was racing motocross at Carlsbad Raceway. By 1977 he and his best friend were racing Jet Skis, and by '79 John was announcing Jet Ski races with Larry Huffman. John's love for riding and racing led him to work at a Kawasaki dealership, renting Jet Skis while he studied psychology and business in college. John then started sell- ing motorcycles and Jet Skis and loved it. He gravitated to automotive sales, and by age of 28 he earned his way into Ford's exclusive salespersons 300/500 Grand Masters Club. John left the auto industry in 1993 and, with a buddy, bought a Yamaha dealership in 1994. The dealership, MotoPro, quickly gained attention for meteoric sales growth, but also for John's custom bikes. In September 1997 John founded Baron Custom Accessories and grew the company over 12 years. In 2009, John sold Baron with a two-year management agreement. In 2011, John and Rolf Sammons left Baron to co-found Max Opp Marketing. NAN WOODSOME OWNER, CRUISIN' 66 MOTORCYCLES Since October 2003, Nan Woodsome has been co- owner with her husband Tim of Cruisin' 66 Cycles in Springfield, Mo. They have carried several OEMs over the years and have had as many as 15 employees. Prior to owning Cruisin' 66, Nan was a corporate trainer in the software industry as well as a faculty member at Arapahoe Commu- nity College, while they lived in the Denver area. Nan's first career was in the finance industry in both the commercial and residential sector. Nan has two children and one grandchild with another due the first part of November. PSB SPEAKERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9