WHY we're different

Jonathan Hodge, President & CEO

Unleashing Hidden Talents - "Minus a handful of psychopaths, everyone shows up to work wanting to contribute, be fulfilled, and garner respect and positive feedback. Prior to entering this field I had several career stops in organizations where my ability to be my best was stifled, to say the least. Some of it related to poor leadership while in other scenarios it was the organizational culture and lack of core values that created a suffocating environment. More often than not, however, it was my own lack of self-awareness and limiting beliefs I brought to work every day that blocked my advancement and engagement. Every day at Advantage I get the opportunity to work with leaders to be the best versions of themselves, focus on creating organizational cultures that are safe and supportive, and, most importantly, I get to work with individuals at all levels to help them discover and tap into their true potential to do the best work of their lives."

Carol Bunn, Partner

Celebration - "Life is short, precious, and ready to be celebrated. My work at Advantage is and has been a celebrated part of my life for the past 20 years. My work with our amazing clients creates many moments of joint celebration. We plan our work together toward defined impact and success. Working toward celebration points helps me balance decisions that impact today with decisions that shape tomorrow. As we reach success together, I have a 'front row seat' to leader promotions, team growth, reaching top sales goals, cultures that attract the best talent, leaders demonstrating EQ daily, etc. Leading and helping others lead a life of celebration is my why."

Karen Carlsen-Carney, Partner

Growth & Relationships - "I've often said that it's the amazing relationships and friendships I have with my clients and network that keep me doing what I do. What I help my clients do at Advantage Performance Group gives people the opportunity to grow as professionals, whether as eaders or individual contributors. Developing skills that help people reach their career, family, and financial goals is a very rewarding feeling. Leadership development, financial & business acumen, and sales training are skills that are applicable in their personal lives too."

Kristina DiStasio, Partner

Curiosity - "APG allows me to build a sustainable business that enables me to constantly be learning and connecting with fellow curious minds. My 'why' is driven by an insatiable curiosity to explore and understand the intricate dynamics of business and leadership. I believe that curiosity is the catalyst for innovation and growth. It fuels my passion to ask the right questions, uncover hidden opportunities, and challenge conventional thinking. At Advantage Performance Group, I harness this curiosity to help organizations and leaders unlock their full potential, continually seeking new ways to enhance their capabilities and achieve exceptional results. I am deeply grateful that our clients share this curiosity, as it inspires a collaborative journey of discovery and continuous improvement, allowing us to co-create remarkable solutions together."

Rob Grossman, Partner

Bringing Ideas to Life - "Being a partner at Advantage Performance Group allows me to fulfill my life purpose, which is to help people become fully self-expressed and at their best in every domain of life. The opportunity to collaborate with our clients and bring ideas into reality; helping individual contributors, leaders and executives do the best work of their lives, and impacting organizations, families and communities is what lights me up! My mantra to clients and prospective clients is: How may I earn the privilege to be your first call when a business and talent development need arises? My intention through our collaboration is to become a trusted extension of your team."

Amy Kahn, Partner

Connections - "Advantage Performance Group gives me the opportunity to make connections every day. We are able to connect our tools and solutions to important business needs for our customers. We connect with our customers by building long-term relationships. We have also helped our customers connect, network, and learn from each other. We connect as an APG team to share skills, expertise, and best practices. Connections to last a lifetime are my why."

Steven Orova, Partner

Impact - "Reflecting on my past 12 months with Advantage Performance Group, I've enjoyed the impactful work we've accomplished, including initiatives to support our U.s. military, build business acumen, help leaders enhance their Multiplier skills, manage conflict, thrive in a matrix, and resolve sales objections. I've reconnected with past clients, worked on exciting new programs, and engaged with new clients to implement training worldwide both face-to-face and virtually. Our award-winning thought leaders create best-in-class experiences that l integrate into our work, yielding fantastic results. Overall, my first year has been incredibly fulfilling, and I'm excited about the opportunities ahead."

Bennett Phillips, Partner

Creativity - "Advantage is a unique business in many aspects, but my favorite aspect is creativity. Because we have access to such a wide range of learning tools and content, developing a creative, bespoke solution for a client has very few limitations. I have found that the potential for what we can do for a client is limited only by the combined imaginations of myself, our partners, and the client. This keeps the work interesting and makes us a valuable, hard-to-replace partner to many of our clients."

Chuck Quakenbush, Partner

Helping Others - “Being helpful and providing assistance to others has been a core value that I have believed in from a young age. I have practiced this in my career, in my non-business endeavors, and with my family. Through a ministry called Career Curve, I and a colleague have assisted 200+ people over 12 years deal with job loss, helping them through the initial ‘dark days’ to where they could confidently conduct a job search. I love being part of Advantage Performance Group because we provide top-notch training and development solutions via expert thought leaders who help people do their best work. My 20+ years at Advantage have allowed me to learn, grow, and live my ‘why’ every day. You can’t ask for more than that.”

Suzie Ramirez, Partner

People Matter - "As a partner at Advantage Performance Group, my 'why' is helping leaders and teams unleash their full potential. Success for me isn't just about hitting targets or achieving growth metrics-it's deeper than that. It's about unlocking potential and creating environments where people can thrive. At APG, with our innovative, proven, and creative solutions, we empower individuals to make a lasting impact. I'm driven by the results I see when people thrive-achieving goals they didn't think possible. Working alongside innovative thought leaders and visionary clients is why I love what I do!"

Laura Rawls, Partner

Thrive - " We have all had those days where the sun shines a bit brighter, we teel more connected to the people around us, and everything just seems to be "clicking" in our daily lives. We have a pep in our step and are excited to wake up and get moving in the morning! It's those days when we really feel like we are truly thriving. My why is to help others thrive, so they can go out and positively impact the world around them. I feel fortunate for the opportunity to work with organizations that believe in helping their people thrive, too ... through leadership development, sales coaching, or inspiring innovation. We are all better when those around us are thriving!"

Peg Ruppert, Partner

Extension - "One of my favorite aspects of being a part of Advantage Pertormance Group is the opportunity I have every day to serve as an "extension" of my client's team. As an extension, I am committed to deeply understanding the organization's needs and strategy. Maybe more importantly, as a member of the team, I hold myself personally accountable for contributing tangible value and business results to every project. As an extension, can efficiently augment the needs of the team while building long-term relationships that in many cases have blossomed into work friendships that enhance my own life and have continued over my 25-year tenure at APG. It is those extended relationships that define my WHY!"

Susan Sehring Sheehy, Partner

Bringing Visions to Life - "I am passionate about making things happen for my clients—helping them achieve their goals and witnessing the lasting impact of our work together. The relationships I’ve built over the years are incredibly valuable because they are built on trust, shared success, and measurable results. I am committed to challenging, supporting, and elevating those I work with, pushing them toward their highest potential. What we do at Advantage isn’t just about business success; it’s about enriching lives, developing skills, and creating meaningful change. My work is rooted in authenticity and a commitment to real results, ensuring that every project leads to lasting impact. Making a difference is what fuels my passion."

Mary Steiner, Partner

Arm-in-Arm - "Advantage provides the ecosystem to be arm-in-arm with our clients and with our creative thought leaders. Together we create mindsets and skills that ignite high performance-for both the people and the business. We nurture long-term partnerships that are steeped in understanding our client's business, culture, and aspirations. Then we embark on the journey to achieve these aspirations through their people. Touching lives. Impacting business. What a way to make a difference through my work."

Irv Stern, Partner

Freedom - "At Advantage, I have the freedom to choose from a broad network of leading edge thought leaders, as well as solicit the ideas from my talented and experienced APG partners. This freedom benefits my clients by providing them multiple options to consider to solve their most challenging talent development needs and to drive their business results."

Jeff Tucker, Partner

Learning for Life - "Advantage and its thought leader partners provide me with the opportunity to learn and grow every day. The Advantage team and our clients have access to leading-edge learning tools and skills and the people engaged in their creation. We are able to satisty our curiosity to discover and experiment. That is very fulfilling."

Selen Turner, Partner

Opportunity - "Joining Advantage Performance Group is a significant step in my professional journey. Being part of this vibrant community offers me unparalleled access to cutting-edge resources and a network of forward-thinking talent development and human capital professionals. It's an amazing opportunity to make a lasting impact in the world of human resources and workforce innovation."

Lori Urban, Partner

Contribution - "Liz Wiseman has taught the world about the importance of contributing intelligence, and at Advantage Performance Group, we fully embrace a Multipliers culture! I've been fortunate to experience tremendous opportunities to share ideas, offer insights, and collaborate with others on an entirely new level. Working alongside such talented and diverse thought leaders makes anything possible-ideas flow freely, and client needs are met in innovative, unique ways. Reflecting on it, I realize that everyone at APG brings their own native genius, which ensures our clients receive the very best. I'm proud to be a part of our clients' success."

Stacie Vaillancourt, Partner

Embrace & Grow - "Throughout my career, I have always been open to embracing change, whether it was a new role, a new city, or new industry. As I reflect on what helped me be successful, it was the training, development, and support I received from the companies and people I worked with that made all the difference. If I had not embraced learning new responsibilities, being in new surroundings, or welcoming new challenges, I would not be who l am today. The work we do with our clients at Advantage Performance Group allows people the opportunity to embrace professional growth as a leader or individual contributor. When we embrace what life brings, we develop resilience and grow. Instead of resisting change, we learn to navigate it, broadening our skill sets. This adaptability can lead to innovative thinking and create a pathway for genuine growth."

Carlos Vargas, Partner

Evolution - "I can't think of a day since I joined Advantage that I could not feel a line of sight between what we do and how we help people, evolve and improve, including myself. Just as species evolve to adapt and thrive, we foster a culture where responsibility, creativity, and open-minded collaboration help individuals and teams to grow. By nurturing lifelong learning and encouraging integrity and candor, we create an environment that supports continuous adaptation. This mindset enables organizations to evolve, not only in response to change but by proactively driving innovation and success."

Kelvin Yao, Partner

Ridding the World of Bad Managers - "In my early career, I experienced a series of challenging managers-those who micromanaged, those who prioritized themselves over the team, those who only offered criticism, and those who always assumed they were the smartest person in the room. These experiences shaped my passion for leadership and drove me to seek something better. My motivation is simple: APG allows me to collaborate with some of the world's greatest leadership thinkers to achieve our shared mission of "ridding the world of bad managers." We partner with some of the most impactful companies in the world, often for decades. We help them align their people with strategy, mission, vision, and values, while equipping their leaders with research-backed mindsets and skills that empower them to do the best work of their lives and create significant impact within their organizations. One of the most rewarding moments in my job-and it happens frequently-is when I visit a client and a senior leader tells me, "What you taught me several years ago, I still use every day."