diff --git a/Rakefile b/Rakefile
index c2e4f58..e233999 100644
--- a/Rakefile
+++ b/Rakefile
@@ -17,7 +17,12 @@ begin
     s.add_dependency(%q<rspec>, [">= 2"])
   end
 rescue LoadError
-  puts "Jeweler, or one of its dependencies, is not available. Install it with: sudo gem install technicalpickles-jeweler -s http://gems.github.com"
+  puts "Jeweler, or one of its dependencies, is not available."
+end
+
+desc 'Start the commit monitor'
+task 'start' do |t, args|
+  ruby "-Ilib commit_monitor.rb"
 end
 
 begin
@@ -25,6 +30,7 @@ begin
 
   RSpec::Core::RakeTask.new('spec') do |t|
     t.rspec_opts = ["-fd", "-c"]
+    t.ruby_opts = ["-Ispec,lib"]
     t.pattern = 'spec/**/*_spec.rb'
   end
 
diff --git a/commit_monitor.rb b/commit_monitor.rb
index 9470ab4..b9208c9 100644
--- a/commit_monitor.rb
+++ b/commit_monitor.rb
@@ -11,13 +11,13 @@
 configure do
   repos = File.join(`pwd`.chomp, 'data/repos')
   config = 'config/repos.yml'
-  repo_manager = GITRepoManager.new(config, repos)
+  repo_manager = ForkGITRepoManager.new(config, repos)
 end
 
 configure :test do
   local_repos = File.join(`pwd`.chomp, 'spec/files/test_repos')
   test_config = 'spec/files/config/repos.yml'
-  repo_manager = GITRepoManager.new(test_config, local_repos)
+  repo_manager = ForkGITRepoManager.new(test_config, local_repos)
 end
 
 # Repositories are single-threaded
diff --git a/lib/git_repo_manager.rb b/lib/git_repo_manager.rb
index c57d9b4..0471fcf 100644
--- a/lib/git_repo_manager.rb
+++ b/lib/git_repo_manager.rb
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
-require 'rubygems'
 require 'yaml'
-require 'lib/global_logger'
 require 'git'
 require 'fileutils'
+require 'global_logger'
 
 class GITRepoManager
   attr_reader :config_file, :clone_path, :submodules, :config_hash
@@ -30,29 +29,30 @@ def update_submodule(uri, branch, commit)
 
     $logger.info("Received commit #{commit[0..8]} from `#{uri}`, branch `#{branch}`")
 
-    @repos_using_submodules.each do |repo_name|
-      $logger.debug("Checking `#{repo_name}` for submodules")
+    if sync_branch?(branch)
+      @repos_using_submodules.each do |repo_name|
+        $logger.debug("Checking `#{repo_name}` for submodules")
 
-      repo = @repos[repo_name]
+        repo = @repos[repo_name]
 
-      repo.submodules.each do |submodule|
-        submodule_path = submodule.path
-        submodule_uri = submodule.uri
-        $logger.debug("Repo `#{repo_name}` has submodule `#{submodule_path}`, #{submodule_uri}")
+        repo.submodules.each do |submodule|
+          submodule_path = submodule.path
+          submodule_uri = submodule.uri
+          $logger.debug("Repo `#{repo_name}` has submodule `#{submodule_path}`, #{submodule_uri}")
 
-        normalized_local = GITRepoManager.normalize_git_uri(submodule_uri)
-        normalized_receiving = GITRepoManager.normalize_git_uri(uri)
+          normalized_local = self.class.normalize_git_uri(submodule_uri)
+          normalized_receiving = self.class.normalize_git_uri(uri)
+          $logger.debug("Comparing: #{normalized_local} == #{normalized_receiving}")
 
-        $logger.debug("Comparing: #{normalized_local} == #{normalized_receiving}")
-        if normalized_local == normalized_receiving
-          $logger.debug("Found submodule `#{uri}` as `#{submodule_path}` in `#{repo_name}`")
-          # repo has a submodule corresponding to uri
+          if normalized_local == normalized_receiving
+            $logger.debug("Found submodule `#{uri}` as `#{submodule_path}` in `#{repo_name}`")
 
-          submodule.init unless submodule.initialized?
-          submodule.update unless submodule.updated?
+            # repo has a submodule corresponding to uri
 
-          if repo.is_branch?(branch)
-            if @ignore_sync_only_branch_list || @sync_branch[branch.to_sym]
+            submodule.init unless submodule.initialized?
+            submodule.update unless submodule.updated?
+
+            if repo.is_branch?(branch)
               $logger.info("Updating `#{repo_name}` with submodule branch `#{branch}`.")
               repo.branch(branch).checkout
               repo.reset_hard("origin/#{branch}")
@@ -62,9 +62,18 @@ def update_submodule(uri, branch, commit)
               sub_repo.fetch
               sub_repo.checkout(commit)
 
+              # Let's try to get the name of the actual commiter from the submodule in as the commiter
+              # to the pointer update
+              if author = self.class.git_commit_author_name(sub_repo.log.first)
+                $logger.debug("Submodule author: #{author}")
+                opts = {:author => author}
+              else
+                opts = {}
+              end
+
               repo.add(submodule_path)
               message = "Auto-updating submodule to commit #{self.class.github_user_project_name(submodule_uri)}@#{commit}."
-              repo.commit(message)
+              repo.commit(message, opts)
               begin
                 repo.push('origin', branch)
                 $logger.debug("Committed with message: #{message}")
@@ -73,14 +82,15 @@ def update_submodule(uri, branch, commit)
               end
               updated << message
             else
-              $logger.debug("Branch `#{branch}` is not on the sync list. Ignoring commit.")
+              $logger.info("Repository `#{repo_name}` does not have a branch called `#{branch}`")
             end
-          else
-            $logger.info("Repository `#{repo_name}` does not have a branch called `#{branch}`")
           end
         end
       end
+    else
+      $logger.debug("Branch `#{branch}` is not on the sync list. Ignoring commit.")
     end
+
     updated
   end
 
@@ -103,7 +113,6 @@ def clone_or_pull_repositories
     end
   end
 
-
   def process_config_hash
     @submodules = []
     @repos_using_submodules = []
@@ -138,6 +147,10 @@ def repo_path(name)
     File.join(@clone_path, name.to_s)
   end
 
+  def sync_branch?(name)
+    @ignore_sync_only_branch_list || @sync_branch[name.to_sym]
+  end
+
   def self.symbolize_keys(hash)
     new_hash = Hash.new
     hash.each do |key, value|
@@ -189,4 +202,54 @@ def self.github_user_project_name(uri)
     end
   end
 
+  def self.git_commit_author_name(commit)
+    author = commit.author
+    "#{author.name} <#{author.email}>"
+  end
+
+end
+
+class BGGitRepoManager
+
+  def initialize(config = 'config/repos.yml', clone_path = 'data/repos')
+    @repomanager =  GITRepoManager.new(config, clone_path)
+    setup_worker_thread
+  end
+
+  def update_submodule(uri, branch, commit)
+    $logger.debug("Pushing request to bg queue uri #{uri} branch #{branch} commit #{commit}")
+    @bgqueue.push([uri, branch, commit])
+    []
+  end
+
+  private
+
+  def setup_worker_thread
+    require 'thread'
+    @bgqueue = Queue.new
+    @bgthread = Thread.start do
+      while true
+        #pop will make the thread sleep until there is data
+        uri, branch, commit = *(@bgqueue.pop)
+        $logger.debug("BG thread popped data uri #{uri} branch #{branch} commit #{commit}")
+        @repomanager.update_submodule(uri, branch, commit)
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
+
+class ForkGitRepoManager
+
+  def initialize(config = 'config/repos.yml', clone_path = 'data/repos')
+    @repomanager =  GITRepoManager.new(config, clone_path)
+  end
+
+  def update_submodule(uri, branch, commit)
+    $logger.debug("Pushing request to bg queue uri #{uri} branch #{branch} commit #{commit}")
+    Process.fork do
+      @repomanager.update_submodule(uri, branch, commit)
+    end
+    []
+  end
+
 end
diff --git a/spec/git_manager_spec.rb b/spec/git_manager_spec.rb
index acf526b..d96c2c3 100644
--- a/spec/git_manager_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/git_manager_spec.rb
@@ -1,11 +1,9 @@
-require 'lib/git_repo_manager'
-require 'lib/global_logger'
-require 'spec/spec_helper.rb'
+require 'spec_helper.rb'
 require 'git'
 
 describe GITRepoManager do
 
-  LOCAL_REPOS = File.join(`pwd`.chomp, 'spec/files/test_repos')
+  LOCAL_REPOS = File.join(Dir.pwd, 'spec/files/test_repos')
   TEST_CONFIG = 'spec/files/config/repos.yml'
 
   # TODO move
@@ -80,8 +78,10 @@
       it 'should auto commit an update to repositories using submodules' do
         commit = change_submodule_via_third_party_checkout
 
+        local_using_submodule_checkout.log.first.message.should_not == "Auto-updating submodule to commit spec_testing/submodule@#{commit.sha}."
         manager.update_submodule(TEST_REPO_SUBMODULE, 'master', commit.sha)
         local_using_submodule_checkout.log.first.message.should == "Auto-updating submodule to commit spec_testing/submodule@#{commit.sha}."
+        GITRepoManager.git_commit_author_name(local_using_submodule_checkout.log.first).should == "Third party <thirdparty@localhost.local>"
       end
 
       it 'should push auto commits to the remote repository' do
diff --git a/spec/spec_helper.rb b/spec/spec_helper.rb
index 501b174..68a1675 100644
--- a/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+require 'git_repo_manager'
+require 'global_logger'
+
 TEMP_DIRECTORY = '/tmp/spec_testing'
 
 def initalize_repos
@@ -49,7 +52,7 @@ def change_submodule_via_third_party_checkout(branch = 'master', line = 'Updatin
   @third_party_submodule_clone.branch(branch).checkout
   `echo "#{line}" >> #{@third_party_submodule_path}/README`
   @third_party_submodule_clone.add('.')
-  @third_party_submodule_clone.commit('New line in readme')
+  @third_party_submodule_clone.commit('New line in readme', :author => 'Third party <thirdparty@localhost.local>')
   @third_party_submodule_clone.push('origin', branch)
   @third_party_submodule_clone.log.first
 end