Each facilitator with The Alternative Board® (TAB) is an experienced business person who has successfully completed an extensive TAB facilitator training program and participates in ongoing training sessions. Most facilitators run or have run their own businesses giving them a unique perspective to share with the board members.
The TAB facilitator guides the group discussions without dominating the meetings and encourages all members to express their views while keeping the discussion on track. They also ensure problem solving ideas are generated and the meeting does not become a gripe session.
Steve D. Vander Kamp brings more than three decades of business expertise to his position as a TAB facilitator. His professional experience has run the gamut from working in a Fortune 100 company to advising small- and medium-sized businesses.
In 1994, Steve launched ValueKoncepts, a West Michigan consulting firm that worked with the management teams of small but growing companies to identify individual relationships and commonly shared values to enrich their work environment. He is skilled in using such diagnostic tools as DISC behavioral analysis, as well as a personal interest and values profile that allows management and employees to better understand who they are and how they can work more effectively together. His clients include Trane A/C, S.C. Johnson, New Holland Brewery and Dow Chemical Co., where he worked for more than 23 years.
His interest in leadership development traces its roots to Dow Chemical, where Steve began working in 1974 as a results engineer. He holds a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from Michigan Tech, and enjoyed putting those skills to use within one of the nation’s leading chemical companies. In 1985, he began working within Dow to develop and coach employee teams, a move that sparked his interest in motivation – or, as he says, helping people to turn on their internal engine.
A native of Grand Rapids, Steve and his wife, Joyce, still live in the city. They have four grown children and are very active within their church. In addition to his busy work schedule, Steve also volunteers with the Prison Ministry, Caregiving Network, Via de Cristo and other organizations. For relaxation and fun, he enjoys soccer, skiing, biking and, of course, playing those leadership and team-building games.