Operational Excellence Leader

Generating significant financial gains through 15+ years of refined supply chain management and warehouse expertise. I leverage Lean, 6S, Six Sigma and other continuous improvement strategies to turn complex business problems into a profitable strategic asset.

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My personal mission is to partner with organizations and passionate leaders in driving sustainable growth in pursuit of operational excellence, applying Lean principles, fostering a safety-first culture of continuous improvement, and optimizing processes through innovative, data-driven insights, empowering teams to eliminate waste, elevate performance, and deliver measurable results that create lasting value for people, processes, planet, and profit.

My personal vision is to be a trusted advisor and catalyst for operational transformation, recognized for embedding the ADAPT methodology with the 4P’s (People, Process, Planet, and Profit), a proprietary CI methodology, into every engagement. I aspire to help organizations build high-performing, continuous-improvement cultures where Lean and Kaizen become a way of working that elevates people, optimizes processes, respects the planet, and strengthens profit.

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ADAPT for the 4P's Framework

Professional Summary

Warehouse & Logistics Leadership

Directed operations across 1M+ sq ft facilities managing 30,000+ SKUs, bulk/raw materials, and complex multi-site distribution networks.

Built high-performing, highly collaborative teams through safety-first culture, training programs centered on continuous improvement, applying lean priciples while promoting a culture of operational excellence.

Team Leadership & Culture

Data-Driven Continuous Improvement

Led Kanban and other inventory systems implementations, KPI dashboards, ERP/WMS platform upgrades, and company-wide Lean 6S programs.

Led policy creation and deployment for OSHA, PSM, ISO, federal/in-house regulatory, safety, and Dangerous Goods standards while managing equipment maintenance programs and OEE monitoring to drive full compliance and operational excellence.

Safety & Compliance

lean & kaizen expertise

Driving Multi-Million-Dollar Impact Through Continuous Improvement

genpak llc • 2024

Goulston Technologies • 2025

Inventory Recovery & Loss Reduction

Genpak & Goulston • 2024-26

Lean Six Sigma 6S Implementation

Performance Systems Optimization

Revitalized lean practices across manufacturing and warehouse operations. Delivered higher on-time delivery rates, reduced OS&D incidents, and significantly improved inventory accuracy. Full 6S program implementation.

Strengthened inventory control measures across $28 million dollars of RM's and FG's in a 1M sq ft manufacturing facility. Implemented enhanced cycle counting and root-cause analysis to deliver immediate financial impact.

Developed Oracle, SAP, and DEACOM based dashboards for real-time visibility. Implemented Kanban systems that optimized ERP/WMS platforms for superior OTIF rates and efficiency, ultimately improving operational efficiency % by 3.2 points.

2.7%

$1.2M

3.2%

inventory accuracy gain

lost inventory recovered

operational efficiency gain

Education & Credentials

Doctor of Business Administration

Council for Supply Chain Management Professionals

Customer Relationship Management Professional, Inventory Management Professional, Demand Planning Professional, Manufacturing & Service Operations Professional

International Institute of Business Analysis

Six Sigma Green Belt

Project Management Institute

Multiple Project Management & Operations Foundations certifications

Quality Assurance Society

Advanced Kaizen Facilitation

Micro-Credentials

Purdue University Global – Supply Chain Procurement & Logistics Micro-Credentials

Walden University • Doctor of Business Administration • 01/2026 – Present

Master of Business Administration

Purdue University Global • MBA, Specialization in Project Management • 09/2023 – 12/2025

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

Purdue University Global • BSBA, Concentration in Supply Chain Management • 04/2019 – 07/2023

Recommendations

“I am pleased to recommend Stephen Reed for the Continuous Improvement Manager position at Power Curbers. In his role as Warehouse Supervisor/Manager at Genpak LLC, Stephen demonstrated outstanding leadership, operational expertise, and a strong commitment to continuous improvement. Notably, Stephen led a successful Lean Six Sigma 6S Implementation Project, revitalizing lean practices and driving significant improvements in key performance metrics. His efforts resulted in higher on-time delivery rates, reduced OS&D incidents, and improved overall efficiency. Beyond his technical skills, Stephen is an exceptional communicator and leader who motivates teams and fosters cross-functional collaboration.”

Regional Financial Analyst, Genpak LLC

Juan Moscoso

"Stephen is also a strong leader who builds and maintains positive working
relationships across all levels of an organization. He leads by example, communicates
effectively, and earns the respect of those around him through his integrity,
collaboration, and willingness to support others. His eagerness to tackle new
challenges and his ability to resolve complex issues in an efficient and timely manner
set him apart from his peers.
I am confident that Stephen will be a tremendous asset to any organization that is
fortunate enough to have him on their team. I recommend him without reservation and
believe he will continue to make meaningful contributions throughout his career."

Leadership, Goulston Tech

Member of Leadership, Goulston Technologies

“Stephen demonstrates a proactive, hands-on approach that fosters a high-performance culture throughout his team. His ability to engage employees at all levels and create an environment centered on accountability, collaboration, and growth resulted in significant productivity gains within our distribution facility. His knowledge of lean practices enabled us to streamline processes, reduce waste, and ensure a smooth, cost-effective workflow that consistently met or exceeded company standards.”

Fred Ziggebaum

CEO, AARCO Group LLC

Core Competencies

Implemented and optimized WMS platforms to streamline receiving, put-away, picking, and shipping, driving measurable gains in warehouse throughput and accuracy.

Configured and managed Transportation Management Systems alongside ERP/Oracle, SAP, Cadence IR, and DEACOM environments to synchronize order flow, reduce freight costs, and improve end-to-end visibility.

Led Lean and 6S initiatives that eliminated waste, standardized workstations, and created safer, more efficient production and warehouse floors.

Facilitated cross-functional Kaizen events that delivered rapid process improvements and sustained cultural adoption of continuous improvement.

Applied DMAIC methodology as a Six Sigma Green Belt to reduce defects, lower costs, and stabilize critical supply-chain processes.

Designed and executed cycle-counting programs that consistently raised inventory accuracy above 98% while minimizing operational disruption.

Drove On-Time In-Full performance through root-cause analysis, carrier scorecards, and process redesign, significantly improving customer satisfaction.

Built real-time Excel dashboards that gave leadership clear visibility into KPIs and enabled faster, data-driven decisions.

Managed Agile projects from charter to close, delivering warehouse, systems, and process initiatives on time and within budget.

Orchestrated end-to-end supply-chain and logistics operations spanning procurement, warehousing, transportation, and distribution.

Applied structured RCA techniques (5-Why, fishbone, Pareto) to permanently eliminate recurring operational and quality issues.

Built and coached high-performing teams, designing training programs that raised skill levels and fostered a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Delivering Measurable Gains through Agility - Special CI projects, Lean Initiatives, Innovative Tools and Solutions

In an era of relentless disruption, evolving supply chains, distribution networks, and manufacturing operations demand a new generation of leaders, visionaries who see beyond today’s challenges to tomorrow’s possibilities.

These leaders tackle complex business problems through the lens of continuous improvement. They innovate boldly, foster true collaboration across teams and partners, and stay relentlessly agile. Agility is their competitive edge: the ability to sense change quickly and respond with real-time, practical solutions that keep operations resilient and high performing.

From dynamic KPI dashboards that deliver clear, live oversight of daily operations, to custom Excel-based project scheduling tools that master constraints and predecessors, to structured Lean Six Sigma DMAIC projects that drive measurable gains, to the development of precise ISO standards and SOPs that embed excellence into every process, these are the kinds of innovative solutions that turn disruption into advantage.

Explore the examples on My Projects page to see this agile, continuous-improvement approach, which I deploy, in action.

SEE MY PORTFOLIO PAGE

Return to Professional Summary

ADAPT for the 4P's

View ADAPT for the 4P's Personal CI Framework

ADAPT for the 4P’s is a proprietary continuous improvement framework I developed to drive sustainable operational excellence. Building on the foundational pillars of People, Process, Planet, and Profit, ADAPT provides a structured yet agile approach to identifying opportunities, implementing solutions, and embedding lasting change.

The model guides teams through five practical phases, Assess the problem, Determine the solution, Amend for the solution, Prevent recurrence, and Train & standardize, while keeping every improvement aligned to the four critical dimensions of organizational performance. By integrating proven continuous improvement principles with a clear focus on human capital, process discipline, environmental responsibility, and financial results, ADAPT delivers measurable, scalable, and enduring impact.

Operational Excellence Leader

Stephen Anthony Reed

Ready to turn complex manufacturing & logistics challenges into measurable and lasting gains?
I deliver tailored CI & Lean solutions, backed by full-lifecycle project management expertise, from initiation through sustained results. Making your business process excellence my personal mission.
I am interested in consultation or full time employment.
Let’s talk.
Hit the button below to call me directly.

$1.2M

Inventory Recovered

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2.7%

Inventory Accuracy Gain

3.2%

Operational Efficiency Gains