Meet The Team
SDW Firms LLC (SDWF) is a partnership of subject matter experts across various business, human resources, and educational channels. The Firm came together to develop innovative business education content and programming to meet the needs for service industries who struggle to provide “people skills” concepts and training for new or first-time managers and supervisors.
Tiny Classroom Training (TCT) is delivering our microlearning videos and supporting materials for professional training available anytime and with the flexibility to fit any businesses’ training needs or scheduling.
Founder’s Don Zillioux PhD, and partner Arte Nathan studied their traditional onsite two-man 8 hour in-person training sessions and envisioned a future where technology could deliver their valuable courses and teachings to the masses. Arte called this vision “Professor Don in a Box.” So began a several year journey starting with content reimagining, delivery techniques and supporting technologies followed by real world customer testing. Next we moved to align with disruptive pricing and to distance our products from “learning libraries.” To accomplish this, TCT delivers low cost per learner subscriptions for businesses and enterprises with targeted training outcomes, no hardware or programs to buy, and no long-term contracts or commitments.
TCT has become a universal platform for developing management skills and and putting those skills to work. To launch, we chose to address the large population of new professionals with the least amount of management and soft skills training. TCT is growing our content library, while also making available our approach and methodologies to organizations who are looking to deliver their technical training needs in TCT’s desired delivery format. The TCT team can also work with your organization on white label or custom programming, delivered in the TCT video and training standards moderated by your experts/trainers to deliver your company’s technical training and development materials.
Meet The Team
Dr. DON ZILLIOUX, Ph.D
CEO and Chief Scientist
Dr. Don Zillioux has advised a diverse variety of businesses, large and small, throughout North and Central America, Europe and Russia for more than 20 years. He is a recognized thought leader and senior advisor in effective change management.
Along with an extensive business within the Native American communities, SDW clients have also included SKF-West Germany, US State Department, University of Rochester Medical School, National Training Institute for the Deaf, NCR, Mexicana Airlines, Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort, PURE Canadian Gaming and Advanced Tissue Sciences along with many others.
Don is the author of The Results-Focused Organization, the soon to be published series of Field Guides to Organizational Effectiveness and Instrument Based Training: A Guide to Increased Effectiveness in Training. Don’s writings and consulting/advisory work focus on planned change, organizational development, managerial effectiveness, sustainable performance and effective leadership.
He has been visiting professor and lecturer at the University of Rochester, National University, USIU in San Diego and is regularly featured at the National Indian Gaming Conferences. Don has authored over 30 assessment and training instruments and over 40 specific competency focused trainings.
ARTHUR NATHAN, SPHR
President
Arthur (Arte) Nathan served as Chief Human Resources Officer for Steve Wynn’s gaming companies from 1983 – 2006 and opened all of Wynn’s casinos in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Mississippi and China. He retired from the gaming industry in November 2006 and moved to Southern California where he worked with the Irvine Company opening “The Resort at Pelican Hill,” an ultra-luxury resort in Newport Beach.
Arte is a recognized innovator in high-volume recruitment and hiring, labor and employee relations and technology related to the use of business intelligence applications for employee relationship management. His expertise with startup companies and opening hotels has been the subject of many articles in professional and academic publications.
Arte chaired the Nevada Governor’s Workforce Investment Board, served on the Board of the Society of Human Resources and the SHRM Foundation and is past chair of the Southern Nevada Culinary & Bartenders Training Trust. He has served on the Advisory Boards of the UNLV School of Hotel Administration, The Collins College of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona and the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Mr. Nathan graduated from Cornell University in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Labor Relations. He is a frequent guest lecturer at colleges and universities, numerous professional associations and conferences on the subject of human resource management.
As part of the SDW team, he brings forth his multidimensional experience to help facilitate clients’ increased effectiveness and to managing change in work/life balance.
VICTORIA ZILLIOUX
Chief Administrative Officer
Victoria Zillioux, as Chief Administrative Officer, manages key administrative functions for Strategic Development Worldwide. Her background provides the ability to design and manage the various functions and processes responsible for business continuity in an operationally sound manner. Her extensive experience in executive level banking and mortgage lending, software production, statistical model developmentand data management gives her a combined background that provides an understanding of the business needed for long-term strategic planning.
Victoria has previously held senior positions in Business Development at TransAmerica Intellitech and Product Management at HNC Software. Each of these positions involving direct merger and acquisition activities both with individual products and complete businesses. Her background includes working in senior level management positions with TRW, American Savings Bank, as well as independent management consulting with large lending institutions and financial/government regulatory agencies. This breadth of experience both in the U.S. and several European countries gives her a keen insight into global business and financial industries.
Victoria holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance with an emphasis in real estate from San Diego State University. She has been a guest speaker with a variety of professional organizations, speaking at conferences and seminars in the U.S., United Kingdom, Germany and Poland.
Todd Strusz
Senior Advisor and Thought Leader
Todd Strusz is recognized as an industry leader and as one of the most innovative thinkers in the casino marketing world. As a former Vice President of Marketing with Grand Casino Hinckley and Mille Lacs, Director of Marketing at Treasure Island and Lake of the Torches casinos, Todd has more than 25 years experience in gaming. Todd’s results-oriented approach to marketing shapes ROI’s reasoned, strategic and data-driven philosophy. An expert in all areas of casino marketing and operations, he specializes in strategic and long-range planning constantly focused on maximizing our client’s performance
Mark W. Healey
Associate Professor of Management
Mark Healey has over thirty-five years in the hospitality industry. In 2006, Mark and co-founder Robert J Stephan launched Virtual Hospitality Group, LLC. (VHG). The company serves a broad range of complex food, beverage, and hospitality markets in three ways: (1) as a management services provider; (2) as a design and development services provider; and (3) by providing training and development for client teams.
Mark’s retail and contract experience spans business & industry sites, recreation & leisure venues, as well as working with federal and state agencies. Mark has held senior positions Shula’s Steak Houses, LLLP; Ovations Food Services, LP; and Boston Culinary Group, LLC., leading projects in 28 states and Canada. From 2006 to 2016 VHG provided the alcoholic beverage services for WEFEST in Detroit Lakes MN. WEFEST is the largest and longest running Country Music and Camping Festival in the US with typically attendance for the three days approaching 150,000.
Mark heads up VHG’s effort in Recreation & Leisure time accounts and concentrates much of his efforts working with Native American Casinos and Resorts to maximize their food, beverage, and hotel opportunities.