Dan Izzo, Training Leader has a comprehensive and diverse background. He is an accomplished entrepreneur as he successfully ran his own law firm in Chicago for seven years and subsequently founded the Improv Inferno, a successful comedy club in Ann Arbor. During its first year of existence, the Improv Inferno was voted "Best Local Comedy Troupe" by RealDetroit. He has extensive experience as an instructor, having taught at Second City and Columbia College of Chicago. He has trained companies in the area of communication and taught at improv and comedy festivals in Atlanta, North Carolina, New York and Kansas City. He directed "Terrorslide!" an improvised horror movie spoof, which the Chicago Reader described "as intelligent as the horror-flick and improv-comedy genres allow." Dan received his Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and his jurist doctorate from Loyola University of Chicago Law School, where he was a senior member of the law journal.
Kim Delaney, Academy Coordinator was born and raised in the city of Detroit. She attended Cass Technical High School and received her Bachelor's degree in Finance from Wayne State University and continues to challenge herself by pursuing a Masters in Business Administration at Wayne State University as well. She assists her husband in owning and managing a unisex salon in Oak Park, Michigan. She was employed with Quicken Loans and Rock Financial for 2 years as a Client Care Specialist and understands the mantra and culture which is the driving force behind the success of that company. She dedicated herself to her clients over the past two years and will dedicate herself to the success of future entrepreneurs to help build up Detroit into the best city ever. She is determined to use not only her educational, entrepreneurial, and employment experience but also her passion of making dreams a reality.
Rob Herner, Biz Unit Leader is an accomplished entrepreneur. He founded and successfully ran for twenty years, “REH Associates”, a technology based firm with profitable operations for 18 years that had an average gross sales of $6 million and an average gross margin of 48% from 1994-2002. He developed and aligned a strong organizational structure which enabled him to adapt the company’s business strategies to reflect technology and customer shifts by collaborating with manufacturers, distributors, consultants, contractors, and union agents. He also fostered a mentoring environment to empower employees for success and built the company around key values and principles emphasizing the importance of customer satisfaction. Rob provides a “business reality check”. Drawing from a broad range of practical experiences, he assists the entrepreneurs in preparing them to launch their businesses. Once the businesses are operational, Rob remains actively engaged in an advisory capacity. Rob received his Bachelor’s of Business Administration from University of Michigan and earned a Master of Business Administration from University of Detroit.
Amy Gill, Curriculum Specialist graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Cultural Anthropology, focusing on urban culture. Her passion for urban revitalization and entrepreneurial endeavors led her to Bizdom U where she embodies the trainers' mantra: "Learner-Centered...Performance-Based." Amy applies these core principles to Bizdoms' curriculum to guarantee each entrepreneur acquires the practical skills necessary to run a successful business. Prior to Bizdom U, Amy had a successful career at Rock Financial and Quicken Loans. Her obsession to "find a better way" earned her a companywide award in 2006 in the position of Regional Trainer. In this role, she implemented initiatives to transform the Sales Training program into measurable, accountable, skill-based training. She worked with top leaders to incorporate the most relevant sales strategies into the program and directed the reformation and maintenance of curriculum to ensure consistency with ever-changing markets and industry guidelines.
Ross Sanders, Executive Director has served on the leadership team of Rock Financial and Quicken Loans for 10 years. In this capacity, he led the creation of a joint venture, managed the start-up of a national branch network, coordinated the relocation of the corporate headquarters and led numerous process improvement initiatives. Prior to this experience, Ross spent ten years at MetLife, where he managed large projects for clients including General Motors and General Electric. There he led the development of the GM National Retiree Servicing Center, managed a GE Benefit Center and coordinated several major performance improvement initiatives. Ross received his Bachelor's Degree from Michigan State University, earned a Master of Business Administration Degree from Wayne State University and is trained as a Six Sigma Black Belt.