BerganKDV recently named Crystal Ford as Market Leader and John Gretter as Sales Leader for the Cedar Valley market. These are newly created positions to better serve current clients and continue to grow relationships in the community.
The positions were created as a result of the firm’s One Firm vision, moving away from traditional silos by service area to a new accountability structure that is focused externally on the clients and communities served by the firm. “We are in a healthy state of disruption,” said CEO Dave Hinnenkamp, “Our mission is to empower our team and to create wow experiences for our clients. Our new accountability structure supports this mission and reinforces that each person has an important role to play for the overall success of the team and more importantly, the client.”
As Market Leader, Ford will be the external point person for growing overall service for the Cedar Valley market by managing all aspects of the value creation cycle and will work with the Cedar Valley team to ensure a wow experience is being delivered. She will partner with Gretter to drive overall growth and will help grow relationships with the market’s referral partners.
Ford has more than 14 years of experience in the field of management and operations. She most recently was the president of Barmuda Companies where she managed all business operations for the owner of an $18 million company with more than 400 employees and 11 locations. Ford also has experience in the higher education system in Iowa, where she served as the Vice Chair for the Iowa College Student Aid Commission and was a director of career services and operations for Kaplan University.
In his role as Sales Leader, Gretter will be the external point person for growing the Cedar Valley market client base and will manage all aspects of the sales cycle from potential client to client acquisition.
Gretter has 20+ years’ experience in the utilization of consultative sales practices. Gretter’s prior roles have ranged from salesperson to the finance manager and general sales manager. During his automotive career, Gretter’s team was awarded Ford Motor Company’s prestigious President’s Award and General Motors’ Mark of Excellence Award. These awards are given to the highest-rated dealerships in terms of sales penetration and customer service.
