ABOUT US

Our Mission & Story

Leadership Off-Road was founded to empower manufacturing and transportation organizations to navigate leadership like tough terrain.

Our mission is to help build strong, adaptable leaders in the highway construction, manufacturing, and logistics sectors.

We blend education with real-world practice, equipping your people to handle challenges that don’t come with a clear roadmap. We’re a proud small business that understands the needs of SMBs and government agencies alike – whether you’re a local contractor or a public works department, we speak your language.

INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE YOU CAN TRUST

Our team brings hands-on leadership experience. From managing across industries and developing leaders for decades, we understand your environment is unique. This industry-focused expertise means we understand the unique pressures of industrial leadership – tight deadlines, safety regulations, skilled labor shortages, and beyond. We’ve seen firsthand how strong leadership can improve safety, quality, and employee morale on the job site.

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OUR UNIQUE APPROACH

We believe leadership development should be practical, engaging, and results-driven. Here’s what makes our approach stand out:

Real-World Leadership Development: We take leadership off the classroom whiteboard and into real industrial scenarios. Workshops include simulations and case studies drawn from highway, manufacturing, and logistics environments.

Customized Programs: One size does not fit all. We tailor our training and consulting to your organization’s specific needs and culture. Before we do anything, we listen and assess (often through a needs assessment) to target the right skills.

Proven Results: We measure our success by your success. Recent program participants gave us a 100% satisfaction rate, rating our workshops “Good” to “Excellent.” We help clients reduce turnover and boost team performance through better leadership practices, confirming industry research that effective frontline leadership boosts engagement and retention.

Continuing Partnership: We’re not just a one-and-done training shop. Think of us as partners in your long-term development strategy – providing follow-up support, refreshers, and on-call consulting as needed.

MEET THE TEAM

Our leaders and facilitators have real-world experience – the kind of people who understand your organization is unique. Every facilitator at Leadership Off-Road is passionate about mentoring others and sharing the lessons they’ve learned leading people throughout their careers.

Doug Goodwin

Founder & Managing Director

Doug Goodwin is passionate about helping front-line managers transform into confident leaders who build winning teams. With more than two decades of experience spanning technology, sales, strategy, and workforce development, Doug brings a rare blend of business acumen and people-focused leadership to every engagement. His career began in IT and sales leadership before expanding into executive roles across startups, consulting, and workforce development organizations. Doug has consistently designed innovative approaches that help organizations compete more effectively by developing their people. Today, he partners with leaders in manufacturing, construction, and mid-market companies to reduce manager stress, improve communication, and unlock performance on the front lines. Doug earned his BS in Information Technology from the University of Cincinnati and has pursued continuous learning through certifications in Digital Transformation and Leadership Practices. Known for his strengths in problem-solving, people development, business strategy, and continuous improvement, he helps organizations turn leadership potential into measurable performance gains. Beyond his consulting work, Doug is active in his community as a non-profit fractional CEO helping people with post addiction and incarceration re-enter the workforce. He lives in Greater Cincinnati with his wife of 30 years, father of 4 adult children and 2 grandchildren. Why Leadership Off-Road: Doug’s commitment to leadership development is deeply rooted in real-world business challenges. He understands the daily pressures front-line managers face—balancing urgent operational demands with the responsibility of developing people. Having walked in those shoes, he has made it his mission to give managers practical tools to prioritize effectively, communicate clearly, and lead teams that win. His own entrepreneurial journey, combined with a passion for workforce readiness and talent development, makes him uniquely equipped to guide others off the beaten path of traditional management and onto a track where leaders and teams thrive together. Fitting with the notion of Leadership Off-Road, he spends his free time on hiking trails and hitting the archery range for target practice.

Tom Burke

Founder

Tom Burke is an accomplished executive leader with over 30 years of experience in Human Resources, Safety and Quality systems. Currently Tom is the Chief Administrative Officer for Enercea Unlimited which is a startup wind turbine business. Before that, Tom, was the Vice President of People and Safety at Hunt Advantage Group in Lexington, KY, where he helped guide the company to improve their People and Safety processes. Tom spent over six years as Vice President of Human Resources and Safety at JTM Food Group, which is a manufacturer of meat and cheese products for the food service industry. He helped reduce workers compensation costs by more than $400,000 a year by developing and implementing a comprehensive Stop Work Authority program. He also successfully managed a 90-day staffing startup of a new $80 million manufacturing facility. Prior to JTM, Tom spent seven years at the Castellini Company in Kentucky as the Director of Human Resources and Safety. While at Castellini Tom headed up several 6 Sigma Green Belt projects where he was the Six Sigma champion. Tom has a master’s degree in business administration from Xavier University, a master’s degree in industrial relations from Wayne State University in Detroit, and a bachelors degree from Michigan State University. Tom has obtained both green belt and black belt certifications from Xavier University. He has obtained an OSHA 30-hour safety training certification, and he is a certified quality auditor to the ISO 9001:2015 standard.

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Yvan Demosthenes

Partner

Yvan Demosthenes is a Sales Professional with more than 30 years of experience, 20+ years within Talent Acquisition and Recruiting. His career has covered various Sales and Management roles. During his career, he has attained several awards from GE, CareerBuilder, Monster.com, and others. Yvan has helped companies of all sizes with their online advertising, technology integration, coaching, management training and development. He has also had the pleasure of placing executives and emerging leaders into some of the most recognized companies. He received his BS from the University Of Cincinnati, his MBA from Thomas More University, received his Leadership Training from Harvard Business School, his D&I Certification from eCornell, Board Orientation and Leadership Development from The United Way and his Doctor of Education from the University of Dayton. He is also very active in the community and nonprofits serving as a board member on several boards.

Angela Crawford, PhD

Consulting Partner

Dr. Angela Crawford is passionate about unlocking growth—in people, teams, and organizations. With more than 20 years of leadership experience across industries, she brings expertise in leadership development, education, and strategy. Her career began in operations and grew into sales, marketing, and customer experience before she advanced to executive leadership and consulting. She later served as founding dean of the College of Business and vice president for adult and graduate education at Thomas More University, blending academic innovation with real-world application. Angela holds a PhD from Case Western Reserve University, an MBA from Cleveland State University, and a BBA from the University of Cincinnati. Her research on employee passion has been published in the Journal of Service Research. She is also certified in Coaching, Cultural Intelligence, Mindfulness, and Strengths-based leadership. Her passion for leadership in manufacturing has deep roots. Growing up, she visited the plant where her father worked, watching teamwork between people and machines and the pride he felt in building something bigger. Her uncle’s lifelong dedication to highway construction further shaped her respect for craftsmanship and grit. Today, Angela builds practical learning experiences for leaders through Leadership Off-Road—a name inspired by her consulting in manufacturing and her own Jeep off-road adventures.

Ready to get started?

If our mission and approach sound like the solution to your leadership challenges, we invite you to reach out. Check out our services below, or schedule a consultation to talk about your goals. We’re here to help you “lead beyond limits” in your organization.