Who We Are

James (Jimmy) Peltier, Professor of Marketing, Director UW-Whitewater Institute for Sales Excellence, Past-President USCA

Dr. Peltier received his Ph.D. in Marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has over 35 years of business experience as a consultant, Research Director in an Advertising Agency, and as President of a marketing consulting firm. Dr. Peltier's sales expertise lies in developing buyer-seller relationships, understanding students’ intent to pursue a sales career, database requirements for the sales force, and successful relationship marketing practices. Dr. Peltier directed the launch of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Institute for Sales Excellence in 2012, and has led it to national prominence as an institution and as a sales competition powerhouse. Dr. Peltier is a Past-President of both the University Sales Center Alliance and the American Marketing Association Collegiate Chapters Council (twice). He has received life-time Achievement Awards from the AMA,  the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation, and is the only person to have received UW-Whitewater’s top three Lifetime Awards, including the Roseman Teaching Excellence, University Research, and University Service Awards. Dr. Peltier has been faculty advisor for UW-Whitewater's AMA chapter since 1986 and has directed the UWW Chapter to 17 International Chapter of the Year Awards, including 10 years in a row from 2011-2021.  As an active author, Dr. Peltier has over 150 referred journal publications and conference presentations. His research has been published in the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of Business Research, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Interactive Marketing, International Journal of Advertising, Strategic Change, International Small Business Journal, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Journal of Financial Service Marketing, Journal of Marketing Education, Marketing Education Review, among many others.

Dan Herlache, Lecturer of Marketing, Assistant Director, UW-Whitewater Institute for Sales Excellence

Dan Herlache is a marketing and sales practitioner with a 38 year career in business. Graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and began his career in retail management and soon after transitioned into business to business sales. He later earned his MBA and graduated as a member of both Mu Kappa Tau and Pi Sigma Epsilon honorary Marketing and Management fraternities respectively.  He spent the last 22 years of his business career in sales management.  During his long career in industry, Mr. Herlache earned numerous awards while also creating a reputation as an effective leader with a strong reputation for hiring, developing and promoting high quality sales people.  For many years, Mr. Herlache served on the Advisory Board to the UW-Whitewater Marketing Department.  He later, also served as an “external advisor” to the UW Whitewater AMA Chapter, before joining the academic staff at UW Whitewater in 2015.   In 2018, Mr. Herlache was presented the Academic Staff Excellence Award from the College of Business and Economics. Mr. Herlache teaches several Sales Classes, and is a coach to the ISE Interscholastic sales team where he trains students and accompanies them to numerous competitions annually.  Each semester he coordinates an International Collaboration between US & Dutch universities.  He is a member of the University Sales Center Alliance and has presented research and advanced teaching practices at biannual meetings on several occasions.  He also currently serves as the principle advisor to the AMA Sales Corps, which focuses on hosting many events and competitions throughout the year, and training students for sales competitions.