Our People

TRUENORTH DEVELOPMENT, INC’s associates are among the most experienced in the homebuilding industry. We bring a unique combination of skills in consulting, facilitation, course design and systems development.

Scott M. Sedam, President
TrueNorth Development, Inc

Formerly VP, Quality & Customer Commitment, for Pulte Corporation, Scott authored the acclaimed “Pulte Quality Leadership” (PQL) process, which was at the forefront of Total Quality implementation in the construction industry in the 90’s . Scott graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Miami University (OH) and began his management career with U.S. Steel. As a young mill foreman in South Chicago, he watched the steel industry in its death spiral, learning what he calls “anti-quality” – everything not to do. After graduate school, Scott joined Motorola as a program manager in participative management and productivity improvement, learning what quality really was. At Motorola Scott first met Drs. Deming, Juran, Crosby & Fiegenbaum, who became major influences on his life’s work. Read more

John W. Gunkler
Senior Associate
Director, Six Sigma Training & Process Improvement

Creator of Simplicity Theory™, a revolutionary business modeling approach to managing the complexity of organizations, and co-creator of OptionFinder®, wireless keypad software for assisting teamwork, John Gunkler is President of Excelsior Group, an international strategic change and process improvement consulting firm. John holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Reed College; his doctoral studies at the University of Minnesota concentrated on educational evaluation and the behavior of people in organizations. He has authored several articles and book chapters in the organizational behavior literature. Read more

Paul Hoernschemeyer
Director of Operations

Paul graduated cum laude with a BA in Communications from Michigan State University, was formally trained in Eastman Kodak’s version of the Toyota Production System, and has attended countless management seminars, including the University of Michigan’s School of Business Strategic Planning and Implementation program. He was a trained facilitator in Xerox’s Interpersonal Managing Skills and has led national marketing, manufacturing, advertising and customer service functions across the USA. Read more

Kent Hogan
Senior Associate

Kent Hogan entered the construction industry with McStain Enterprises immediately out of High School as a 3 rd generation builder operating heavy equipment. Quickly moving into residential construction management, Kent gained experience in purchasing, estimating, land development and field operations. After founding Hogan Custom Homes, Kent was honored as Builder of the Year for the Boulder Chapter of the Metro Denver HBA in 1997. Asked to return by McStain, Kent assumed leadership and management of Land Development operations with additional responsibilities in Land Acquisition, Purchasing and Estimating, Construction Operations, IT/IS, Project Management and full participation on the senior management team. Read more

Tom Noonan
Senior Associate

Tom Noonan has more than 20 years of experience in supplier alliances, quality systems implementation, and management consulting, and has been instrumental in leading a range of organizational change initiatives in the U.S. and Turkey. Having also served executive roles at Pulte Home Corp. in Phoenix and Sunrise Colony in Las Vegas, Tom brings a background of management consulting and residential construction to TrueNorth. Read more

Hal Peller
Senior Associate

In 1985, Hal Peller founded Pro-Peller Construction, a company recognized for excellence in the restoration of historic and landmark properties such as the Ellis Island Museum, the Smithsonian Institute’s Cooper-Hewitt Museum, Central Park Conservancy’s Swedish Cottage and Prospect Park’s Leffert’s Homestead Children’s Museum. Based in New York, Pro-Peller Construction has been referred by the highly regarded trade publications Old House Journal, Traditional Building and The New York Landmark Conservancy Restoration Directory, as well as in Architectural Digest, Victoria Magazine. Read more

Daron Powers
Senior Associate
Director, Quality Programs

In 1990 Daron met Scott Sedam, Vice President of Quality with the Pulte Home Corporation, and future founder of TrueNorth Development. Together they developed, designed, and implemented quality processes that set the standard for application of Total Quality principles in the residential home building industry. Daron earned a Master Facilitator designation as a member of the Dale Carnegie Organization. He combines a degree in business management with broad experience in sales, instructional design, strategic planning, motivation, adult learning, facilitation, and stand-up speaking skills. Read more

Colette Scholten
Senior Associate

Colette Scholten joined the new home industry in metro Detroit in 1988 in the sales and marketing arena. With a background in public relations and business development, as well as secondary and postsecondary education, Colette has consistently developed award-winning sales teams for builders. As a result, Colette originated two other Michigan Health Homes. Colette is past President of the Board of the American Lung Association, currently serves on the Executive Board, and has served on the National Governance Board of the American Lung Association. She is a nine year recipient of the Platinum Sales Manager Award and is a member of the southeastern Michigan Sales & Marketing Council and the Michigan Association of Realtors. Read more

Eric Timmis
Senior Associate, Director, Construction Training

Eric Timmis received a Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering from the University of Birmingham in England and became a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1997. He combines broad experience in hands-on project management, civil and structural design work, value analysis facilitation, and delivery of numerous training and development workshops. At the request of Ford Motor Co., Eric consulted with Ford of Europe on their Value Analysis program for in-house and supplier community associates. His consulting and training workshops identified millions of dollars worth of product cost and resulted in savings and functional enhancements. Read more

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