OUR INSTRUCTORS
BRIAN COFER | Director of Talent Development
Brian facilitates our Leadership Development and Sales Development courses. He is passionate about helping others to develop the skills they need to be successful. He’s held several positions at Western States since he joined the company in 2001, including sales, regional management, and executive management. Brian has been in his current role leading the training team since 2017. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, golfing, and watching his daughters’ sporting events.
ANDREW FACKLER | Technical Training Instructor
Andrew is a former dealership technician and facilitates our technical training courses. He began working for Western States a few days after his 18th birthday. Since then, he’s spent 10 years as a technician and became a trainer in 2017. His favorite course to teach is the F Series Paver Technical class. Outside of work, Andrew enjoys playing with his young sons, fishing, hunting and hiking, and recently began training pack goats to come along on family backpacking trips.
BRANNON WRIGHT | Technical Training Instructor
Brannon is a former dealership technician and facilitates our technical training courses. He has been with Western States as a trainer since 2016. He was introduced to the heavy equipment industry when he joined the military shortly after graduating from high school. Today, his favorite courses to teach are any of the hydraulics courses. Brannon married his high school sweetheart, and they have been married for 28 years. When he isn’t working, Brannon loves to fish, paint landscapes, and practice drumming (which he’s done since he was 14).
KRISTINA BOCK | Technical Training Instructor
Kristina is a former dealership technician and facilitates our technical training courses. She started with Western States in 2013 at our Twin Falls branch, where she spent three and a half years as a technician before becoming a shop foreman. Today, in her current position as a trainer, her favorite course to teach is the Advanced Electrical curriculum. With four boys at home, Kristina says almost 100% of her time is in the dirt and mud (when she isn’t playing video games with her sons). In her free time, Kristina likes to go camping and kayaking.
AARON BALL | Technical Training Instructor
Aaron joined the Western States team in 2020, but began his career as an instructor in 2002. Since then, he has taught both secondary and post-secondary diesel and automotive courses, as well as electrical and electronics courses at the Manukau Institute of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. Outside of the classroom Aaron is a musician, and has traveled around the world playing music. He enjoys being outdoors, traveling, and spending time with his wife Jenny and their four children.
MICHAEL SPANGLER | Client Services Trainer
Michael facilitates our forklift and aerial lift safe operator and train-the-trainer courses. He has been with Western States since August 2019, and became part of the Training Team in January 2020. Before joining the Western States team, Michael was a Trainer of Heavy Equipment and Telehandlers in the Army for five years. His favorite course to teach is the MEWP class, because it gives him the chance to get into a piece of equipment up off of the ground. Michael always strives to look for the positive in any situation. Outside of Western States, he enjoys taking his kids fishing or camping and spending time with them.