Our Team
Shawn Blair – President and CEO
Shawn Blair is an Executive Commercial Leader with over 20 years of experience in the industrial, commercial, and residential markets. Throughout his career, Shawn has led National and Global Sales teams, Sales Operations, and Strategy, all focused on solving business objectives and creating value for customers and partners. Shawn joined VANTAGE in 2023 as the President & CEO. Prior to joining, Shawn enjoyed a 10-year career at Schneider Electric where he held numerous leadership positions. He most recently led the national US Services Partner organization where he built strong partnerships across the Schneider US Services portfolio for Power, Industrial Automation, and Digital Power. Prior to this, Shawn was the Vice President of Sales – East Region for Square D where he led a regional sales team in the residential, commercial, and industrial markets. He joined Schneider in 2014 as Vice President – Strategic Accounts supporting National Builders, Global E-OEM’s, and General Contractors.
Prior to Schneider Electric, Shawn was with Belden Inc. as the Vice President of Sales – US Industrial Division. In this role, he led a national sales and sales operations team bringing industrial and networking solutions to the market. Before joining Belden, Shawn was with Rockwell Automation for 10 years where he started his career and held various roles in Territory Sales, Channel Sales, and Channel Sales Management.
Shawn’s leadership philosophy centers on Trust, Integrity, Customer Centricity, and Thought Innovation. Having a unique lens from both the commercial and industrial markets, as well as his experience working for market leading manufacturers, he brings leadership and innovation to VANTAGE for their mission and journey into the future!
Todd Altpeter – Chief Operating Officer
Todd Altpeter brings over two decades of experience in sales and business development. He holds an MBA in Marketing from DePaul Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and an MS in Economics from Illinois State University. Throughout his career, Todd has driven growth and built strong client relationships in various industries. As part of the VANTAGE Electrical Group, he is committed to leveraging his expertise to deliver innovative solutions and exceptional service to clients.
Genevieve Heilman – Controller
Genevieve Heilman is the Controller for VANTAGE Electrical Group, Inc., a role she has held since joining the company in 2022. She oversees all accounting functions, including Financial Reporting, General Accounting, Budgeting, Auditing, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and Cash Flow management. Genevieve holds an MBA in Accounting and Finance from Tulane University, enhancing her expertise and leadership in her field.
Genevieve’s career began as an entry-level accountant at a mid-size manufacturing facility where she acquired extensive experience across various facets of accounting, finance, and corporate tax. Over a distinguished twenty-five-year tenure, she advanced through multiple accounting roles, from Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable to Assistant Controller, ultimately becoming the Corporate Controller.
Genevieve is excited to continue her passion for accounting and finance at VANTAGE Electrical Group, Inc. She looks forward to contributing to the company’s growth and success, leveraging her vast experience and dedication to drive financial excellence.
Miles Wirkus – Director, Business Development
Miles is a dynamic and high-performing Strategic Account Manager known for his passion for strategy and business development. With 12 years of experience, he has consistently driven positive organizational outcomes through his expertise in customer relationship management, supply chain management, and enterprise-level contract negotiation and management.
Miles excels at collaborating with cross-functional teams to tackle complex, high-stakes challenges. His commitment to continuous improvement and dedication to team success make him a vital asset to any organization.
Lynn Ferguson – Director of Sales
As the Director of Sales, Lynn’s commitment to customers, the distributor network, manufacturers, and the VANTAGE Group team is unwavering. He leads a team of Strategic Account Managers, who, with their expertise in the electrical market and data analytics, address the electrical needs of national and regional clients across various industries. Their dedication, paired with the best distributor network in the nation, ensures the best possible solutions are
brought to the table for all parties. Lynn’s leadership is a testament to his commitment to customer service and innovation, instilling confidence in the team and the clients alike.
Lynn lives in south central VA, where he is active in his community and serves on the board of the local YMCA. He completed an electrical apprenticeship program where he received his electrical journeyman’s card. After working in residential and industrial electrical he went to work at an electrical distributor as a Rockwell Allen Bradley specialist for several years before moving into Outside Sales for the same distributor. After 14 years there, he joined VANTAGE Group as a Strategic Account Manager until January 2023, when he took on the role of Director of Sales. During that time, as a distributor and at VANTAGE Group, Lynn earned his degree from ODU Strome College of Business.
His mission is to provide service and value in every aspect of business, building long-term partnerships and offering innovative solutions that meet VANTAGE’s clients’ growing and changing needs. He stays at the forefront of technology and trends in the electrical field and is passionate about delivering excellence and exceeding expectations in a competitive and dynamic market.
Natalie Harrah – Director of Process Improvement
Natalie Harrah is one of the first employees to join VANTAGE Group in 1996. She has been instrumental in shaping the company’s operations as it has evolved over the years. Throughout her tenure, she has held several key positions, including Implementation Manager, Strategic Account Manager, and Director of Operations. Natalie has been pivotal in developing the Customer Service and PO Match departments and associated processes.
In her current role as Director of Process Improvement, Natalie focuses on identifying inefficiencies and exploring opportunities to enhance and streamline all aspects of the transactional process. She continues to manage the implementation of customer agreements, collaborating closely with distributor partners and customers to ensure seamless transitions. Natalie’s dedication to VANTAGE’s internal team, as well as to its customers and distributor partners, is reflected in her commitment to delivering exceptional service, effective communication, and ongoing improvement.
Natalie holds an Associate of Applied Science in Business Management from McHenry County College, with a focus on Organizational Leadership and Marketing Management. She resides in Arizona.
Chris Pratt – Director of Pricing
Chris brings a wealth of experience to VANTAGE Electrical Group, boasting over 15 years of expertise in pricing. Since joining the team in 2016, Chris has played a pivotal role as Director of Pricing, where his strategic approach has been instrumental in optimizing profitability for both customers and distributors.
With an MBA in Supply Chain Management and more than a decade in the electric distribution industry, Chris is passionate about developing innovative pricing models. His career began at Wesco Distribution, where he excelled as a regional and category Pricing Manager, sharpening the skills that he now leverages at VANTAGE.
Chris’s commitment to excellence and strategic vision continue to drive Vantage Electrical Group forward, ensuring competitive and profitable pricing solutions for all stakeholders.
Keith Kovacs – Customer Service Manager
Keith Kovacs is a customer-centric individual with a solid background in customer service and leadership. Over the past 15 years, Keith has held various customer service and leadership roles in both the service and retail industries. He earned an Associate of Arts degree from McHenry County College. Although initially new to the electrical industry, Keith has been with VANTAGE Group for over 10 years. Starting as a customer service representative, he was promoted to Team Lead of the department about five years ago. A little over two years ago, Keith advanced to the role of Customer Service Manager.
In his current role, Keith is responsible for managing the customer service team, which handles all frontline day-to-day activities and communications. This includes managing all purchase order activities and necessary follow-ups related to the customer purchase order processes. Keith oversees the largest department in the company, with nine direct reports and growing.
Keith specializes in written and verbal communication skills, collaboration both internally and externally, and addressing the majority of the training needs within the department.
Amy Gallardo – Accounts Receivable Manager
Amy Gallardo has over 20 years of experience in various positions from receptionist, customer service, billing, accounts receivable, and accounts payable. Amy started her career at VANTAGE Electrical Group, Inc. in 2018 in customer service, but her true passion is accounting.
Amy’s dedication and commitment to customer and distributor excellence allowed her the opportunity to grow within VANTAGE Group where she joined the accounting team. Amy’s continued tenacity and eagerness to grow within VANTAGE Group she was promoted to her current role as Accounts Receivable Manager. She continues to lead the accounting team providing the best service to our customers and distributors.
Sonia Hernandez – PO Match Manager
Sonia has been a member of the Vantage Group team since 2013. She has 30+ years of experience in Accounting, Customer service and Leadership. Sonia started as a Billing Clerk, advanced to the PO Match Team Leader and was promoted to PO Match Manager a little over two years ago.
The PO Match department has responsibility for processing all invoicing, ensuring invoices are processed as accurately as possible to guarantee a seamless transition into our customer’s portal and payables departments. This process includes matching on all critical points such as PO number, part numbers, quantity, unit of measure and price. Sonia and her team assist with training on new initiatives, writing billing instructions and troubleshooting challenges, and updating our process as needed. Sonia’s strong work ethic, problem solving skills, her strong desire to continuously improve processes to increase efficiencies, are the types of qualities that define a strong leader within the organization. Sonia’s goal is to offer the best possible service to our many partners, customers as well as
distributors, alike.
