Management Solutions Group: Testimonials

Here’s What Clients Are Saying…

“We invited Gary into our company to help us improve the way we practice project management. We expected a modest improvement in our project management processes, resulting in a somewhat higher project success rate. What we got was unexpected and quite remarkable. Gary’s holistic approach toward assessing project management maturity─coupled with his deep knowledge of project management, financial management, business processes, and organizational dynamics─enabled us to actually “transform” project management from a technically-based “trench tool” to a legitimate business process.

-- Mary Brennan, PMO Director
and
-- Bill Dokas, President and CEO,
American Eagle Federal Credit Union,
East Hartford, CT
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"We searched for awhile and ultimately chose Gary to deliver his "Project Management Boot Camp" to our folks. We definitely made the correct choice! Gary’s ability to connect with our technical folks was very impressive, and was a key enabler in his success in conducting a great program. We look forward to having Gary deliver more programs for us around the US and in Europe.."

-- Tom Heine,
Vice President, Leadership and Organization Development,
Esterline Technologies

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“Gary has been conducting onsite training programs for our company for more than four years now. Every event has been a huge success and extremely well-received. Now there is actually a “buzz” about his programs within the company, and our folks look forward to attending his next offering. We are VERY happy that we chose Gary as our project management education provider.”

-- Sue Cooke, FAHM, CEG
Corporate Director, Learning and Talent Effectiveness
Excellus Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New York
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“I attended several of Gary’s presentations, and was always impressed with his ability to deliver meaningful, useful and complex information in a very straightforward manner. Based on that, we asked Gary to conduct an assessment of our organization.

His methodology was well-designed, his approach was thorough, but we REALLY appreciated his commitment to honesty, frankness, and ethics in the way he carried out the assessment and reported his findings. The result of his work has positioned our company well to take project management to new levels of performance. I would recommend him to anyone!"

-- Tod McKeon, PMP
Senior Project Manager,
Sun Healthcare Group-Management Information Services,
Albuquerque, NM
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Here’s What Seminar Participants Are Saying…

“Unlike other “project management” courses, this one emphasized all the issues that are never taught in the schools. Of greatest value to me was the focus on the dynamics of organizational politics, and their potential impact on the success of your project”.

"Gary was a very great facilitator! He was able to review the vast opinions presented from the class and maintain objectivity. The simulation is a great tool and provided many, many tips on how to approach various PM issues. I look forward to engaging in other classes from Management Solutions Group."

“After 30 years of project experience and numerous training classes, I didn’t think I had anything new to learn – but I was pleasantly surprised.”

"Gary – your ability to present technical info in a very interesting format is amazing. Thanks you for your patience and efforts to move our company in a consistent direction!!"

“The opportunities for ‘hands-on’ interaction with other project managers created as close to a real project environment as you could get in a learning session. This was the best training I’ve experienced in years.”

“Gary is an outstanding facilitator! He demonstrated great flexibility in adjusting our discussion and presentation time as appropriate.”

“This class was one of the best and most practical classes that I’ve taken in 25 years!”

“Wish there were more healthy food choices” (Hey, you always have at least one of these, right?--GH)
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Here’s What Colleagues Are Saying...

“I have known Gary Heerkens for a long time. His ability to combine project management theory with a common sense, practical approach makes him an extremely effective seminar leader.

And his deep knowledge of project management, coupled with his understanding of business acumen and strategic planning make him an invaluable resource for every client he supports.”

-- Frank Saladis, PMP
President, Project Imaginers
PMIs “Person-of-the-Year”, 2006
President, PMI NYC Chapter for 10 yeas
Founder, International Project Management Day
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"I have seen Gary speak several times at project management events, and he always stands out as a professional, business-oriented speaker. He helped me link basic financial and business concepts like tornado diagrams and time-value-of-money to project management. He is a true expert at adapting project management techniques, and making them relevant to business goals and senior executive concerns. He is also approachable and incredibly professional. I would recommend him to anyone."

-- Alex S. Brown, PMP, IPMA-C
President and CEO, Real Life Projects, Inc.
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“I believe Gary, in his book, The Business Savvy Project Manager" has captured the very essence of what it means to be a project manager far better than PMI or any other organization claiming to represent project managers. I use Gary's book as a text and as the basis for much of what I teach to my clients and students.”

-- Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo, CDT, PMP, CCE, MScPM
Senior Technical Advisor for Telekom Malaysia,
Jakarta, Indonesia
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"I became a colleague of Gary’s by attending a class he conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Executive Education School of Business. It was one of the most enjoyable learning experiences I've had in recent memory. The topic was "Developing Your Project Business Savvy", [Now the Project Management MBA—GH] and Gary is an obvious expert in the subject. The class materials were well written, he was able to share his extensive knowledge of the subject, and overall I would recommend Gary to any group or business that is interested in this topic. I look forward to working with or learning from Gary again at some future time."

-- Tim McCloud,
Application Engineering Specialist,
American Family Mutual Insurance
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