Our People

Dave Underhill

Dave Underhill works with individuals, groups and organizations to help them grow their business through clear, concise and compelling presentations. His company, Underhill Training and Development, was founded in 1992 and has offices in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington.

Clients include companies such as Microsoft, NIKE, Sharp, Bank of America, LexisNexis, Credit Suisse First Boston, Enterprise IG, U.S. Bank, Laird Norton Tyee, Verizon, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.  Dave also coaches startup CEOs on their investor presentations.

Dave has a BS from Oregon State University and an MBA from the University of Washington.   He is a member of the American Society for Training and Development, Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum, Software Association of Oregon and The Nature Conservancy. Dave swims, bikes and enjoys the Great Pacific Northwest with his wife Dixie and daughter Emma.

Larry Ferguson

Larry is President of Compass Consulting Group.  Compass works with senior managers to align employee performance to drive market share and customer retention. Larry uses a variety of approaches to achieve results for clients: individual coaching, workshops, retreats, training classes and self-paced study tools.  With Underhill Training, Larry delivers the Powerful Presentations and Meetings That Matter courses.

When asked why they select Larry to work with their companies, clients consistently note three reasons: (1) he delivers high quality results with individuals and teams; (2)he has real world experience as a project team member and leader; and (3)he demonstrates the determination to insure that results “stick.”

Larry served as the 2004 President of the American Society for Training and Development, Cascadia Chapter, and has been an active Board member since then.  He is also a member of Tabor Toastmasters and teaches a six-week course on “Group Process and Development” at Portland State University’s Professional Development Center.

Mark Ivey

Mark Ivey is a veteran communications consultant and trainer with a broad corporate background in marketing, public relations, media and public speaking.  In1982 he landed a writing job at BusinessWeek magazine. Serving as BW’s Houston bureau chief, he wrote about issues ranging from the oil bust to the personal computer revolution, while earning special attention for his profiles of high-flying entrepreneurs. By 1990, Mark had established himself as an accomplished journalist, and was named one of the top 50 business writers in the country.

In 1992, Mark left BW to join Intel as a senior writer in Oregon. While there, he began coaching senior executives on presentation skills, and helped create advanced speaking classes for Intel managers. Separately, he launched a program to train Intel employee ambassadors in several U.S. sites to go out and present in their communities.

Since leaving Intel in 2001, Mark’s served as an executive speechwriter, trainer and independent communications consultant, working with companies to help them polish and sometimes reinvent their public images.  With Underhill Training, Mark delivers the Powerful Presentations course and provides 1:1 media training for clients.

Karla Beck

Karla’s company, Naturally Speaking  provides customized work-related consultation to improve English pronunciation skills.  Through her coaching and training, foreign-born professionals learn the nuances of English pronunciation, improving their communications with colleagues, customers, and suppliers. 
Karla’s students report remarkable and continuing improvement in their English pronunciation.  Follow up studies with clients demonstrate a 74% - 89% improvement in English pronunciation when initial and final scores are compared; in other words, they are more easily understood.

With Underhill Training, Karla delivers the Powerful Presentations program.  Prior to becoming the Principal of Naturally Speaking, in 1997, Karla worked six years as a Speech-Language Pathologist.  She also has seven years experience as District Manager for a national rehabilitation company.

Our Values

What We Stand For

The Power of People Expressing Their Ideas

Our Vision

We are Catalysts for Success, Dreams and Self-Esteem

Our Mission

We provide speaking, training and consulting services and products focused on helping individuals, groups and organizations achieve their goals by clearly and confidently communicating their ideas.

Our Values

Customer Focus
We take the time to understand our customer’s business, so our products and services improve individual performance and business results.

Partnership
We develop positive working relationships that lead to success for our customers, our company and employees and our business partners.

Continuous Improvement
We strive to continually improve the technology, people and processes we use to serve our customers.           

Financial Strength
We operate following sound business practices, emphasize profitable growth and focus on the long – term financial strength of our company.

Work/Life Balance
We believe that success, for us, includes time for personal and professional development, family relationships and community involvement.

Contact Us

Phone:  800-727-3870
E-mail Address: daveu@underhilltraining.com
Web Address: http://www.underhilltraining.com

Main Office and Mailing Address
Underhill Training & Development, Inc.
2733 SE Grant Street
Portland, OR 97214

Seattle Office
Underhill Training & Development, Inc.
1226 17th Avenue East
Seattle, WA 98112