Ralph Leija

About Ralph Leija

It becomes very important as a manager to remove the obstacles for our teams in order to be successful. Empower the team to make decisions and you will see them flourish into great team members. Make the atmosphere a positive and fun place to innovate and think outside of the box. Then sit back and watch the team change the culture and venture into areas never thought possible. This is what I strive to do as a manager and coach.

Experience

1. North America Training Manager

   BASF

   Sep 2019 — Present · Whitehouse, OH, US

   The North American training team consisting of field trainers and training coordinators in the development, deployment, and implementation of technical training, learning & development programs as it relates to product lines and services, as well as facilitate a multitude of business seminars for collision repair and internal customers.• Work with global cross functional teams on designing/developing L&D programs and e-Learning modules.• I work with industry organizations to align our training programs with changing industry standards.• As a training manager I have strong leadership skills (creative thinking, problem-solving, and goal-oriented), to manage and develop a training team of five individuals to develop and implement training strategy that differentiates BASF from its competition to ensure long-term success.• I leverage my education in business and marketing to develop and drive a consistent in-person / digital training strategy for technical training for automotive refinish stakeholders through close alignment with customers and industry partners.• I manage a budget (~$2M), monitor training facilities & programs, and manage investment projects.• I utilize my verbal and written communication skills to interface with the Automotive Refinish (ECR) marketing, sales, and technical groups to coordinate and drive training strategy.• I also use these skills to coordinate with technical, R&D, and Product Management to represent the training group and bring their data and information into the training program and help coach our team and others on these products and processes.• Planned and led training programs on staff development to enhance employee knowledge, engagement, satisfaction, and performance.• Analyzed employees\' skill levels and implemented new techniques to boost staff knowledge.• Mentored team members to succeed and advance within department and company.

Education

• Bluffton University

  Master of Business Administration - MBA, Business Administration and Management, General

• Pettisville High School

  High school diploma

• Indiana Wesleyan University

  Bachelor of Science, Business Management

  2007 — 2009

• The University of Toledo

  Associate, Business Management

  1995

Skills

• Corporate Communications
• Process Engineering
• Process Improvement
• Team Building
• Management
• Microsoft Office
• Sales
• Leadership Development
• Leadership
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Marketing Strategy
• Six Sigma
• Materials Management
• Color Management
• Communication
• Oracle
• Project Coordination
• Onboarding
• Manufacturing
• Coaching
• Paint
• Business Strategy
• Product Development
• Marketing
• Sap
• Continuous Improvement
• Change Management
• Internal Audit
• Logistics
• Training
• Strategic Planning
• Team Leadership
• Project Management
• Customer Service
• Spanish
• Logo Design
• Coatings
• Automotive