A brief history...
In the winter of 2012, motivated by a wallowing economy, family hardship, and nudges from powersports friends and dealers, Brandi and Sam Dantzler launched the first iteration of the industry-specific online training platform, Sam’s Powersports Garage. With decades of industry knowledge, a lifetime of passion around powersports, and a natural entertaining charisma, Sam was a perfect fit for the trainer role. Brandi’s business sense and diverse organization and management skills cemented her role as primary owner and operations manager. Peter Wigand - who’s talent, loyalty, and wit grace the company still – joined the duo as videographer fresh out of film school.
In 2014, encouraged by the success of the Garage, Brandi and Sam expanded their training offerings to the Marine Industry with Sam’s Watersports Dock. The following years saw steady growth in the business and the addition of Siobhan Roder-Cox to the team as Brandi’s right-hand woman.
After years of working within the constraints of existing third-party training hosting solutions, Brandi determined that the only way to achieve her vision of a platform with unique, industry-oriented features, an excellent user experience, and unrestrained design/development freedom, was to create that platform from scratch. In 2016, TJ Mahlin joined the team to lead up the new platform design and business re-branding as Wheelhouse College.
No longer constrained by external development limitations, Wheelhouse quickly rolled additional content and products, including Sam’s Peloton for the cycling industry, and OEM branded training portals for major players in the powersports and marine industries. This growth continues today with a steady flow of updates and enhancements to our custom learning management system, new content for existing subscription products, the expansion of product offerings, and creative collaboration with our Industry partners.
Who we are
Wheelhouse College is made up of a collaboration of tight-knit consultants who are passionate about their specific areas of expertise and equipped with various talents. We enjoy working remotely and hail from different time zones in the US.
Brandi is the Owner and Operator of Wheelhouse College with a very hands-on business style. She segued out of her career in commercial project management and into the online training arena in 2011. She enjoys working alongside her powersports-fueled husband, Sam, while offering industries they both love something simple, authentic, and valuable.
TJ Mahlin
Director of Design + Development
TJ is a digital jack-of-all-trades with a particular interest and expertise in user experience design and brand development. Since 2016 he has guided the look-and-feel of our training platform and driven the design of new features with a focus on providing an industry-leading online training experience that results in exceptional outcomes.
Peter is an Emmy Award winning filmmaker, a director and a cinematographer born and raised in Austria who moved to the US in 2009 to continue his film training and career. Peter has been working with Wheelhouse College since 2012 as the exclusive videographer and editor of all the online training videos.
Siobhan Roder-Cox
Administrator + Bookkeeper
Siobhan has worked for Wheelhouse College and its predecessor, Sam’s Powersports Garage, since 2015. Her responsibilities include bookkeeping, customer service, and various duties related to the application, including the testing of new features and modifications. Originally from the East Coast, Siobhan has been in Colorado for more than 25 years.
As Customer Relationship Manager and Operations Consultant, Lorna brings to Wheelhouse College her love for working alongside customers and teammates alike, recognizing the importance of always seeking to understand others in their immediate needs while simultaneously listening and looking for creative ways to further improve the underlying business processes.
Caleb Armani
Intern
Caleb is an intern at Wheelhouse College and a junior at Ambleside Colorado. He brings his persevering, problem-solving, and curious mind to the table, learning new software to enhance Wheelhouse College. Whether on the soccer field, in the school classroom, or at home, Caleb responsibly and joyfully applies himself to the task at hand.
Industry Partners
Industry Partners are entities who share our vision to expertly educate and support the growth and success of the industries we work within. Wheelhouse College actively collaborates with these groups to further the reach and impact of our shared vision. Partnering with credible experts within the adventure sports industry enhances clients’ learning experience both inside our learning management system and outside in the real world. We’re proud to be connected to these well-known professional organizations.
Garage Composites
Garage Composites and Wheelhouse College have been in a partnership since 2015. Garage Composites’ suite of in-dealership consulting products compliments our online industry training products, bringing immediate and relevant sales training and business analytics directly to the dealership floor. Garage Composites President, Sam Dantzler, provides the vision and the training for several Wheelhouse products including, Sam’s Garage, Sam’s Dock, Sam’s Peloton.
LeadHelm
LeadHelm empowers dealers with technology, centered on efficiency and adaptability, to ensure that every potential digital customer is engaged in a manner that optimizes conversion. They deliver a powerful SaaS product that enables dealerships to turn more leads into kept appointments and ultimately drive sales growth. This, combined with training from their Client Success Team, creates happy dealers and happy customers.
Marine Retailers Association of America
MRAA provides training, certification, community events, and much more for the Marine industry. Since 2019, Wheelhouse College has participated in the MRAA Dealer Week conference, the industry's premier dealer education event. In 2022, we became an MRAA Dealer Week sponsor and saw Sam Dantzler bring some of the Sam's Dock training content live to the conference floor.
Customers and Clients - Wheelhouse’s biggest advocates are our clients. Our everyday goal is to build a stronger partnerships with our clients as we strive to exceed their expectations through our LMS products and platform. We deeply value the communication we have with our clients and the feedback they share. We are proud to mention the following as just a few of the industry giants who have put their trust in Wheelhouse College for their online training needs.
Meet the trainers
Wheelhouse College trainers represent the best-of-the-best in their individual areas of expertise. Each member of our training collaborative brings years of practical professional experience to the table to provide relevant and authoritative knowledge and guidance through all of training products.
Sam Dantzler
- Sam's Garage
- Sam's Dock
- Sam's Peloton
- B.O.S.S.
Sam’s success as an educator largely hinges on his unique ability to connect with audiences and ignite engagement through his own boundless passion. He builds his delivery around the concept of “enter-train-ment” — 51% education + 49% having a blast. Whether speaking on time management, consumer psychology, or the sales process, Sam offers an upbeat, memorable, and inspiring learning experience. From the sales floor to the corporate stage, Sam’s pursuit of knowledge and understanding guides his strategies for communication, connection and success.
John Greene
- B.O.S.S.
With a degree in International Business from Miami University, John boasts 30+ years in retail, with 20+ years in motorcycle industry leadership. He was President of The Lemco Management Group and co-founded Thunderbird Harley-Davidson. He later served as Chief Branding Officer at Scott Fischer Enterprises and Director of Dealer Operations Consulting at Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Today, John is the CEO at LeadHelm, specializing in the Digital Sales Process. He is also an advisor in leadership training, Organizational Health, team dynamics, business operations, financial analysis, and employee development, serving various dealer groups.
Andrew Hayes
- B.O.S.S.
Andrew Hayes is passionate about helping people and organizations grow and achieve long-term excellence. He's energized by bringing great people and organizations into alignment with great opportunities. Andrew has grown two thriving small businesses in the education sector, and presently strives daily to cultivate creative and responsible young minds as the principal of Ambleside School of Colorado. Andrew received his Bachelors of Arts in History from the University of Notre Dame is currently pursuing his second degree from Notre Dame, a Masters in Nonprofit Administration.
Kristen Mahlin
- B.O.S.S.
Kristen is the founder of CoachCraft, LLC, where she applies her extensive experience in leadership, staff development, HR, and coaching to help organizational structures and staff thrive. Her mission is to empower individuals and institutions to excel through effective communication and collaboration. With a background in the Colorado Judicial Department, U.S Department of Labor, and nonprofits, she's also a seasoned lecturer and trainer specializing in leadership and staff performance. Holding a master’s in Public Administration, Kristen enjoys Colorado’s natural splendor from her Lakewood home.