| About Step 1 Management Services ... |
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| Step 1 Management Services is a firm dedicated to providing essential management training and leadership development services. Step 1’s unique approach blends traditional management consulting services with a healthy dose of pragmatic and real-world experience to help clients achieve their full management potential, from entry-level managers through to the senior executive team. |
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| The cornerstone of Step 1 is helping organizations to establish management practices that help both the individual and the organization achieve its full potential. |
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| Step 1 Management Team: |
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Jeff Canter
President
Jeff Canter is Founder and President of Step 1 Management Services, LLC. A management professional with more than 25 years of experience, Jeff has worked with management executives in the manufacturing, technology, financial services, hospitality and telecommunications industries. As a result of his experiences working across a wide spectrum of industries and firms of varying sizes, Jeff has developed universal best-practices in the critical management areas of leadership development, talent development, performance management and strategic planning. Jeff applies pragmatic, real-world experience to help clients understand the importance of leadership development and to successfully implement essential training and leadership development programs. |
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| "It is said that there is no better teacher than experience. While I agree with that statement in principle, not every business situation is well served by the burden of time that on-the-job training demands. Yet there often seems to be no other way for talented new leaders (or potential leaders) to learn the skills they need to be successful. Baptismal fires can be needlessly stressful and expensive where new managers are concerned, especially when you consider that it doesn't have to be that way. Companies must invest in the growth and professional development of their future leaders -- not just for subject matter skills but for management 'best practices' as a disciplined approach. This must go far beyond the generalized material taught at the college level to include realistic, pragmatic lessons in how to handle the daily challenges new leaders will face." |
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Julia Grimes
Director, Public Sector Services Practice
Retired Colonel Julia Grimes brings Step 1’s specialized management and training services to law enforcement, public safety and government agencies at the local, state and federal levels. Prior to joining Step 1, Col. Grimes served twenty four years with the Alaska State Troopers. A graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy and the National Executive Institute in Quantico, Virginia, Grimes was the first female trooper in Alaska to be promoted to captain, and later became the first female trooper to be promoted to Colonel and assigned as the Director of the Alaska State Troopers. Retired Col. Grimes is a lifetime member of the Women Police of Alaska (WPA), as well as a member of the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE), and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). |
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“With a significantly elevated consequence of error as compared to their private sector counterparts, public officials –
particularly law enforcement and public safety officials – must focus much of their time and efforts on how best to deliver
critical services with professionalism, competence and accountability. With such a premium placed on efforts to ensure effective service to the public, training focused on leadership development represents a challenge to already stretched resources and can fall to a lower priority. Ultimately, it is to the detriment of the organization’s mission if leadership development is not part of their strategy for long term success. I look forward to the opportunity to fill this training gap with the goal of developing stronger leaders and enhancing overall operational performance.” |
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Walter Pietschmann
Director, Non-Profit and Faith-Based Services Practice
Walter Pietschmann is the director of Step 1’s non-profit and faith-based services practice, and is responsible for extending the reach of the company’s specialized leadership development and management training services to these important sectors.
An ordained minister, currently serving as Pastor to the West Elizabeth Presbyterian Church, Walt has held numerous leadership positions with Pittsburgh churches and faith-based organizations, including the Hospice Care of Pittsburgh, Wilkinsburg Community Ministry and the Small Church Network. He earned his Master of Divinity from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Geneva College, and is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. |
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“I believe that leaders of faith-based and charity-based organizations have a unique opportunity to become better leaders
by better managing their senior staff, front-line employees, congregations and the legions of volunteers that all share the same calling and passion – but need a strong and effective leader to successfully guide them to their destination.
I know many non-profit directors and religious leaders do not view themselves as business managers.
But, most of the successful ones have learned to embrace fundamental business management practices as part
of their successful operations. I’m looking forward to building this specialized practice within Step 1 and broadening
our outreach to these underserved groups.” |
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Sandra Lane
Business Development Manager
Sandra Lane is the manager of Business Development at Step 1. With more than 25 years of achieving successful sales results in both pharmaceutical and consumer sales, Sandra understands that customers expect more from a vendor than merely the products they provide – they need a partner to guide them to solutions for their unique problems Her expertise in new account development is based on a passion for developing relationships and fulfilling client needs.
Sandra has held account management positions with both small cap and Fortune 500 companies and has worked extensively throughout the northeast United States. Her past clients have included nationally recognized firms such as Cardinal Health, Giant Eagle, Discount Drug Mart, Rock Bottom Stores, and Rx Place.
Sandra is a graduate of Montclair State University with a B.S. in Business Administration. She knows that the skills she learned in college prepared her to develop and maintain an active role as a volunteer within her community and church. She believes that her record of holding various leadership positions in non-profit organizations and successfully coordinating numerous events of varying size and complexity has only been possible because of the solid foundation in management skills she derived from education, ongoing professional development and hands-on experience. |
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“When it comes to developing any new business, I believe, it starts with the establishment of a relationship and partnership with each client through communication. First and foremost, it is critical to accurately understand a client’s needs and determine how Step 1 can help be part of the equation in reaching a client’s goals. That partnership continues, as ongoing communication reveals changes in client needs over time and we make adjustments to meet those needs.” |
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Gary Rothman
Director, Marketing and Sales
Gary Rothman is director of marketing and sales for Step 1, and has over 30 years of exceptional experience in sales, sales management, product management, and marketing all types of products and services. He brings with him to Step 1 strong communications skills, years of domain expertise, solid technical acumen, and a well grounded consultative sales approach enhanced by training with IBM, Solution Selling, Spin Selling, and Strategic/Conceptual Selling.
Gary has worked for, and with, organizations of all sizes, and has achieved numerous recognitions throughout his career, including the IBM President’s Club and the Adobe “Simply the Best” awards. Some of the leading organizations in the technology and financial services industries that Gary has worked for are IBM, Lotus, Adobe, Mellon Bank and Bank of Montreal; his clients have included Sunoco, Rite Aid, Wachovia, Bank of America, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Pep Boys, The Limited, and PNC Bank.
A graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. in Marketing, Gary received his M.B.A. degree with a marketing emphasis from the University of Pittsburgh. He has served as an instructor at both the undergraduate and graduate levels for West Virginia State University, Robert Morris University, and the University of Phoenix. |
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| “At the core of both the marketing and sales functions is a partnership. In this case, Step 1-to-client and ultimately client-to-customer. The basis of that partnership is a value-for-value relationship. The kind of consulting, training, and coaching that Step 1 provides can increase client productivity an average of 88% (Public Personnel Management Journal). Twenty five years of marketing and sales experience allows our clients to identify their value proposition, communicate it effectively, and deliver it efficiently so that both client and customer create a mutually beneficial and lasting relationship. I’m looking forward to extending Step 1’s domain expertise into the disciplines of both marketing and sales.” |
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