Elizabeth Peters has a 20-year background in leadership communications, product development, and process improvement. Her Lean practitioner journey began with formal training at Goodrich Aerostructures, a company hailed as "the best in the world outside of Toyota" by James Womack. At the Oregon Association of Nurseries, Peters founded and directed the award-winning Lean Team and served on the steering committee for the Mid-Willamette High Performance Consortium for manufacturers. Honored in 2016 with the “Distinguished Member of the Horticultural Allied Trades” award by the Oregon Association of Nurseries, Peters guides leaders in developing strategies that drive a culture of continuous improvement.
Rick Peters is an Oregon business owner with more than 30 years of investment management experience. His interest in the Toyota Production System (Lean) began in the 80’s when, as an investment advisor, he learned that companies with strong Lean initiative make exceptional investments. He has participated or led hundreds of improvement events in various types of businesses and industries since 2009. He was honored in 2016 with the “Distinguished Member of the Horticultural Allied Trades” award by the Oregon Association of Nurseries. A professional trainer since 1984, Peters takes a hands-on approach to helping clients significantly reduce waste and increase productivity by applying Lean principles.
Michael Schmich is a trainer, training designer, and consultant who has worked in manufacturing, education and training since 1975, both in the U.S. and internationally. He has trained Spanish speaking supervisors in several different industries. He was instrumental in implementing a $3.2 million Department of Labor grant to bring Lean to the food processing industry. He developed and delivered training designed to help non-English speaking workers to participate in Kaizen activities conducted in English. He is a certified instructor of Training Within Industry, (TWI Institute) in both Spanish and English. He was lead instructor on a multi-year contract with the Intel Corporation to develop and implement a worldwide language standardization program for maintenance technicians.
Building exceptional improvement leaders in every organization
2022 Elizabeth Peters