Takeuchi is preparing for the opening of its new Takeuchi Training Center with the addition of Ashleigh Gross as a technical trainer and Megan McFarlane as training center coordinator.
“Providing our salespeople, dealer principals, dealer technicians, and corporate dealer trainers with the best possible training is extremely important to Takeuchi’s ongoing success,” said Keith Kramlich, Takeuchi’s national product and training manager. “By opening a new training center and adding Ashleigh and Megan to our staff, we’re truly taking our sales and technical instruction to the next level. Our new training center will have larger classrooms, and with the addition of Ashleigh, we now have the staff to increase class capacity and add more service training classes in the coming months.”
As the new technical trainer, Ashleigh Gross will be responsible for conducting all types of training for dealer technicians, as well as for the company's own staff. She will be developing training materials and maintaining training equipment, tools, and supplies. Ashleigh comes to Takeuchi from Alban Cat in Myersville, Maryland, where she served as a technical training instructor, creating curricula, documentation, and training courses while increasing efficiency and exceeding training goals.
Her past positions include operations management, heavy equipment operation, and more than two years with Johnston Community College in Smithfield, North Carolina, as an adjunct instructor on engines, hydraulics, basic electricity, industrial maintenance, and transmissions. Ashleigh holds a master’s degree in trade education from Oswego State University in Oswego, New York, and a bachelor’s degree in technology management from Morrisville State College in Morrisville, New York.
Megan McFarlane, Takeuchi’s new training coordinator, will manage training inquiries and coordinate service and sales training schedules. She will also be responsible for registration requests, event planning, billing, and customer communication. Megan comes to Takeuchi from her former position as a business development representative for Lockstep Technology Group in Duluth, Georgia, where she supported the sales team with new prospect lead generation, webinar creation, special events, and customer relationship management. Megan has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in sociology from Georgia State University in Atlanta.
The Takeuchi Training Center is located in a facility next door to the company’s headquarters in Pendergrass, Georgia. Courses that will be offered weekly include instructor-led, intermediate-level technical trainings for both compact track loaders and compact excavators with simultaneous classes starting in May 2021. These classes cover general machine layout, electrical and hydraulic component location and function, general engine controls, and exhaust aftertreatment systems on all products. Soon, Takeuchi will also offer quarterly sales training for dealers as well as advanced technical training. Beginner-level courses will be offered online via Takeuchi’s Learning Management System.
“Providing top-notch training to our employees and dealer partners helps us ensure that our customers will get the kind of support that they expect and deserve from Takeuchi,” Kramlich said. “We’re extremely pleased to welcome Ashleigh and Megan to our team, and we’re looking forward to their contributions as we continue to enhance and grow our training program.”
