OUR CLIENTS
Bear Down clients include many of the top companies in the Chippewa Valley. The following list is some of the companies we've worked with or are currently working with and what they have to say about Bear Down.
Testimonials
“Jeff does a great job of facilitating discussions on topics that can be uncomfortable to deal with. If you are looking for a YES man to work with, or looking to just sit and listen without participating, Jeff is not your guy. He will push and prod if you try to gloss over or try to talk your way around an issue. He has the uncommon ability to get to the soft belly of an issue and get you to think about various solutions in a positive manner. You will be challenged and you will get your money’s worth if you really want to get better at honing your leadership skills.”
Greg Hageness – President - Titan Air
“Having owned a business for 30 years I have tried a lot of different seminars, read a lot of books on business, and spent a lot of time spinning my wheels on how to make my company and culture truly better. It all was frankly a waste of time and did more harm than good. Jeff West's approach and ability to facilitate programs within my organization and outside of it has been the magic solution I was looking for all of those years and I recommend him highly in any capacity. Time and time again his demeanor and combination of candor and curiosity brings a discussion together and moves a process forward in a way that is more art than science. He also has a great sense of humor that keeps people laughing all the way to improving themselves and talking about issues in a non-confrontational way. He holds people accountable but they enjoy it!”
Janet Stansfield Hess – Owner - Stansfield Vending Incorporated
“I cannot express how import leadership and culture have become to our company because of Jeff. Not only did he help create a path to promote and cultivate our culture, but he reinforced all the things that we were doing right that we never even realized. We all think as business owners that our businesses our “different” and that we are all unique in how we achieve success in our business and in our life. Jeff helped us come to the realization that all our businesses are very similar, but what you can make unique is your company leadership and culture, not your product or service. With this knowledge, I am extremely grateful to Bear Down for helping us create a culture where our employees can thrive and truly love their jobs. Thank you for changing our lives.”
Peter Hoeft - President - Hoeft Builders, Inc.
"The Building Real Teams workshop provided more insight, and more useful tools, than anything else we did for our business last year."
Dirk Nohre - Nohre & Co.
"It is never difficult to find someone who is willing to offer advice on how to run our business. It is far more challenging to find someone willing to invest their time into understanding our business, before offering that advice. That is what makes Jeff unique and an invaluable resource to Northern Crossarm Co. Inc."
Pat Bischel - Owner/President Northern Crossarm Co. Inc.
"Jeff, Thank you for the valuable contribution you provided our entire team during our recent ownership transition exercise. Everyone involved appreciated the opportunity to express their views and opinions in a thoughtful and confidential manner. As owners, the information that we received from the process was pertinent and extremely helpful to moving forward and accomplishing our goals. We were very pleased with the outcome and we look forward to working with you on future projects."
Joel Higgins - Higgins Travel Leaders
"Great teams are not a result of close proximity, convenience, wishes or hopes. Jeff West put Crusts Unlimited Inc.'s management team on an intentional path toward true collaboration, conflict resolution, and genuine commitment and trust, that is still paying dividends today. This is an area where CEO’s are wise to step aside and allow a professional to impact their companies in ways that they cannot."
Merrill Blackman General Manager – Crusts Unlimited, Inc.
From the Applied Leadership Program
It is easy in our daily hustle to feel that no-one else could possibly understand the businesses we are managing. Each of us has likely made time for a few hour(s) or few days leadership seminar where we have been talked at, not challenged to critically think about leadership. The true joy with Jeff West’s Applied Leadership Program is that it is about challenging your core thinking and changing your default habits. The chance to engage for one full day each month for 24 months with a cohort of peers, from across industries, ensures that broadest perspectives about leadership. Most importantly, each person will have the opportunity to gain the confidence, skill, and mindset to help build a high-performance organization. This experience will change you in all aspects of your life and you will receive back 10-fold what you put into this course.
Jason Jon Anderson – Executive Director – Pablo Center at the Confluence
The Applied Leadership Program has help me develop confidence, a more positive attitude, and the biggest change has been the transformation in my thought process. Jeff has really helped me develop confidence by his questions. Although a bit uncomfortable at first, I have learned to always have a reason for what I say or what I do. There has to be a why behind it. The positive attitude has really come from the members of the class because I have realized that I am not alone. We are all dealing with very similar situations and the support that they offer thru the exchange of ideas is uplifting. My thought process has been completely turned upside down. The best comparison that I could use would be that of driving from one place to another. Many different routes and one route might work the best today but another route might work better tomorrow. I was a one route kind of guy.
Bob Hinrichs - General Manager Feed Division – Synergy Cooperative
I was given the most incredible opportunity to join the Applied Leadership Program group. I cannot tell you how this group has changed how I look at everything I do. The format in this program of being able to debate and learn with so many different companies and have such an open forum of conversations on real life situations has changed my communication and has given me the tools to really make change. Overall, Jeff really has a way of making me think differently about everything I do professionally as well as at home. I now truly understand what it means to be a leader and this program has prepared me to make a difference!
Holly Clements – Director of Sales & Marketing – Stansfield Vending
The Applied Leadership Program is thought-provoking and eye opening. Never before have I been able to take part in an ongoing program that allowed for real world discussions with other business leaders in my community. Jeff provides a platform where we can help each other navigate challenges in our own business through shared experiences—that’s the ultimate value of this program! Thank you again Jeff for all that you do, as much as I wish you a happy retirement someday…. I secretly hope you keep doing this forever as you are a guiding light for leaders out there!
Jeremy Dickinson – Service Director – Benedict Sales & Service
My thoughts and behaviors in my leadership role were strengthened and others changed drastically for the better with the help of Jeff and the other participants of this program. Be aware, this Applied Leadership Program isn’t something that is quick or easy. Be prepared to look at how you and your company approaches leadership, and to share and compare your experiences and troubles with peers from other companies. Our group consisted of a wide range of industries (entertainment, service, technology, agriculture) and it was amazing to see the challenges and growth we all experienced. I’m extremely glad I was a part of this experience.
Jake Avery - IT Operations & Service Delivery Manager – WIN Technology
The Applied Leadership Program has really been a very eye-opening experience for me. Prior to the program I had an idea, or vision of what I thought a good leader was. After the class I now have a deeper understanding of what a leader is, the vocabulary that goes along with it, and a greater understanding of the different pieces that need to be put in place to create and lead a highly functioning organization. The class caused me to do a lot of self-reflecting of my habits, and my thought processes, and opened my eyes to the changes that I needed to make to be a better leader. The different perspectives that I was able to listen to and learn from in the class has helped me expand my ability to deal with the day-to-day issues that leaders face.
Considering the current labor market and issues that all businesses are facing, I feel the value this program provides for an individual is well worth the investment. If it was feasible, I would send every person in our organization to this class.
Steve Heathman – General Manager – McDonough Manufacturing
Over a long career span in Human Resources, I have participated in several leadership-based courses, however none were more influential and rewarding than the Applied Leadership Program presented by Jeff West. Jeff provokes both thought and participation and provides a setting of free thinking and communication. The tremendous advantage to this course is it provides valuable concepts for both the new and seasoned leader.
Kevin Dendinger – Human Resource Manager – WIN Technology
I admittedly went into Applied Leadership as more of a prisoner than a participant. I started leading and managing people at sixteen years old and at fifty-six, thought I knew everything. There are several ways my thinking was changed by reading Leadership: Thinking, Being, Doing and participating in twenty-four weeks of classroom discussions.
1. I am constantly thinking about my own habits. I had this idea in my head that habits were something unintentional that defined who you were from a negative perspective. I'll use smoking as an example. I come from a long line of professional smokers, some of them smoking four packs a day. I always looked at smoking as a bad habit, but never understood that by me not smoking, and instead making better choices, created good habits that I have used my entire life. I now look at everything I do, whether at work or home and measure whether I am creating a good habit or a bad one. This has made me much more efficient at work and helps me understand the habits that have made up the individuals on our team. We are continuously talking to the team about creating intentional, productive habits.
2. I now understand my own filters and that others may not see the world the way I do because of their own experiences and desires. I have a perfect example of this: My Clifton StrengthsFinder analysis shows my number one trait is Achiever. I am always looking to win, to take the next step in my career, and for my kids to become successful. This class made me realize that I am imposing my own, personal thoughts of success on others. My son is a software engineer. When he graduated from college, he got his first job in his field and was thrilled. Instead of being happy for him, I asked him what the next step was to reach the top and when could he get there. Eventually, he said, "Dad, I'm happy with what I'm doing and don't want to go any higher at the moment." This blew my mind because I couldn't understand why he wasn't thinking like me. I get it now.
3. We all have different dragons that we need to slay in life and my dragons aren't the same as everyone else's. Understanding what is holding you back from being successful is the key to finding success.
I am a better leader today than I was two years ago. The twenty-four-week class is well worth it and I would recommend it to anyone experienced or novice in leadership.
Mike Pahl – Chief Operation Officer – Don Johnson Auto Group
The Applied Leadership Program is going to challenge your thinking and it will change the way you interact with your peers, your organization, and your life. Its hands down the most impactful training you could take. People in my organization have approached me to compliment the changes they’ve noticed in me. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to participate in this class.
Haley Maus – Service Delivery Specialist – WIN Technology
I have been through a few partial day leadership seminars and a couple longer style courses. They usually have some good concepts or things to think about but are usually limited in scope or focus to one or two concepts. The program that Jeff has put together considers and involves so may concepts related to leadership and does an excellent job on tying the concepts together. The connections between concepts are shown in multiple ways to help further drive the concepts into your memory and into practice. You will have some moments of tough self-reflection as you progress through the course.
The way Jeff has structured his teachings is the best I’ve seen to date for leadership training. Part of what makes Jeff’s teachings unique is the diverse range of participants that can include anyone from C level to department leads, production managers, service managers, account managers, and more. The varied points of view from the various levels of leadership add more value to the teachings and shared experiences. It’s humbling to see no matter what level of leadership you are at or what industry you are in the tough leadership situations we all face are not unique.
Tony Wagers - Customer Success Manager - WIN Technology
Take Jeff’s program on Leadership. Seriously, take it! One of the best investments this company has ever made.
Pat Bischel - Owner – Northern Crossarm, Inc.
I found that the conversations we had in Applied Leadership around the book material made me think more, analyze my interactions with my team members, and made me more aware of how essential vision and communication are to the success of an organization; even more than I realized!”
hanks Jeff! Things are going well!
Damian Souder - Systems Expert - WIN Technology