Brion Hurley

LSS MBB, Business Performance Improvement, Iowa City, IA, USA

Brion Hurley is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt at Business Performance Improvement and is a trainer and consultant with Global Six Sigma USA. He teaches Lean and Six Sigma classes, facilitates workshops and events, performs statistical analysis, and mentors employees through improvement efforts. Prior to BPI, he spent 18 years at Rockwell Collins as a Lean Six Sigma consultant at numerous facilities. He helped bring Six Sigma methods and techniques into the organization to complement the Lean program. He ran projects that led to millions in cost savings, and helped establish a Green Belt training course and certification program. He also led corporate sustainability teams to reduce electricity usage and solid waste, and helped people connect process improvement concepts with sustainability. He is focused on teaching Lean and Six Sigma concepts to sustainable businesses, to help them reduce their impact on the environment. He has degrees in Statistics, Quality Management, and Environmental Sustainability. He volunteers his time with local nonprofits. He is the author of the “Lean Six Sigma for Good” book series. He is the past President of the Oregon-based nonprofit, Recycling Advocates, and ran the Bring Your Own Cup (BYOC) coffee cup reduction campaign. Brion graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelors degree in Statistics in 1996, and a Masters degree in Quality Management and Productivity in 1999. He walked-on to the football team as a placekicker and punter for legendary coach Hayden Fry, and earned a full-ride scholarship.

How Can Lean Six Sigma Professionals Make the World a Better Place?

Process improvement specialists have had decades of success helping organizations improve their operations using methods like TQM, Lean, Six Sigma, ISO and more. In 2015, the United Nations established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet..." There are specific targets for each goal that are meant to be achieved by the year 2030, focusing on topics such as poverty, hunger, healthcare, education, equality, clean air and water, and more. However, the approach being used to address these targets does not leverage these established improvement methods, which may add additional cost or time to achieving these targets.How can process improvement practitioners shift our attention from helping for-profit organizations make more profits towards achieving the SDGs targets?We will discuss ways that you can help your organization transition improvement activities towards sustainability by looking at the impact each facility has on the environment and societal issues in the local community. This can be accomplished through targeted projects, events, training and activities with your Facilities, Environment, Safety and Health (ESH), and Corporate Sustainability teams.It can also be accomplished through skills-based volunteer work with local nonprofit organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are working on SDGs.We will share some examples of internal sustainability projects and external volunteering projects using Lean and Six Sigma methods, and hopefully inspire you to pursue opportunities to find rewarding and impactful improvements at work or in your free time.