Congratulations to Rhett Buwalda on his promotion to AMP Corporate Trainer!
In his new role, Rhett will be running corporate training in DeKalb, IL as we continue to build and grow our AMP in 2021. Not only will Rhett be working with our Jedi master and Director of Training, Connie Roeder, he will also be executing that training in the field across our AMP territories! Rhett has quickly become the go-to resource for all things SugarCRM and flourished in his previous position of Sales Technology Field Liaison. His commitment to helping others along with his incredible field training statistics is why he is so deserving of this promotion!
Prior to joining AMP in February of 2018 Rhett worked in the hospitality field for 15 years. He worked full time at a hotel while studying at Purdue University and pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Hospitality & Tourism Management. After graduation, Rhett successfully managed a number of different restaurants and bars. He was then recruited by Intercontinental Hotel Group to take on a challenging roll as the Food & Beverage Director of a Holiday Inn with a staff of over 50. After an amazing increase in performance and profits at the Holiday Inn, Rhett was recruited by Hilton World Wide to become their Process Improvement Consultant. We are lucky to have found Rhett! He fell in love with what we do for small business owners (I’m sure not working at 3am helped) and made a life changing decision to join American Marketing & Publishing.
Rhett’s AMP career started out with a bang! He set a personal record in July 2018 with $26,800 in sales, 11 print new and 4 optima/text. He is most proud of helping RJ Kuhn Plumbing & HVAC think big and advertise in 5 books with multiple special placements and over $10,000 in total advertising early on in his career. Rhett has a passion for helping people and process improvement in the new SugarCRM allowed him to do that when out in the field on Mentorship Days, Training Days and even when he’s out solo helping small business owners! He proved to be one of the most impactful developers in the company, which is what opened up other opportunities. In July 2019, Rhett earned a promotion to Sales Technology Field Liaison which was another incredible step up for Rhett while also being super advantageous for AMP. Within the first 6 months in that role Rhett still logged the most shoulder-to-shoulder training days and consistently owned the top of the training charts.
This year, Rhett continued to grow as he once again conducted more training days than anyone else in the business (61 total) and still was able to maintain a top 3 trainers ranking, averaging at least 1 account and $1,064 in sales per day! Over the course of the whole year, Rhett has averaged nearly an Optima sale everyday! That is the definition of consistency and high impact development. One of my favorite parts about Rhett is his willingness to help. He thinks outside the box and is always able to identify people that he can truly have a positive influence on, whether they are in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, etc. He will go anywhere at anytime to mentor others.
Rhett has developed incredible leadership abilities and has always had a passion for helping people. He consistently earns the distinguished sales award for being in AMP’s elite top 40 while also dominating top trainer honors. You can tell this isn’t something Rhett just flips on during work hours. He is very active in his local church and other civic involvements where he assists in a mentorship programs there as well. When he has free time, Rhett enjoys spending time with his longtime girlfriend Kayla, reading, and doing small home improvement jobs for his friends and family.
He has impacted plenty of people in his AMP career! When asked about the impact that Rhett has had, our teammates jumped at the opportunity to reply back:
“Rhett was one of the first people within AMP I had the pleasure of meeting. Since inception Rhett has not only helped train me to be better with our products, but has helped me become a sugar tips master! His kindness and willingness to always help surpasses expectations. Rhett thank you for all you do and I look forward to continuing this journey together.” -Aaron Young
“Rhett has had a huge impact on my AMP career. I remember just learning Optima and having a hard time with it. Being new I tried to be very professional and rigid, trying to be perfect. He came in and showed me its okay to have fun and he is a ton of fun! His approach with business owners is very sophisticated and his enthusiasm is infectious. I have learned a ton from watching him and asking questions. Thanks for being you, Rhett!” -Anthony VanDerHeide
“Rhett has such infectious energy and a great witty sense of humor! He strives to understand where you may need more guidance and a has a great willingness to help you succeed. He provides fantastic resources with the CRM and in the sales field. He taught me so many tips and tricks to get my job done efficiently! Thanks Rhett for all of your mentorship! Congratulations!” -Christina Frank
We are so excited about this opportunity to have you at the pinnacle of influence Rhett! The people you’ve already impacted are perfect representations of why you will crush your new role.
Congratulations, Rhett, on this well-deserved promotion!
