In every business, there are opportunities to be more efficient, minimize waste, and make better use of resources.  Addressing these opportunities results in a direct positive impact to the bottom line, but often companies do not know where to begin, or how to ensure changes last.

This seminar will focus on a people-centered, data-driven approach to organizational change.  Participants will learn a modern approach to a time-tested methodology for business improvements.  Drawing on lean principles and six sigma methodologies, actionable strategies to create a culture of continuous improvement will be shared.

Six Learning Objectives:

·         Understand what continuous improvement means in today’s business environment

·         Explain the steps in DMAIC and how they fit into organizational change

·         Identify the 8 common wastes in business

·         Understand how to solve for root cause

·         Create lasting solutions and improvements for their business

·         Understand how to engage their team in driving improvement

Who Should Attend:

·         Business Owners

·         Project Managers

·         CPAs

·         Finance/Accounting Professionals

·         Quality Managers

·         Construction Managers

·         Risk Managers

CPE: 1 hour
Level: Basic
Prerequisites: None

Ralph Jeswald, Partner, Meliora Consulting

Ralph is a Partner at Meliora and the Western New York Office Lead.  He brings unique expertise to the Meliora team, including training, strategic planning, designing and implementing improvement solutions, and financial metrics.

 Before joining Meliora, Ralph was a Partner at a local CPA & Consulting firm, where he worked with clients implementing performance improvement methodologies including activity-based costing, lean & DMAIC tool sets, and performance measurement to name a few.  He has been published in the NYS CPA Journal and Canada’s Chartered Accountant and has been a featured speaker at events such as the Financial Tracking for Six Sigma conference.  Ralph currently teaches Meliora’s Lean Six Sigma Green Belt course at the University at Buffalo in their Masters’ program.

 Ralph earned his BA from the State University of New York at Fredonia and his MBAPA from Canisius University.  He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt.

Rachael Brown, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Meliora Consulting

Rachael serves as Director of Business Development for Meliora.  Her responsibilities include overseeing and executing sales and marketing strategies to drive company growth, particularly in the Western New York market.

 In addition to her role at Meliora, Rachael also serves as Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Meliora’s sister company, Employer Services Corporation. In this role, Rachael serves as a member of the company’s executive leadership team where she provides company-wide strategy development for growth, in addition to overseeing sales, marketing, and communications functions.  Working with both Meliora and Employer Services Corporation, Rachael connects each company's clients to crossover services to help them achieve their goals.

Rachael is active in the Western New York community and currently sits on the boards of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce, MusicalFare Theatre, and ECC Foundation.  She holds a BA in History from Miami University and an MBA from the University at Buffalo. She is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.