USU Seminar to Help Businesses Be More Competitive
President Abraham Lincoln is considered by many to be a noble and great leader who shaped American history. He’s not often looked to, however, as an example of how to be an effective plant manager or corporate executive.
A former vice president of a Fortune 200 company, Jerry Bussell, has done extensive research in leadership and is sought out for his insights. He plans to use Abraham Lincoln as the role model for the type of leader that managers and executives should exemplify when he speaks at the 37th Annual Partners In Business Operational Excellence Conference at Utah State University Sept. 28–29. The event is sponsored by the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.
Bussell is a retired vice president of Medtronic, a company that develops and manufactures devices and therapies to treat more than 30 chronic diseases. Medtronic ENT was recognized as one of Industry Week's Best Plants in North America in 2002. He will deliver a keynote speech exploring the type of leadership that is required of a company to become a model of operational excellence, or “lean.”
Lean is a business philosophy championed by The Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.
The Shingo Prize is also an award the organization gives out each year to companies that it feels are doing the best job of implementing and exemplifying operational excellence principles. The organization teaches the importance of respecting and listening to the people on the front lines who do the work, finding ways to eliminate waste and making operations more efficient.
Bussell has been a leader in the Shingo organization for years and was recently the chair of its Board of Governors.
Kathy Miller, general manager for Parker Hannifin, a company that makes motion and control technologies, will also be a keynote speaker. Miller will speak on “Transformation of a Lean Enterprise – Parker Hannifin’s Lean Journey.”
Mike Stoecklein, director of network operations for the Thedacare Center For Healthcare Value, will also speak, and his presentation will focus on “Providing Value in Healthcare Through Lean Thinking – Hope That There’s Hope.” The Thedacare Center for Healthcare Value is the largest healthcare provider and employer in Northeast Wisconsin.
The Operational Excellence Conference is the first of a series of professional business seminars held by Partners In Business this year. Other featured conferences will focus on accounting, information technology and principle-centered leadership.
Those interested in more information on Partners In Business or those wanting to register for the conference may visit its website.
The Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University seeks to inspire and equip students to become innovative, ethical leaders with refined analytical skills that will help them understand and succeed in the global marketplace. The Huntsman School of Business is one of eight colleges at USU, located in the beautiful Wasatch Range of northern Utah. More information on the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business may be found at the website.
Contact: Steve Eaton, Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, 435-797-8640, steve.eaton@usu.edu
Jerry Bussell is the featured speaker at the 37th Annual Partners In Business Operational Excellence Conference at Utah State University Sept. 28-29. The event is sponsored by the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.
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