Founder & Principal

Matt Kroll

Matt Kroll is principal and founder of Chalmers St. Consulting. Chalmers St. helps companies achieve their growth potential by aligning their operations with their aspiration and engaging their employees to achieve their full potential. Chalmers St. has return hundreds of thousand to millions of dollars back to client’s margins.

Matt’s formal background is in Industrial Engineering. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Northern Illinois University in 1999. He joined Motorola directly after completing college where he earned both his Black Belt and Master Black Certification. In 2009, he earned a Master’s in Business Administration from the Chicago Booth School of Business.

Continuous improvement has been his passion for over 20 years. As a Master Black Belt, Matt has been responsible for developing improvement programs that deliver millions of dollars in operation efficiencies and revenue enhancement. He has worked in a variety of settings from manufacturing to police departments, to call centers, to healthcare. He has seen firsthand that every environment can benefit from the application of continuous improvement.

Matt resides in the far west suburbs of Chicago, USA with his wife and two children. He produces and distributes free content on continuous improvement and looks for opportunities to help other people develop. He believes it is important to be active in the local community. He is President of the Fox Valley Children’s Choir and Committee Member for Boy Scout Troop 60 in Geneva. He spends most of his free time with his family.

Principal

James Ricci

James Ricci is currently the Principal at 2764 Advisors LLC. He has 30 years of experience in engineering, manufacturing, quality and supply chain focused on implementing process and performance improvement, operational turnarounds, manufacturing strategy, due diligence, benchmarking and market research. Today, Ricci combines that experience and know how with the latest manufacturing technologies to help companies drive operating performance and innovation.

Prior to starting 2764 Advisors, Ricci was a co-owner of Harbour Results, Inc and focused on driving business improvement and long-term competitiveness to middle market manufacturers with an emphasis on leveraging data, leading-edge processes and technologies and hands-on project management. Ricci has worked for other notable organizations including KPMG LLP and Harbour Consulting (now part of Oliver-Wyman). He was responsible for directing and executing projects to improve operating performance, including lean manufacturing implementation, quality improvement and operational assistance in restructuring situations relative to supply chain management and manufacturing consolidation.  In addition, Ricci worked for Honda of America Mfg., in engineering, manufacturing and launch functions with responsibilities related to quality, warranty, production and cost competitiveness.

Throughout his career, he has executed more than 500 global operational assessments, due diligence and improvement initiatives for nearly every type of manufacturing industry stakeholder. His manufacturing knowledge has been applied to multiple industries including automotive, life sciences, food, consumer industrial, heavy truck as well as wood processing and plastic compounding.

James holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Engineering Management from the University of Michigan. He is also a Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP).

Principal

Gerardo Chaquinga

Gerardo Chaquinga is a Management Consultant at Chalmers St. Consulting. Chalmers St. helps companies achieve their growth potential by aligning their operations with their aspiration and engaging their employees to achieve their full potential. Chalmers St. has returned hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars back to client’s margins.

Gerardo’s formal background is in Industrial Engineering. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Andres Bello Catholic University in 2009. He joined Caterpillar directly after completing college where he earned his Lean & Sig Sigma Black Belt Certifications. In 2020, he earned a Master’s in Business Administration from the Chicago Booth School of Business.

Continuous improvement has been his passion for over 10 years. As Black Belt, Gerardo has been responsible for developing improvement programs that deliver millions of dollars in operation efficiencies and revenue enhancement. He has worked in a variety of settings from manufacturing to hospitals. He strongly believes that striving for marginal gains everyday can lead to significant net improvements.

Gerardo resides in Logan Square, a neighborhood in Chicago, USA and has strong ties to the Miami, Florida area. He has a passion for playing soccer, tennis and riding his bike around Lake Michigan on the weekends.

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Principal

Michael Shannon

Michael Shannon has become a trusted advisor in the Supply Chain space through his education and career experiences.  His passion is continuous improvement and helping to find ways to minimize waste and optimize performance.

Michael earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering from Northern Illinois University.  His career has exposed him to roles in operations, engineering, project management, supply chain strategy, automation, and sales.  Michael has certiifcations in Project Management (PMP), Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), Lean & Six Sigma (Green Belt).

Michael prescribes to the belief that there are three pilars to consider when solving problems: People, Process, & Technology.  In order to truly understand a client’s needs, we must first listen and seek to understand.  Michael then leverages relationships and subject matter experts to bring the right group together to tackle the opportunities for improvement.

“No one knows everything. But together, we know a whole lot.” ~Simon Sinek

Michael resides in Elmhust, a suburb of Chicago, with his wife and two daughters.  He enjoys networking, golfing, volleyball, coaching and making his kids laugh!

Management Consultant

Mir Ateeb Ali

Mir Ateeb Ali has a background in industrial engineering and data sciences, with over five years of experience in continuous process improvement, lean implementations, project management & data sciences.

Mir has successfully implemented process improvement initiatives across various domains such as Technology, Healthcare, Supply Chain & Manufacturing, Fintech, etc. These projects have delivered millions of dollars in operations efficiency and growth enhancements. With a Masters’s degree in Industrial Sytems Engineering and a Green Belt certification, Mir utilizes modern-day tools and technology to enhance solutions that fit the customer’s needs.

Mir supports multiple clients in transforming their culture towards continuous improvement, helping them establish the techniques, practices, and accountability for continuous learning. Mir engages with diverse cross-functional teams in critical process improvement projects across various departments of the industry. He has been a significant resource in leading projects for cost reductions, performance/process improvements, data analysis/insights, etc.

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Management Consultant

Greg Snyder

Greg Snyder, currently the Principle of Operational Improvement Solutions-Consulting Inc. is a dynamic, results-oriented senior operations professional with over 30 years of broad-based experience. In his work history he delivered increased shareholder value with measurable achievements in manufacturing, strategic planning, implementation, leadership, logistics management, and teambuilding which has generated optimum productivity and performance excellence from staff as well as provided guidance and support across the organization. Greg combines his hands-on experience in leading manufacturing and 3PL warehousing operations by applying Lean Six Sigma principles, focusing on practical continuous improvement and A3 problem solving, which has provided millions of dollars in improved operational efficiencies. In addition, Greg has extensive manufacturing experience working internationally in Australia, the UK, France, New Zealand, and Singapore.

Prior to starting Operational Improvement Solutions-Consulting Inc., Greg has worked for many notable organizations including Lineage Logistics, AlliedSignal Aerospace (n/k/a Honeywell Aerospace), TRW Aeronautical Systems, TRW Steering & Suspension, SpaceX, Adam Aircraft and Accellent Medical Devices. His vast range of experience has spanned from directing and executing projects to improving operational performance, leading manufacturing operations, 3PL warehousing operations, applying Lean Six Sigma principles, focusing on practical continuous improvement and problem solving. As a skilled mentor and communicator, he has trained and coached teams in improvement methods and their application. His manufacturing knowledge has been applied to multiple industries including aerospace, automotive, medical devices, plastic injection molding, 3PL cold chain warehousing,

Greg earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Portland State. He has also earned a Black Belt certification from TRW and served two apprenticeships one as a general machinist and a second one as a plastic injection mold maker. From these experiences he gained hands on knowledge with manufacturing processes as well as learning to communicate effectively from the shop floor to the board room.

CI Mastermind Contributor

Patrick Mitsuuchi-Stork

Patrick is a passionate and effective Lean and continuous improvement leader who has held both formal and informal leadership positions for the past 21 years. He has shared his passion for continuous improvement with others through teaching, mentoring, coaching, facilitation, and volunteering.

Patrick graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the Universities of Applied Sciences of Ulm and Neu-Ulm, Germany, in 2002 and a Masters of Business Administration from Arizona State University in 2022. Throughout his career, he has proven his ability to engage employees and leaders at all levels in applying continuous improvement principles across industries in Germany and the US while inspiring and collaborating with people from various cultural and educational backgrounds.

For the last ten years, he has made a name for himself at a major US aerospace company as a competent and reliable Lean subject matter expert and tested leader by reaching across functional, program, and site boundaries to drive continuous improvement tactics, initiatives, and programs; facilitate strategic workshops;  lead the development of continuous improvement enterprise standards; train, coach, and mentor employees in Lean Production System concepts; and lead cross-functional teams in the deployment of Lean Management Systems. He currently serves in a senior management role, leading a team of over 20 Lean practitioners supporting critical aerospace programs.

Patrick believes the real power of Lean is to invest in improving team effectiveness and developing people into systematic problem-solvers who leverage continuous improvement principles and tools to improve their work in alignment with company goals – a sustainable win-win situation for individuals and the business.

In his free time, Patrick enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, both indoors and outdoors, recording original music, traveling, reading, DIY projects, working out, and continuously learning.

PRINCIPAL

Verkia Ndzegha Fusi

Verkia is a versatile operational and transformational leader who is a passionate problem solver in challenging situations with expertise in Healthcare, Pharmaceutical, and Technology companies.

She is a strategic thinker with a demonstrated track record of driving company growth and profitability through talent development, implementation of operational excellence programs, and outstanding relationship management.

As a highly engaged business partner and trusted advisor, Verkia excels at building and leading high performing teams, while creating environments of empowerment, engagement, collaboration, and retention.

Strategic Achievements

Strategic Planning – Verkia drove strategy creation for newly created global HERE Quality Management organization. She aligned strategy with all functional groups. Subsequently, she conducted overall governance and performance reporting of Quality strategic imperatives.

Global Team Realignment – Verkia rebranded the global team around a new strategy, executed change management and communication plan, determined capabilities, and retrained to new roles.

Operational Excellence – She established companywide Systemic Issue Correction process and tool set to enable effective resolution of customer issues, leveraging structured problem-solving methodologies to trend and resolve key issues across business functions and processes.

Lean Six Sigma Training – Verkia deployed in-house Lean Six Sigma training and mentoring to certify 10 Green Belts with a total savings of €2,7MM.

Regulatory Compliance – Verkia was instrumental in HERE achieving zero Non-Conformances and several best practices in quality audits including ISO 9001:2015 recertification. This was achieved by providing the QMS framework to all functions, developing global audit plans for internal, external and supplier audits, and seamless audit prep.

About Verkia

Early Career: General Electric – Verkia began her career as an Electronics Technician IV at GE Transportation Systems Global Signaling hired in her Junior year of college, working full-time while completing Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering Technology and a Master of Science in Industrial Management from the University of Central Missouri in  Warrensburg, Missouri.

Intense Leadership Training – She completed the Operations Management Leadership Program at GE Healthcare. This two-year program accelerates professional development in Global Supply Chain Organization through a minimum of four career experiences and intense leadership training laid the foundation for Verkia’s ability to rapidly learn new concepts and deliver results.

Lean Transformation – She continued her career as the Senior Business Operations Analyst with Baxter Healthcare leading the Lean Transformation of the Incentive Compensation team with Commercial Operations. After Baxter Healthcare, Verkia joined CVS Health as a Senior Advisor Process Optimization as an internal Lean Six Sigma consultant to lead cross-functional projects in multiple business segments.

Building Quality Operations – In 2014, Verkia joined HERE Technologies as the Manager, Quality Improvement and a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. She was rapidly promoted upward to Senior Manager Quality Systems, then hand selected as Head of Quality Strategy, Planning, & Operations to establish the first strategy, planning and operations function within the Quality organization.

High Impact Transformation – In 2020, Verkia was promoted to lead global team of process improvement professionals in driving high impact transformation and continuous improvement initiatives as the Director of Continuous Improvement – Technical Support and Customer Success.

Verkia is married and mother of two. She currently resides in Chicago but is originally from Cameroon, West Central Africa.