Keynotes
Monday
Karl Wadensten, CEO/President & Lean Operational Leader, VIBCO Vibrators
Karl Wadensten is a passionate, memorable personality with big ideas, big success stories, and a take-no-prisoners attitude. He is the president and CEO of VIBCO Vibrators, a manufacturer of construction and industrial vibration products in Wyoming, Rhode Island that serves 360,000 customers globally with over 1,800 products. He is a firm believer in the power of leadership and Lean to transform and VIBCO’s story is truly inspirational.
At VIBCO Vibrators, Karl has developed a Lean culture where continuous improvement is the norm and the pursuit of excellence is fully embraced by the VIBCO team. Throughout its Lean journey, VIBCO has gained and sustained dramatic improvements in inventory, lead times, SMED, quality, and has implemented literally thousands of employee ideas. Today, Karl and VIBCO Vibrators are developing the VIBCO Production System to attain the highest level of producing to customer pull. Karl also obtained his diploma as a Clifton Strength’s Coach and enjoys sharing his expertise on strengths, culture change, and leading a Strengths Based Organization. VIBCO has been the feature of two Lean training videos and the subject of a Harvard Business School case study.
Karl shares Practicing Lean from the Heart, his personal and professional journey to becoming a Lean leader of a globally recognized company.
Tuesday
Stuart MacDonald, Award-Winning Magician
It started with getting a Hocus Pocus magic kit from an uncle. After obtaining a theater degree in college, Stuart MacDonald signed a contract to perform as a magician in the college market. That turned into a ten-year gig that took him to over 1,000 colleges. When it was time to get off the road Stuart went to work for Whirlpool and the skills he developed there changed his life. As a training and development specialist, he learned about building teams, project management, and importantly, Lean and continuous improvement, knowledge he then applied his first passion, magic. He subsequently developed and honed magic acts that won award after award, and ultimately quit his job to go on a world tour.
Stuart is a five-time award winner at the Society of American Magicians/International Brotherhood of Magicians at its 2017 annual competition. Later that year he won the Penn and Teller Fool Us TV show, with the famous duo unable to figure out how he did his mirror illusion. In 2018 he placed the highest of any American in history at the World Championships of Magic in Busan, South Korea. In 2021 he won the North American Championships of Magic and he will again be representing the United States at the world championships. This winter he is one of the stars on the hit TV Show Masters of Illusion on the CW TV network. Stuart is in the Hall of Fame of Magic and the American Museum of Magic for sleight of hand.
Stuart will offer a refreshing look at how continuous improvement concepts caused him to rethink his approach to designing and presenting magic. He’ll also amaze attendees by performing the magic that fooled Penn & Teller.
Wednesday
Dave Macfarlane, President, IC Group
Dave Macfarlane is president of IC Group, a Salt Lake City-based company that has grown since its founding in 1982 into one of the largest privately-owned providers of marketing solutions in the Inter-mountain West, currently employing 150 team members. IC Group offers a complete suite of innovative services—from commercial printing to web-to-print portals to digital marketing—with a specialty of high-value and secure programs. Dave has worked with IC Group since 1985 when he accepted a sales position, later assuming the general manager’s role. Under his leadership the company has been harnessing the power of continuous improvement and technical innovation to reduce waste, meet stringent service requirements, and focus on customer-defined value.
He’ll present Our Transformation: From 5S to Gemba Walks, discussing the many Lean tools IC uses, including recently introduced daily Gemba walks that have proven effective in improving team communications and solving problems before they snowball and impact customers. Hear about the progress and challenges as IC Group continues its Lean journey through the pandemic.
Katie Anderson, Founder and Principal Consultant, Katie Anderson Consulting
Katie Anderson is an internationally recognized leadership and learning coach, consultant, and professional speaker, best known for inspiring individuals and organizations to lead with intention and increase their personal and professional impact. Katie is passionate about helping people around the world learn to lead and lead to learn by connecting purpose, process, and practice to achieve higher levels of performance. She has deep expertise and experience leading and coaching change in a variety of industries and is highly regarded among experts in the Lean leadership space.
In 2015 Katie and her family moved to Tokyo for an 18-month experience in Japan. What began as a connection filled with deep conversations evolved into the international Amazon #1 bestselling book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Lessons from Toyota Leader Isao Yoshino on a Lifetime of Continuous Learning. Katie retains a strong connection to Japan and leads frequent study trips to Japan for leaders looking to deepen their knowledge of lean leadership, the Toyota Way, and Japanese culture.
Katie will draw from her leadership experience and book to present Getting Out of the Habit of Telling, sharing practices that can be used to get out of the habit of telling others what to do.
Wendi Breuer, President & CEO, SeaChange
Wendi Breuer is president and CEO of SeaChange, the largest certified women-owned and led commercial printing company in Minnesota. Wendi has been a part of the Twin Cities printing community for more than 20 years, having started in the sales training program with Litho Inc. and advancing to vice president of sales with The John Roberts Company. In 2014 Wendi led an investment group that acquired a failing printing company, renamed it SeaChange Print Innovations, and invested $10 million in new equipment and IT infrastructure. Annual revenue has since grown to more than $20 million, while employment has climbed to 100. With a mission to redefine print, the company now looks more like a marketing agency.
Wendi is a natural leader who is passionate about creating a culture where people are excited about their work. She views her role to serve others in the company, creating a strategic vision and giving them the tools and support they need to do an excellent job. She was honored in 2019 as the Minnesota small-business woman of the year by the National Association of Women Business Owners. In 2020, SeaChange received the “Best Workplace” designation by PRINTING Industry United.
Her keynote will center on the principles of servant leadership and the actions necessary to foster a high-performing culture.