Meet Our Team

Experience You Can Trust

Our coaches have decades of experience working with businesses of all sizes and bring diverse industry backgrounds that have provided us a first-hand insight into the challenges faced by leaders across many industries.

Supportive. Direct. Experienced.

Your Leadership Partners

Getting Results For 30 Years

Business of People’s 1:1 executive coaching and group training for leaders and managers foster professional growth that energizes teams and supports organizational success.

Darrin Townsend

Darrin Townsend

Executive Coach, Owner

Across industries, Darrin has helped clients improve their business results, better their teams, and develop their careers. With his direct yet supportive style, Darrin is known for getting client issues out in the open, improving awareness and driving change with highly effective results. He wants each client to feel encouraged and supported in their journey.

Darrin brings over 30 years of experience in consulting, manufacturing, and logistics, covering roles in operations, engineering, sales, and project management. As owner and senior organizational consultant at Business of People, he serves as an executive coach, corporate trainer, and team developer.

Through his consulting engagements, he has expertise serving business professionals in a multitude of sectors including healthcare, retail, hospitality, construction, engineering, manufacturing, staffing, publishing, law, agriculture, and non-profits. His global reach includes clients in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Darrin holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from The Ohio State University. He is also a graduate of the Gestalt Institute of Central Ohio three-year post-graduate training for therapists and consultants.

Background
  • Engineering
  • Manufacturing
  • Logistics
  • Business Development
  • Project Management

Jan Allen

Executive Coach

Known for her direct and honest approach, Jan quickly identifies the heart of the matter, providing support and insight to transform her clients’ thinking, careers, and businesses. Clients highly value her ability to articulate critical questions, frame the leading issues, and provide strategic direction for personal growth and professional success.

Jan is a seasoned senior consultant, executive coach, entrepreneur, and government and politics veteran. With 45 years of experience, she is a catalyst and innovator who empowers leaders, teams, and entrepreneurs to take bold action and achieve breakthrough results.

Jan’s expertise spans corporate, civic, non-profit, media, and academia. She excels in boosting profitability, developing leaders’ capabilities, nurturing creative teams, and helping individuals achieve their dreams. Having held executive roles with two Ohio Governors and led successful public affairs businesses with clients like Limited Brands and Nationwide Insurance, she focuses on one-on-one coaching with C-suite executives and emerging leaders at Business of People. She works across all industries, including healthcare, retail, manufacturing, universities, media, and non-profits.

Jan holds degrees in political science, social work, and law from The Ohio State University, is certified as a Professional Certified Coach by the International Coach Federation, and is a graduate of Coach U and the Gestalt Institute of Central Ohio’s three-year post-graduate training for therapists.

Background
  • Corporate
  • Non-profit
  • Civic
  • Academic
  • Entrepreneurs
Jan Allen

Rico Martinez

Executive Coach, Trainer

With hands-on experience as a Director of HR honed during a pandemic, Rico possesses a unique understanding of the organizational complexities and interpersonal challenges faced by leaders in organizations undergoing growth or transformation. Rico combines his extensive business experience with a sincere commitment to motivating teams and nurturing individual growth at all levels.

Rico’s journey showcases a remarkable evolution, transitioning from a former U.S. Marine Corps marksmanship instructor and competitor to a prosperous 20-year career in software engineering and delivery. His professional trajectory culminated in executive leadership roles spanning diverse industries, including ecommerce, manufacturing, distribution, insurance, and product development. Notably, he also made significant contributions to the success of a high-growth startup.

In contrast to the traditional image associated with a military background, Rico is recognized by clients for his warmth and approachable nature. His method for driving positive change begins with creating a supportive environment to explore challenges, improve self-awareness, and identify key opportunities.

Today, as a leadership trainer and executive coach, Rico combines his extensive business experience with a sincere commitment to motivating teams and nurturing individual growth at all levels.

Rico earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems and has been training with Business of People as an executive coach over the past year.

Background
  • Engineering
  • Manufacturing
  • Logistics
  • Business Development
  • Project Management

Todd Grazier

Executive Coach, Trainer

Todd’s unique approach combines warmth with a keen ability to confront the truth, guiding business professionals to recognize and address the changes necessary for enhanced effectiveness. He maintains a lifelong commitment to helping individuals realize their full potential.

Todd, has been a part of Business of People for over 17 years as a trainer, executive coach, and organizational consultant. He specializes in working with leadership teams, empowering them to overcome obstacles and become more successful, cohesive, and efficient. With a diverse background spanning education, libraries, healthcare, and logistics, he has a clear understanding of the challenges faced by leaders and managers across these sectors.

Within Business of People, Todd focuses on three core areas: one-on-one coaching with executives and emerging leaders to nurture their leadership skills, consulting with leaders and their teams to transform them into high-performance units, and conducting training sessions for leaders at various levels, from supervisors to executives. His coaching and consulting services have spanned a wide variety of areas from retail to healthcare, agriculture to manufacturing, and both for profit and nonprofit industries.

Todd holds a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s in library science from the University of Pittsburgh, and has also completed the Gestalt Institute of Central Ohio’s post-graduate training program for coaches and consultants.

Background
  • Education
  • Information Services
  • Healthcare
  • Logistics