Ohioans For Concealed Carry Discussion Forums

I ran into a gentleman today who said he was a trainer for TSG in Lewisburg. Does anyone have any knowledge of or experience with these guys?

I checked out their website and they seem to offer the entire 80 hour OPOTA as well as the 20 hour OPOTC courses along with various tactical courses. I'm sure they're no TDI but for the prices...

Hope someone can shed some light.

I never heard of them (or him, since there is only one instructor listed). I also have no idea where Lewisburg is. Not listing a police department, length of service and assignments held on a bio like that is a red flag for me. It does say SWAT, but I know there are some small agencies that actually have SWAT teams with zero call-outs a year.

Looking at his schedule, it appears he has courses not only on weekends, but during the week. Maybe he has planned vacations around teaching, but maybe he is only a part-time cop, if he currently is one at all. I notice his list of course descriptions is very short compared to what he has in his course list, and he lists two courses as new for 2012 which don't seem to appear on the calendar. Maybe he had them already, but one is wilderness first aid, which is typically held outdoors, which usually means later in the year to take advantage of nice weather.

His list of courses attended lists many with which I am familiar, but lists what appear to be some of his own company's classes, which are no longer listed in his catalog. (Another red flag) I also got the feeling he listed everything he has been through, and I noticed he listed lengths of training for only some of his courses.

All that sounds negative, but I've been through a lot of training, and am very careful about where I spend my money and time. I've been through some courses that were disappointing to me, but got great reviews from other people, who had much less training experience than I do.

The guy might be a great instructor, and the info presented might be excellent, especially for a less experienced shooter.

I'm interested to hear from someone who has actually attended some of his courses.

Yeah I'm with you. The guy I ran into is NOT the instructor listed on the site. Could be the website is not up to date but in today's world its one of the first places people look for your info.

That said, I may drive out and take a peek. If anything I can get a "gut" feeling about it and I will be sure to report back.

Lewisburg is in Preble County and borders Indiana. I've never heard of them either so I can't give you an opinion on the training. I'll ask around and see if anyone knows anything about him.

The website of the firm in question appears to have been crafted by a pre-teen with deficient language skills.

jabeatty wrote:The website of the firm in question appears to have been crafted by a pre-teen with deficient language skills.

I have met and worked for the owner of TSG. He lives in Lewisburg and last I heard is currently employed by Ansonia PD. His training takes place at his home in Lewisburg. I have taken his Monadnok MEB and MDTS, Fox Labs OC, and Taser Certification. These classes are fairly beginner classes if you ask me so it dose not take a knowledgeable instructor to do them. I have no idea how good his Tactical Pistol or other classes are or weather or not he is actually embellishing on his qualifications or not. He dose have a binder about 2 1/2 inches thick with certificates and letters of recommendation from commanders of the Ohio Militia and past PD employers.

Someone who started to post on these boards but was turned off by perceived attacks and rudeness from the others on these boards was a good friend of his and may still assist in instructing some of these courses.

He has said at one time that the owner of this company is a good instructor but someone to keep at a distance when it comes to working with him and being his friend, YMMV thats just what I was told at one time.

My last few experiences with the owner left me thinking he is a pompous behind, unforgiving and only concerned with profitability. Ask me privately about what happened so you can form your own opinion.

Heres some video of the owner Ivan Burke instructing what appears to be a OPOTA 20 hour course.

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AID-RAIA ... ature=plcp

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQiag_K4 ... playnext=1

and a video of something else with Ivan shooting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3mn3Oh_ ... ature=plcp

ETA:
Their Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tactical- ... 6883707575

Their MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/tacticalsolutionsgroup

Minor revival.

Bowman said Burke looked like a good candidate on paper, but did not perform.

The Dayton Daily News found that Burke has been charged with misdemeanor assaults at least three times.
In 2000, he was accused of assaulting a female co-worker at Marshal Protective Service in Huber Heights.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/day ... 71141.html

Quality guy.