Our Practice Leaders

	Stephen Smith Managing Director, Food & Beverage Stephen Smith, managing director and leader of TBM’s Service Industry Practice, worked around the world as an engineer and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School before joining TBM in 1995. Stephen was a design engineer in the Middle East and Europe and worked with companies such as Timken, Masco and Delco Remy America in line, staff and executive positions. An early adopter of lean philosophies, Stephen became know for his ability to translate these principles into business processes. Since coming to TBM, Stephen has become a trusted advisor to companies such as Allied Signal, Lear Jet, Hillenbrand Industries and Vermeer Manufacturing. When TBM needed a seasoned, creative executive to lead one of its own companies, Stephen was selected for the job and spent a year transforming a troubled company in Arkansas. A graduate of the University of Texas, Stephen now divides his time between directing TBM’s continuous process production practice and global client management.

	William A. Schwartz Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Medical Devices and Pharmaceuticals A partner with TBM since 1991, Bill Schwartz is head of worldwide business development. He has introduced lean principles at dozens of companies over the years and often launches LeanSigma initiatives for new clients. Bill has a widely recognized expertise in translating lean principles for business processes in manufacturing and service industries. He is currently responsible for marketing and new client development for TBM Consulting Group worldwide, and has consulted with such leading companies as Freudenberg-NOK, the Critikon Division of Johnson & Johnson, and Hill-Rom Company. Bill’s expertise in streamlining and optimizing business processes makes him much sought after as a consultant. Earlier in his career, Bill was a senior consultant with Howell Management Corporation and was Vice President of sales and marketing for Medallic Art Company. A graduate of Colgate University with a degree in mathematics, Bill earned his MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

	Ken Koenemann Managing Director, Consumer Products A lean leader with more than 16 years of experience with lean and Six Sigma implementation across the value chain on both the shop floor and in business processes, Ken Koenemann brings to TBM expertise in teaching and coaching lean and value-chain concepts and using those concepts in sourcing, manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, and planning and scheduling processes. Before joining TBM, Ken was director–delta at American Greetings in Cleveland, OH, where he served as a leader of the internal strategy and consulting organization focused on delivering large transformational projects to meet strategic objectives. While there, he led the redesign of the seasonal card business, and initiated a business-process redesign effort to enable new go-to-market strategies and reduce costs. Earlier in his career, Ken was Managing Director Consumer & Industrial Market Supply Chain practice where he worked as a consultant to large and mid-sized consumer and industrial companies implementing lean and Six Sigma across supply-chain operations. As Managing Director of TBM’s Lean Value Chain Practice, he has focused exclusively on delivering Lean Value Chain training and implementation with companies such as Assa Abbloy, ConMed, Energizer, McCain, Pactiv, Sealy and WIKA Instruments. Ken’s lean experience began with Toyota Gosei, where he was responsible for deploying TPS in the manufacturing operations in the US as well as in the supply base. He was trained by two original members of Taiichi Ohno’s Autonomous Study Group and spent six months in Japan learning and implementing TPS. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in management from the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

	Dan Sullivan Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Industrial Products Dan Sullivan is managing director of TBM West and oversees all business for the western half of the United States. He has been a respected consultant, both internationally and in the U.S., for nearly a decade. Dan came to TBM from the automotive industry, where he worked at Ford and Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation in line management positions, industrial and manufacturing engineering. During his 13-year career at Nissan, Dan developed expertise in visual controls, 5S and other aspects of what we now recognize as LeanSigma. He has been a trusted advisor to Hubbell Corporation, Reiter Automotive Group and Pella Corporation, as well as dozens of other companies, large and small, throughout the country. Dan is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, with a degree in Industrial Management.

	Bob Dean Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Dploy Solutions Bob Dean is a co-founder of TBM Consulting Group, Inc. and vice president of administration and product development, a role that keeps him on the leading edge of trends in business improvement. Bob has been instrumental in the incorporation of lean business techniques and Six Sigma – creating LeanSigma – and in taking the improvement tools that traditionally belonged to manufacturing and applying them to service industries. Bob is a frequent contributor to the Managing Times quarterly journal where he writes on developments in lean philosophies and, most recently, he has been helping companies integrate their value chains beyond manufacturing. For nearly 20 years, Bob has been consulting with companies from the manufacturing and service sectors worldwide such as Allied Signal, Ames True Temper and Pella Corporation. He continues to have close ties with the Japanese team responsible for the legendary Toyota Production System, and has worked extensively with the core group of men who worked under Taichii Ohno, recognized as the father of just in time. Bob is a graduate of Clarkson University with a degree in Engineering.

	Joe Panebianco Director, TBM LeanSigma Institute Team Leader A former operations manager with broad manufacturing and business experience, Joe Panebianco joined TBM in 2003 and currently serves as Director and Team Leader of the TBM LeanSigma Institute. As operations manager at Paramount Die Company, Joe implemented lean principles throughout the organization, reducing lead time by 90 percent and eliminating all late orders for the first time in the company's history. During his tenure at Bayside Controls, Inc., Joe held leadership positions and was part of the management team that grew the company 50 percent annually, for six consecutive years, transforming Bayside from a small machine shop to a leading manufacturer of precision gear systems. Joe is the author or numerous articles on the subjects of continuous improvement, training, culture change, and e-learning. He is a regular contributor to TBM's Managing Times and has also been published in Training and Manufacturing.net. Joe has also presented at conferences and webinars on the topics of Managing for Daily Improvement, Ten Best Practices of a Continuous Improvement Office, and Energy Kaizen. At TBM, Joe is sought after for his team-building and leadership skills, as well as his ability to help clients visualize and develop a transformation plan. He is uniquely skilled in effectively interfacing with all levels of an organization to facilitate change. Since joining TBM, Joe has become a trusted advisor to companies such as Owens Corning, Gokaldas - India, American Achievement Corproation, Energizer, Assa Abloy, Hubbell, Pratt & Whitney, EnPro Industries, and Special Metals Corporation. Joe has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Loyola College in Maryland.