Our Team – Group50 Consultants

Our Team – Group50 Consultants

Group50 manufacturing & distribution consultants have significant operating backgrounds in many functional areas and industries. Meet some of our team:

Jim Gitney | CEO

is the CEO and Founder of Group50® , a member of the Board of Advisors for thinaer, an IoT and Blockchain platform, and is the author of Strategy Realized – The Business Hierarchy of Needs®. He is considered a strategy, operations and supply chain subject matter expert.  Jim leads Group50’s practices in Strategic Planning, and Manufacturing and Distribution. He has over 25 years’ experience in world class companies such as GE, Black & Decker, Sunbeam and Rain Bird. Over the past 20 years has consulted with over 200 companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100. 

His background includes running large operations with multiple facilities in over 20 countries. Jim’s strength is working with boards, business owners and executives to develop business strategies and effectively implement them. He is considered a business and digital transformation expert and has written numerous articles on the subject. During his career, Jim has had multiple C-level assignments and his experience includes Executive Chairman, Board Member, CEO, business development, marketing/sales and operations. Jim’s background covers various industries including consumer and industrial products, the internet, government, aerospace, healthcare, professional services and high-tech.

He was instrumental in 11 operational and financial restructurings and has routinely implemented business strategies that have delivered double digit improvements on both the top line and bottom line for his clients and operations he has managed. He was also instrumental in the integration of multiple acquisitions. His professional experience is complemented by a BSME from the University of Delaware and a MBA from Gannon University.

Shirish Néné

leads Group 50’s Digital and Information Technology Practice and brings 30 years of extensive industry experience and a reputation as a customer-focused executive blending business needs with technological innovation to deliver top line and bottom line results.  He is also a member of the CompTIA Blockchain Advisory Council. He has a successful track record leading Software Development, IT Operations, and Strategy Development Organizations.  Shirish’s background includes over 18 years with Verizon where he held leadership roles in a variety of large corporate initiatives ranging from cloud implementations, data center consolidations, data analytics, cyber-security, disaster recovery and business continuity planning, and setting up global operations.  He has championed Lean Six Sigma reengineering efforts, that have more than halved process times.   He has a strong foundation in sound agile methodology, release, customer, and project management practices.  Shirish has successfully managed large infrastructure budgets in excess of $100M.   He has also worked with various US and international consulting practices and holds a Master’s in Physics and a Bachelor’s in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India.

Claudio Miers – Organizational Development 5.0

Claudio has over 30 years of experience in leadership roles in the sectors of industrial automation, consumer products, and engineering, working with some renowned global companies, managing, and developing culturally diverse workforces, and supporting growth programs through organizational design, managerial muscle building, and competent governance.
He has held several management roles including VP & General Manager Emerson Electric Brazil, HRVP Emerson Process Management and HR Director Black & Decker Brazil & LATAM.

He has been working with clients managing critical talent investment projects, developing solutions that both fit company culture and deliver improved business performance.

He has dedicated most of his career to the Human Capital and Organizational Development arena and has managed complex, diverse international organizations through intense growth, change, and cultural transformation.

His broad areas of expertise include talent management, organizational development and change management, process improvement & lean enterprise, business development, acquisitions, divestitures and the Business Hierarchy of Needs®.

Claudio holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Paulo Eiro College, Brazil, and completed Executive Education programs with the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Ron Crabtree

is a recognized expert in leading-edge business process and end-to-end supply chain improvement methodologies incorporating best practices in change management.  Ron is a Master Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, a Certified Supply Chain Transformation Architect, expert in ERP / Supply Chain IT Systems and is a master in effective change management, facilitation and communications.  He has spent more than 20,000 hours providing consulting, training and facilitation for hundreds of organizations internationally on a wide range of topics.  He draws on more than 30 years of experience in using Lean, Six Sigma, Supply Chain and other “best practice” methodologies to driving better results in Sales & Marketing, Growth, Safety, Quality, Delivery, Morale and Productivity as both an insider and as a consultant.  He brings experiences in complex manufacturing, automotive, FMCG, Pharma/Chemicals, insurance & financial services, state/local government, medical / healthcare, process manufacturing, repair operations, printing, injection molding, consumer goods, distribution/retail, software and more.  Ron co-developed and owns a protected Marketing Kaizen methodology that brings best practices in Lean Six Sigma into alignment with best practices in marketing & sales.   Ron authored the TOP Facilitator© Program that provides the skills needed for change agents and leaders charged with facilitating organizational transformation.

Greg Lehr – Continuous Improvement and Sourcing Expert

has over 30 years’ experience with fortune 100 corporations, privately held businesses and entrepreneurial start-ups. He has extensive experience in manufacturing, transformation of operations, sourcing, and Mexico.  He also in-depth knowledge in Lean, logistics, warehousing, engineering, and international operations. Greg has manufactured toys, glass tile, sprinklers, pool pumps, nuclear missiles, and Barbie dolls. He believes that companies and products may be different, but the problem-solving tools and methodologies are the same! 

Greg started his career in GE’s Manufacturing Management Program and continued with his career progression in various cross-functional areas, including international supply chain development, and C-Level leadership. He has a proven track record of project management, deploying strategic initiatives, and the Maquiladora industry.

Greg’s consistent accomplishments include inventory reduction, improvements in on-time delivery, implementation of initiatives, employee development and cost reduction. He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Virginia Tech. He often jokes that being an engineer is a “chronic condition” rather than a career choice and has resulted in an obsession with continuous improvement.

  • Victaulic
  • World Gym
  • Wire Experts
  • Keystone Strategies
  • Specnova
  • Clearway Health
  • Stately Doors and Windows
  • Naomi Whittell Brands
  • NutraBio
  • Marshall Manufacturing
  • Wismattec Asian Foods Inc.
  • Tafco Corp.
  • LiteGear
  • Fender Musical Instruments
  • Hilti Corporation
  • Trachte
  • Leidos
  • Josie Maran Cosmetics
  • Halifax Group
  • Riverside Capital
  • Mezzcap Partners Manufacturing
  • Pechanga Development Corporation
  • AAMP Global
  • Kwikcare
  • Mattress Recycling Council
  • Calsense
  • Luminii
  • American Textile Company
  • Pinnacle Polymers
  • Kronos
  • Tricam Industries
  • Nautilus
  • CompTIA
  • Thinaer
  • Convaid
  • Sensogram
  • Farmer Boys
  • Wrap Technologies
  • Azusa Pacific University
  • Barnes Jewish Hospital

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