About the Show
Safety leadership is more than complying with rules and regulations. It’s about creating solutions that are relational, inspirational, and transformational. The growing partnership between BCSP, the gold standard in safety certification, and Dale Carnegie (DC), the premier expert in leadership training, is helping safety professionals solve unique challenges in innovative ways. In “My Big Safety Challenge,” host and DC Master Trainer Merle Heckman dives into safety-related leadership principles and experiences with engaging guest hosts from different industries and perspectives. Joining Merle for season three is Jason Kunz, Founder of the Kunz Company and former Culture Activation Lead for 3M.
Meet The Hosts
Dr. Merle Heckman is presently a master trainer and consultant for Dale Carnegie in Cincinnati, Kentucky, and southern Indiana. Most recently, he was the manager of organizational development for Power Transmission Solutions (PTS) in Florence, Kentucky. He oversaw the training of employees and development of leaders throughout the organization. PTS was one of the business units of Emerson Electric which was a Fortune 125 company. He is the designer and master trainer of “Safety Leadership Skills,” an Emerson course, and trained over 500 internal trainers who in turn presented the course to over 27,000 employees worldwide. He was also the designer and master trainer of sales training for Regal Beloit – a global manufacturing company. He earned an M.A. in counseling, an MBA with concentrations in human resources, finance, and marketing, and an MPA. Committed to lifelong learning, he completed his Ed.D. in educational leadership from Northern Kentucky University. Dr. Heckman is a certified instructor for the Dale Carnegie Training in Effective Communication and Human Relations/Skills for Success, Sales Advantage, Leadership Training for Managers, High Impact Presentations, Dale Carnegie Online, and the Advanced Dale Carnegie Course. As a master trainer, he trains and coaches new and seasoned trainers globally for Dale Carnegie. He has instructed individuals from major organizations in manufacturing, technology, government, military, financial, educational, and many other groups. Dr. Heckman has taught for various universities over the last 18 years, both in-house and online. He has the SPHR-SCP certification (Senior Professional in Human Resources) from the Society of Human Resource Management. He was awarded the certification of Certified Speaking Professional through the National Speakers Association. Merle was recognized as the No. 1 global leadership trainer in the Dale Carnegie organization in 2022.
With over a decade of experience with the 3M company in a variety of technical and leadership roles, Jason Kunz demonstrates his passion for the safety and health profession across multiple platforms. A forward-thinker, with the objective to elevate the safety, health and well-being of all workers, Jason uses his voice to amplify the profession and the professional. His life journey, blessings, and struggles have inspired a commitment to building professional communities that ensure an empowerment of their people.
Jason is a husband, co-founder of Best Christmas Ever speaker, coach, and community advocate. He's a CIH and CSP, but mostly grateful to have a J-O-B and work with some of the most passionate and compassionate people on the planet. Married since 2019, Jason and his wife Malia recently welcomed their first child (Revel Malosi) and call Minneapolis-Saint Paul home.