OUR TEAM

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LTC Sassaman(Ret.) delivers leadership workshops, executive coaching, and keynote addresses to our nation’s largest companies (Home Depot, State Farm, Northwestern Mutual) and numerous public agencies (Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange Counties, CA). His combat leadership experiences were featured in the BBC’s 2020 award-winning “Once Upon a Time in Iraq” documentary. 

A West Point All-American QB, Army Airborne Ranger, decorated combat veteran, best-selling author, and seasoned leader, Nate has developed and coached thousands of executives, managers, front-line supervisors, teachers, coaches, and aspiring leaders nationwide in the past decade. His small team workshops focused on your leadership journey and overall team dynamics, and the leader-coach concept helps knit groups into high-performing teams. 

Nate’s high-energy approach, challenging facilitator methods, and focused determination to develop his student leaders and their teams make for the best leadership training available. His St. Martin’s Press-published book, Warrior King, has sold over 100,000 copies and is a regional best-seller. 

In 1965, after earning a master’s degree in horticulture, leading innovative projects in Tucson, and working as an agronomist for a chemical company in New York, Bob Charles ’59 relocated to Boulder, Colorado, with his wife, Judy, to manage the town’s first McDonald’s restaurant. By 1969, he owned the restaurant, and by the early 1990s, he was operating 13 McDonald’s franchises. Over the years, Charles pioneered the double drive-through concept, co-developed McDonald’s iconic "Happy Meal," and introduced the use of tray liners to promote community events, in-store activities, and meal deals.

While achieving these milestones, Charles also cultivated partnerships that significantly enhanced Boulder’s reputation as one of the best places to live in the United States.

The creation of the Happy Meal was sparked by a challenge posed by his wife, Judy, in 1979. Frustrated by the lack of entertainment for children at McDonald’s, Judy remarked, “You’ve got these commercials with Ronald McDonald saying how much fun it is to go to McDonald’s. When I take the kids there, I’ve got one of them in the chair screaming while the other one runs around bored. Where’s the fun?”

Charles took this feedback to heart. He collaborated with Dale Pond, a marketing agency contact, and began brainstorming solutions. Leveraging a cardboard box resembling a car from a Coke distributor and inexpensive paper toys, Charles tested the concept in his store. The result? A simple, engaging meal box that captivated children and transformed the dining experience.

Another of Charles’ impactful innovations came in response to drive-through bottlenecks. Recognizing the inefficiency of single-lane drive-throughs, Charles proposed the idea of dual lanes to McDonald’s corporate leadership. Although initially met with skepticism, he offered to fund and implement the concept independently. Within a month of installation, the store’s drive-through volume skyrocketed from 180 cars per hour to nearly 400. This success paved the way for double drive-throughs to become a standard feature across McDonald’s locations.

Through creativity and determination, Bob Charles not only shaped the fast-food industry but also enriched his community with forward-thinking solutions that continue to leave a lasting legacy.

Executive Leader, with proven success growing market value, driven around a consumer-centric strategic plan and vision. Strategic Pillars of success include revenue growth, talent development, disciplined innovation, customer loyalty real estate growth, and profit optimization

30+ years in a Fortune 150 company, McDonald’s Corporation (MCD: NYSE), leading their 8th largest global market. Responsible for over 800 US restaurants, multi-state $2B P&L, Franchise Relationships, Real Estate Development, and Multi-channel Marketing. Awarded the Real Estate ROI and Global Women’s Leadership honors. Served as VP of Franchise Relations, working closely with C-Suite executives to influence the turnaround strategy for 1,800 independent franchise owners and 14,000 restaurants.

Most recent position was Interim President at Regis University. This came about after 8 years serving as a Trustee on the Board and 3 years as an affiliate professor in the MBA program. Led a strategy and culture transition in the changing industry of Higher Education. Engaged independent director with thirteen years of collective service on four boards. Served as Board Chair for a private company in the Healthcare Industry developing pre-IPO governance. MBA with emphasis in Finance and Accounting.