Dale Carnegie Maine changes hands, plans to broaden reach
Courtesy / Career Management Associates
From left, David Ciullo, CEO of Career Management Associates, sold Dale Carnegie Maine to photography studio owner and business coach Nadra Edgerley and real estate broker and trainer Rob Edgerley.
The new owners of the Dale Carnegie Maine franchise see potential for expanding the program geographically, through its in-person and online offerings.
David Ciullo, CEO of Career Management Associates, one of the largest human resource service providers in Maine, has sold Dale Carnegie Maine to Rob Edgerley, a real estate broker and a certified trainer in Dale Carnegie courses, and photography studio owner and business coach Nadra Edgerley, who are now co-CEOs.
Career Management Associates will maintain a strategic partnership with the franchise, Ciullo said in a news release. The sale will not impact current Dale Carnegie students or those enrolled in future programs.
Ciullo purchased the Maine franchise in 2015, with the goal of providing expanded company training options and new opportunities for individual job growth for professionals across Maine.
Since then, he has seen a dramatic increase in demand for professional development programs, overseeing a 114% increase in the number of Dale Carnegie graduates in Maine.
Ciullo told Mainebiz that his company will continue to use the program and to recommend it to clients.
“Employers are doing everything they can to retain top talent in today’s hot economy,” Ciullo said in the release. “This has translated to more investment by organizations in employees through compensation, benefits and a renewed emphasis on professional training programs and education.”
The upswing in demand caught the Edgerleys’ attention. Rob Edgerley, founder and CEO of Maine Life Real Estate Co., is following in the footsteps of his father, who was a trainer.
“I grew up with the Dale Carnegie principles, they are part of my DNA, and Nadra and I are passionate about impacting the state of Maine in a positive way,” Edgerley said in the release.
“I have worked with David [Ciullo] and have been impressed with his leadership as well as the growth of the business. Nadra and I analyzed the business and approached David. A deal was struck after deciding that now was the right time to transition ownership.”
Nadra Edgerley told Mainebiz she’s found the courses serve as a powerful business tool that also ripples through everyday life.
“It’s a game changer,” she said.
Rob Edgerley told Mainebiz that he’s found value in the program for his real estate business.
“In the real estate world, we’re constantly dealing with agents and clients, negotiations and situations where emotions run high,” he said. “There can also be contention and stress. Putting our agents through the course helps them deal with situations in a progressive way. ”
David Stearns, one of only 35 master trainers among the thousands of Carnegie trainers at various levels, is president of the franchise and will remain in that position.
“For organizations looking for skilled people in a lean market, the best option is often to enhance the skills of the people already on board,” Stearns said in the release.
Maine’s franchise is one of 233 around the world and 120 in the U.S. In 2018, over 1,000 people engaged in Dale Carnegie Maine workshops, in-house programs and public programs.
A goal is to widen the franchise’s reach, said Nadra Edgerley.
“Most courses have taken place in southern Maine,” she said. “We’re looking to offer more in other parts of Maine.”
That includes the midcoast region, Bangor and Augusta.
The value that the program brings to businesses, regardless of size, is the multiple ways businesses can benefit from the training, said Stearns. Public courses include leadership, managements, sales and presentation, available year-round.
The program also offers customized corporate solutions in areas like team-building and customer service.
“We can tailor a program based on a company’s culture and values, and deliver that on site,” said Stearns.
There's also live online training, with new certified online trainers coming into the program. Live online training allows the program to reach more people throughout Maine, Stearns noted. Dale Carnegie has been building its online presence in Maine for about five years.
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