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Meet Our Amazing Team!
J. Michael Bloss - Founder & Partner
Mike has 35+ years in LTL, Truckload, Fleet management, intermodal Rail, and Acquisitions in asset, asset-lite, and non-asset trucking, 3PL, and brokerage operations. Positions held include Service Center and Distribution Center Management, Director Process Development, Division Management, Senior VP, President, COO, and CEO.
Mike holds a Business Degree from the University of Arizona along with an MBA, and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt (obtained from the Quality Assurance Institute - QAI) and has been recognized for accomplishments through the Yellow Corporation’s Chairman’s Award, Yellow Freight System Phoenix Award for Superior Performance, American Society for Quality Award for Organizational Excellence with an Emphasis on Performance Metrics, First Group of America Sales Achievement Award, and the Ohio Baldridge Quality Award
Mike holds martial arts Shotokan advanced Black Belt ranking with the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF), Japanese Karate Association (JKA), Japanese Karate-Do, and the World Traditional Karate Organization (WTKO); and is a graduate of the Japanese Karate-Do 2-year Karate Instructor Program. Mike created the Tournaments Powered By Code computer program to manage the entire karate tournament process which has been used in a number of National tournaments. He also developed a physical fitness testing computer program tied to National Fitness and Police Force Standards (programs and processes hold 5 International and U.S. copyrights).
Outside of work Mike road cycles and plays competitive pickleball. He is married to his lovely wife Elizabeth. Together they love to visit their married son who currently resides in Pasadena, CA.
Walter Brauer, Managing Partner
Walter has been in transportation for over 40 years — and he's done what most of the owners he works with are thinking about doing. He built a freight brokerage from the ground up, grew it to $40 million in annual revenue, and sold it with the help of Black Belt TC.
He experienced the Black Belt TC process firsthand and believed in it so much that he wanted to join forces to help more business owners just like him. Before that, he spent 28 years with an asset-based LTL carrier, starting on the loading dock and eventually running the company for eight years. After his sale, Walter stayed on through an earnout period and helped grow the acquiring company from $500 million to over $2 billion in revenue.
He's been a seller, an operator through transition, and a builder — so he understands what's at stake when an owner decides it's time to move forward.
Outside of work, Walter spends time with his wife and children and works to make a positive, Godly impact on others.
Ron Buesinger, Partner
Ron has spent over 30 years in finance and institutional trading, and he knows what it's like to be on both sides of a high-stakes deal. He understands the psychology of buyers and sellers as they move through a transaction — and he uses that insight to help business owners analyze bids, evaluate deal structures, and negotiate the best possible outcome.
Ron spent a decade as co-head of Rates and Mortgages for Carlson Capital, managing portfolios that peaked at over $1 billion, and he's negotiated over $10 billion in securities throughout his career. Early on at Raymond James and Stifel Financial, he built financial models that became go-to tools for his firm's mortgage trading desk — work that led to a 20+ year partnership.
Today, he co-manages a $10 million alternative investment fund and brings that same clear-eyed approach to every Black Belt TC client.
When he's not working, Ron spends time with his wife and two teenage boys.
Jay Roberts, Partner
Jay handles the operations, accounting, legal, and compliance work at Black Belt TC so the rest of the team can focus on growing the business and serving clients. He's a highly rational thinker with a track record of solving problems others couldn't crack. Early in his career at a hedge fund, Jay was brought in to explain large, unexplained P&L swings that had stumped the fund and its administrators. Within a month, he traced the issue to improper software use in currency accounting — a win that led to his promotion to CFO.
From there, he built a cash reconciliation system from scratch because the fund was running without one. Jay started his career at a Big 8 accounting firm before moving to Raymond James Financial, where he rose from mutual fund accountant to fixed income portfolio manager on a $5 billion money market fund.
He's been a CFA charter holder since the late '90s and has served as CFO, CCO, and COO across multiple hedge funds and RIAs.
When he's not working, Jay enjoys gardening and spending time with his wife and four kids.
John Vandenbemden
John is a Master Six Sigma Black Belt with over 30 years of experience in its application that also includes over 35 years in management systems. He has extensive experience in auditing and consulting in management systems requirements in the transportation, automotive, aerospace, heavy equipment, metals, service, medical devices and health-care industries. He is also an experienced instructor / consultant in applications of Quality, Environmental and OSHAS Management System requirements as well as the application and instruction of various techniques which include: DOE, Reliability, TPM, Statistical Analysis, Six Sigma, Risk Management, Advanced Data Analysis, Project Management, APQP, PDCA, PDSA, Problem Solving (Root Cause & Five S’s), Lean Enterprise and TRIZ.
John holds a BS in Mathematics from Indiana State University and a Masters Degree in mathematics from Purdue University. He has held positions as a Quality Engineer, Quality Manager, Vice President of Quality and Trainer / Consultant. John is a voting member of TAG 69, ANSI Z1 and TC 176 Subcommittees as well as chair of Tag 69 SC5 Acceptance Sampling. John is an ASQ Fellow who is the Past Chair of the Inspection Division and is the Scholarship Chair for the Cincinnati Section 900. He has been a presenter, technical reviewer and session manager at numerous WCQIs. John has also served as a Deputy Regional Director and on the ASQ Certification Board, PAR and TCC Nomination committees. Beginning in 2017 John has been elected is on the ASQ Board of Directors as one of the TCC National Directors.
Dan J. Boklage
Dan Boklage has been an innovator and industrious leader in the transportation industry for over 49 years. His past positions include president of a logistics solutions company specializing in warehousing and distribution. He spent 24 years working for YRC WORLEWIDE, INC (formerly Yellow Roadway) in various positions ranging from supervisory post, General Manager, Director of Operations, Area Vice-President to Divison Sr. Vice-President. In the course of his career he led a $ 650 Million transportation services division with 3500 employees. He became President/COO of GOAL Transports, in 2009 and led the turnaround effort in taking a money loosing company to a profitable one in 2012. He retired as the Director of Truckload Operations for DYNAMEX, Inc, in Dallas TX, where he managed the asset based Truckload Operations. He has developed and implemented the Freight Brokerage Divison for the U.S Market while at Dynamic’s. During his career Dan has developed FINAL MILE delivery services as well as WHITE GLOVE solutions.
Dan has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Le Tourneau University and graduated with honors, Magna Cum Laude, a Masters Business Administration from Colorado State University as well as an Advanced Certification of Excellence from Southern Methodist University, specializing in Mediation, Arbitration and Dispute Resolution. Dan holds a board position on the Board of Directors for Fletes Mexico Carga Express. A Mexican trucking company specializing in LTL and TL services throughout Mexico.
Joel Seay
Joel has been an operations professional leading various teams in the transportation/logistics industry for 30 years. During that time, he has held numerous positions including: District Manager, Call Center Manager, Regional Manager, General Manager, Distribution Center Manager, Director, Vice President, and Managing Partner. Joel's areas of expertise lie in the fields of: small parcel, airfreight, final mile, same-day, cross-border, banking, healthcare and pharmaceuticals. His focus is on process improvement, technology implementation, operations analysis, quality assurance, start-up operations, company consolidations/integrations, and contract administration.
Joel’s most previous position was as Managing Partner at J3Install, LLC. Prior to that he held various executive and management positions at GardaWorld Cash Services, YRC Worldwide, Dynamex, Beavex, Lynden International and Airborne Express.
Joel earned his BA in Economics from Harvard University where he also lettered in football. He currently lives in North Texas with his wife and three children. His interests include watching his children compete in college athletics (baseball and soccer), as well as long distance and trail running.
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