About GSF

Previously involved in exporting industrial equipment, Christophe Cognée joined GSF Group in 1990 as a Branch Manager, moving on to Regional Manager for the northern area of Paris region, and then in charge of Paris and its regions until 2015. After 26 years in operations, he is now a member of the GSF board and of GSF Partenaire, and also is in charge of North American activities.

A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Troy Bargmann began his leadership career serving as an aviation officer in the U.S. Army. His business experience includes sales, service management, general management and vice president positions in B2B service industries. He has a track record of driving organic growth and profits by ensuring strong customer focus. Troy joined GSF in November 2007 and is responsible for leading GSF in all United States business operations.

Since August of 2012, Kurt Kuempel has been the General Manager of the Illinois office of GSF USA, and is responsible for all business operations including sales, customer service, operations and account management. Kurt brings with him extensive experience in various service-oriented companies, and is a dynamic leader with proven success in developing strong teams and consistently delivering on customer service expectations. Prior to joining GSF, Kurt was with Carey International, the world’s leading premium chauffeur transportation company. Kurt served as a Vice President/General Manager with responsibilities for four Chicago-based subsidiaries with annual revenues over $20 million. Prior to joining Carey, he served as General Manager for North American Jet LLC, a privately owned FBO facility at Chicago’s Executive Airport. Kurt’s formal education includes an MBA from Lewis University, where he also earned Bachelor of Science degrees in both business and aviation.

Josh joined the team in September of 2021 as the General Manager of the Indiana office of GSF USA. He is responsible for all business and administrative operations in Indiana. Josh brings with him 19+ years of proven and award winning experience in team building and sales leadership. Prior to joining GSF, Josh was with EHOB, Inc. as the National Director of Sales. His formal education includes a BS in Criminal Justice from Indiana University with a minor in Sociology and a Certificate in Business.

Joining team GSF-USA in January of 2021 as a Branch Manager, Mark was promoted to General Manager within three years to oversee the Wisconsin area markets. Mark brings extensive experience from his tenure in the janitorial supply sector spanning several years. Residing in Southern Wisconsin for the past 17 years and operating from our Milwaukee office, he possesses a thorough understanding of local trends and pertinent industry matters. Described by others as the industry expert, Mark spent most of his career in distribution and chemical manufacturing, working both in sales and sales management. He has worked with customers in various business segments like education, healthcare, retail, and manufacturing. Thanks to his immense knowledge of the janitorial industry, Mark was able to create a lot of custom-built training programs for his customers. He made sure all his trainings fit his customer’s individual needs and wants. Mark lives by his philosophy of building strong teams to be successful. He has built teams that have achieved exceptional results, and he enjoys mentoring and training people to help them achieve their full potential.

David began his journey with GSF USA in May of 2017 as an Area Manager and since December of 2021 has been promoted to the General Manager of the IL Rockford office. He is responsible for all business operations including sales, operations, and account management in the area of Rockford, IL. David has a proven track record for building great teams of highly motivated custodial teams in different types of segments like healthcare, educational and industrial. Since 2019, he holds a Registered Building Service Manager (RBSM) certification from Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI).