Derek’s (45 min) presentation will consist of an overview of the Incumbent Worker Trainer (IWT) program.  He will discuss the criteria of obtaining a IWT grant and give a general timeline of the entire process from pre-application submission to the monetary awards.  Finally, he will finish with the reimbursement process and requirements.

Derek Bartley of C2Q, Inc. loves to tell the story of the Lean campaign he implemented at national corporation several years ago and how it could not have gone any worse. While he saw quick “wins” , it wasn’t long before the company began reverting back to its old way of doing things. Since learning how to maximize continuous improvement training and ultimately  correcting that common mistake, he has made it his passion to save manufacturing companies and well-meaning employees from making the same simple mistake. The bottom line is that Bartley implemented his campaign before he put a continuous improvement culture into place. He has since led many companies through successful lean campaigns…once the companies put the foundational tools in place to launch a successful continuous improvement plan.

Derek has spent his last couple years helping companies through the step-by-step process of getting 100 percent of the funds they need to build the foundation for continuous improvement practices from available Tennessee grant funds. Derek has over 10 years of experience in manufacturing (most of it in the automotive industry).  Throughout his career, Derek has covered multiple discipline in manufacturing including engineering, operations, quality, and maintenance.  His involvement in Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement began while obtaining his bachelor’s degree in Engineering at Tennessee Technological University.  His experience has lead him to consult independently as President of C2Q, Inc.