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20th Annual QualPro Leadership Symposium - Featured Speakers 
MeijerMark Murray President MVT® contributes tens of millions of dollars Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Meijer is a retailer that operates 189 supercenters throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. Meijer is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States, as well as one of the largest food retailers in North America. As the inventor of the "one-stop shopping" concept, Meijer stores have evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, pharmacies, comprehensive electronics departments, garden centers, and apparel offerings. Since 1934, Meijer's success has been due in large part to its philosophy: "Customers don't need us; we need them." Mark Murray became President of Meijer in 2006. Within a year, he discovered the MVT® process and began using it to grow sales and profits. Mark explained how Meijer has completed multiple MVT® experiments, tested over sixty improvement ideas, and implemented winning ideas that are contributing tens of millions of dollars of incremental financial benefits. With a varied background including positions as Director of Management and Budget for the State of Michigan and University President, Mark has embraced the reality that expert opinions regarding improvement strategies are only correct about 25% of the time. He described how testing ideas prior to implementing them has become a key strategy for the Meijer organization. 
Pilot Travel Centers LLCKen Parent Senior Vice President of Operations MVT® - key to continued growth Pilot Travel Centers LLC is the nation's largest operator of travel centers and largest seller of over-the-road diesel fuel, expecting to sell approximately 5 billion gallons of petroleum this year. Pilot is committed to giving customers what they want and providing outstanding value and service at attractive and convenient locations. Pilot's travel centers include restaurants, retail merchandise, automobile and truck fueling facilities, showers, ATMs, Internet kiosks, check cashing, money orders, laundry, game rooms, public pay phones with data ports, audio book rentals, money transfer, pre-paid phone cards, truck washes, truck service centers, and CAT scales. Ken Parent is SVP of Operations for Pilot and is responsible for over 300 company owned travel centers in forty-one states coast to coast. Ken manages functions including marketing, merchandising, human resources, and store operations involving more than 15,000 store associates. With Ken's guidance, Pilot launched an innovative MVT® program that has tested ten to fifteen new ideas every two to three months. In just the first year of the program, Pilot tested over fifty ideas intended to improve inside sales and implemented a series of actions that have been proven to deliver millions of dollars in increased sales and profits. Ken described Pilot's pioneering MVT® effort and explain why MVT® is a linchpin in his strategic plan to ensure continued growth for Pilot Travel Centers. 
Truman Medical Centers, Inc.John W. Bluford President and Chief Executive Officer There is no formula for creativity Truman Medical Centers is a two-hospital, not-for-profit health system located in Kansas City, Missouri. Its downtown location is the largest provider of outpatient specialty care in Kansas City, operates the busiest adult emergency department in the city, and has one of the top Level 1 trauma centers in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The suburban hospital provides a wide range of specialty and outpatient services. Truman Medical Centers has received numerous awards including top clinical quality ratings from University Health System Consortium (UHC), one of "America's Best Hospitals" by U.S. News and World Report; and a "Top 100 Hospital" by Solucient. John Bluford has served as Truman Medical Centers' President and CEO for the past ten years. John is a well-known innovator who was recognized as one of America's most influential healthcare executives by Modern Healthcare. He plays a leadership role in the healthcare industry, including his positions as past chairman of the National Association of Public Hospitals and chair-elect of the American Hospital Association. John discussed his observation that "there is no formula for creativity," and he emphasized the importance of using an improvement process that provides a role for human creativity as well as analytics. 
Unifi, Inc.Bill Jasper President and CEO MVT® helping U.S. textile company thrive Unifi is a leading producer of multi-filament polyester and nylon textured yarns and related raw materials. Unifi provides innovative, global textile solutions and unique branded yarns for customers at every level of the supply chain. Driven by innovation and committed to excellence, Unifi's goal is to provide both customers and consumers with products that enhance the value of everyday products, from hosiery and apparel to contract furnishings, industrial applications to automotive upholstery. Bill Jasper, President and CEO of Unifi, has experience with the MVT® process that goes back over fifteen years. As an executive in DuPont's textile operations in the early 1990s, Bill saw how the MVT® process empowered plant personnel, created an atmosphere for innovation, and achieved breakthrough levels of improvement in very short timeframes. After joining Unifi, Bill introduced the MVT® technology to his new company. Since mid-2008, Unifi has used MVT® to achieve successes that include large reductions in costly texturizing breaks, substantial increases in first-quality yield in yarn production, and dramatic improvement in sales force effectiveness at competing with foreign competition. Under Bill Jasper's leadership, Unifi is continuously launching new MVT® projects to reduce costs, increase quality, and better communicate value proposition to customers and prospects. During a time when the textile industry has mostly moved offshore, Unifi is committed to thriving in the United States. Return to the QLS Overview |
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Since 1982, QualPro has used Multivariable Testing (MVT®) with 1000+ companies to test 200,000+ improvement ideas. MVT® tests between 20 and 40 ideas simultaneously, accurately predicting the bottom-line impact of potential process changes in weeks. Take existing process initiatives, like Six Sigma, to a whole new level. All process improvement tools and approaches (TQM, DOE, Six Sigma, Re-Engineering, SPC) can be enhanced through the use of Multivariable Testing by QualPro.
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