Welcome to Durango !

(You can click on any of the above pictures to get a larger view of my family)

Bernie Griwatz Bio

I grew up outside of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania on a horse farm. I graduated from Penn State University and went on to work for several construction equipment distributors representing Caterpillar, Komatsu and other manufacturers marketing their equipment and services. I moved to Seattle Washington and, it was there that I met my wife, Ann. We decided to look for drier weather and moved to Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. I spent the majority of my time in   Montana working with Contactors financing construction equipment.

I have worked for private and publicly traded companies with annual sales revenues of $20 million—$3.65 billion.  I have been a top sales person at the companies I have worked for. In addition, I have held senior leadership positions in these companies. I understand “due diligence’, negotiations, follow up and closing the deal.

Since arriving in Durango, I worked for Vectra Bank as a commercial loan officer doing new residential construction loans and commercial loans. Working with general contractors has strengthened my knowledge in the local real estate values. I am actively involved in the Durango community and have served on the Manna Soup Kitchen board and, I  am currently serving on Colorado Housing’s board of directors.

Bernie Griwatz Business Experience

Vectra Bank  Colorado                                                         Durango, CO

Commercial Loan Officer

Responsible for the sale of commercial loans and construction loans for private residences.  Due to favorable market conditions in Durango and, my construction experience background, I primarily focused on Single Family Residence construction loans. Average portfolio consisted of approx. 25 construction loans and numerous commercial loans.

The CIT Group                                                                   Coeur d’ Alene, ID

District Sales Manager Construction and Transportation Division

Responsible for the sale of commercial financial products including loans, leases and revolving lines of credit to heavy construction, mining and logging equipment contractors and dealers in Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho and Montana. Submitted credit requests, gathered customer history and financials and made credit recommendations. Created necessary documents and got required signatures. Verified collateral and did customer follow-up. Maintained current customer base and developed new customer accounts. Average monthly loan sales exceeded 1.5 million dollars.

Pacific North Equipment                                                           Seattle, WA

Vice President Customer Service, Regional Customer Service Manager

An integral member of the Senior Leadership Team focused on the strategic direction and goals of the company. Worked with division managers to develop a budget and implement a business plan for annual sales revenue exceeding $35 million. P&L responsibility for 3 divisions of the company. Researched and developed business plan and financial analysis for the expansion of the Rent to Rent Division, and defined corporate strategy for integration into existing operations. Worked with managers to redefine key positions, develop job descriptions, and compensation packages to meet company goals. Hired, promoted and made personnel changes when appropriate. Pacific North Equipment represents Komatsu, Timberjack, Moxy, and Sakai Heavy Equipment Manufacturers in Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Russia.

Clyde/West, Inc.                                                                         Seattle, WA

Branch Manager

Reported to the President of the company and Vice President of Sales. P&L responsibility for the Seattle Branch. Worked with team members to develop an annual marketing plan for the sale and support of construction equipment products in Western Washington. Coordinated efforts of 13 team members to reach measurable goals. Established employee job parameters, objectives, goals and regularly evaluated team member’s performance. Clyde/West represents Bomag, Hypac, Read, Kawasaki, Tymco and Telsmith Heavy Equipment Manufacturers in Washington and Oregon.

Beckwith Machinery Company                                          Pittsburgh, PA

Rental Fleet Manager, Building Construction Product (BCP) Sales Manager

Managed a 400 unit Caterpillar rental fleet valued at approximately $70 million. As process owner and team leader, worked with Coopers & Lybrand to implement continuous quality improvement program for equipment rental process. Responsible for building market share, profit objectives, and salesmen training for BCP product line. Oversaw governmental salesperson and the development of a governmental total cost bid. Beckwith Machinery Company represents Caterpillar Equipment.

L.B. Smith, Inc.                                                                   Pittsburgh, PA

Sales Manager

Reported to division Vice President. Market share analysis and development of marketing plan for the sale of construction equipment in Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia Panhandle and Eastern Ohio, in conjunction with sales team. Developed the sales compensation plan and made territory and sales personnel changes when necessary to maximize sales profitability and market share.

Engineering Specialist, Engineering Division

Responsible for sale and design of stone crushing equipment and plants in Western Pennsylvania

Sales Representative

Developed and managed customer base in a previously unoccupied territory. Exceeded sales quota and maintained a profit margin above the company average.  L.B. Smith represented the following equipment manufacturers: Bomag, Cedarapids, Terex, Gomaco, Liebherr, Koehring, and Kawasaki.

Other Education & Training:

 The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA

Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Mechanization, May1987

Vectra Bank Colorado -Real Estate Analysis & Underwriting, 2003

Omega Performance - Commercial Loans to Small Business which included the following course material: Opportunity Assessment, Identifying Borrowing Causes, Analyzing Industry & Business Risk, Analyzing Business Financial Statements, Personal Financial Statements, Cash Flow and Loan Structuring, 2003

North Idaho Community College –Course work in: Residential Construction Building Codes (UBC), Blueprint Reading, Computer Aided Design (CAD), Fall 2001.

University of Washington – Finance and Accounting for non-Financial Executives, June 2000

Texas A & M, Associated Equipment Distributors, Management Development Seminar, 1993.

Dale Carnegie Sales School, 1993.

Sales Development Institute – Advanced Sales Training Program, 1989.

The Outstanding Professional Salesman (TOPS) by American Business Consultants, Inc., 1988.

Sales Development Institute – Professional Sales Training Program, 1987.