Big Rapids Group

BRG Principals

Tom Pitman spent a decade with General Motors creating large-scale quality and productivity improvement processes. After leaving GM he invested over 20 years in private practice working with senior leaders in the public and private sectors. He has been active in the not for profit arena for many years and periodically works as a developmental anthropologist at the University of Pennsylvania and Wharton. Tom is currently a principal in a number of diverse businesses and the CEO of WaterPlus. WaterPlus is an NGO focused on Universal Coverage Water and Sanitation on a global basis. He is the Founder and CEO of the Big Rapids Group.

Derek Kaufman started his career in 1975 as a Manufacturing Process Engineer with the Chevrolet Division of General Motors. He spent 10 years in sales and marketing roles for companies owned by Daimler Benz before becoming President of Diesel Technology, a 1200 person subsidiary of Penske Corporation. Derek now owns C3 Network in Grand Rapids, MI. His team helps clients launch new products. In the past few years they helped launch Toyota’s Hino Trucks division and are currently working with the Penske Automotive Group to launch the Smart Fortwo automobile in the USA. Derek specializes in the communication of operating results.

Bill Stanton has extensive senior operating management and corporate development experience. Throughout his career, Bill has led efforts to develop new customers and businesses involving highly technical products and services. He is a co-founder and director of Beacon Power. As its President and CEO, he led the company through formation and a successful public offering. Prior experience includes: Chief Operating Officer of SatCon, Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Corporate Development at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, where he managed $75 million of contract research and development annually, led strategic planning, and managed a $25-million corporate research and development program. Mr. Stanton received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maine, an M.S. in Instrumentation and Control from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School.

Dave Selvius has 20 years of experience in financial strategy and management in companies including Ernst & Young, Prince Corporation, Johnson Controls and Clarion Technology. In his roles as Treasury manager, Director of Corporate Finance and CFO, Dave has developed metrics and measurements that are used to guide departments, divisions and total companies. In addition to his experience in acquisitions and mergers, his recent work has taken him into franchise law and multi-store management techniques.

Richard Hardisty has 30 years of domestic and international experience consulting in Organizational Design, Development, Effectiveness, Learning & Transformation. He spent a dozen years with Imperial Oil [Exxon’s Canadian affiliate] leading large-scale Organization Transformation projects and was a cofounder and managing director of The Center for Effective Enterprise Development. He has extensive experience working with senior leaders in the oil & gas, petrochemical, aviation, manufacturing, agricultural and forestry industries in North America and abroad. Rick is a lead director for BRG for Performance and Profit Amplification with a special focus on the oil & gas industry.

Annie Russell has a career that has spanned more than 20 years. She has developed exceptional expertise in leadership development, organization effectiveness, cultural transformation, and team building. She specializes in helping organizations solve complex organizational problems. Her experience includes both line management and consulting experience in Fortune 500 companies, emerging high tech organizations, and a variety of other industries and community organizations. Prior to launching her consulting practice Annie was a senior consultant with Ernst & Young. Before joining Ernst & Young, Annie managed training and development for Goodyear Aerospace Company.

Gervase Bushe is a professor in the Segal Graduate School of Business at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. For 25 years he has provided leadership development, coaching, executive team development and advice on changing organizational cultures and structures to organizations as diverse as Business Objects, Shell Oil, PeaceHealth, General Motors, Novellus, and the Canadian Government. He is internationally known for his work in developing and extending the theory and practice of appreciative inquiry and his partners deliver his leadership training programs all over the world.

Big Rapids Group, 188 Highline Drive, McHenry, MD 21541, T: 301.387.4757