Gary Henderson, M.S.Ed.

Gary is a human resource development professional with more than 40 years of experience in enterprise and project management. His expertise includes the design, implementation, and administration of training systems, particularly structured on-the-job training (SOJT, TWI/JI), and the design and implementation of lean management systems to start up new lines and attack waste and performance problems. His experience includes manufacturing, packaging, retail, and distribution organizations.

Gary’s first career was ten years of growing a business in the natural foods industry, where he learned kaizen by doing. He grew a small buying club with 75 members into a 1200-member, process-focused, high performance organization—the second largest patron-operated store in the United States, selling at the 85th industry percentile, with some of the best operating metrics to be found anywhere. Aside from managing the co-op, he served on the board of ICC, the regional distribution center owned by the co-op, and helped support the self-directed work team that ran it. 

Gary held several positions of increasing scope over 16 years with Wesley-Jessen Corporation (later CibaVision), a medical device manufacturer, culminating in the role of Global Training Manager. His work supported manufacturing and distribution operations and line and product launches. He also designed numerous interventions and programs to improve performance in the US, Puerto Rico, France, and England. These included designing and managing mission-critical implementation and training programs for large-scale PeopleSoft and SAP system installs, with outstanding results upon go-live and for ongoing support.

Both in the role of training manager and independent consultant, Gary has saved companies millions of dollars by changing the way they managed their manufacturing and distribution operations. He has helped supervisors, managers, and directors set up new lean management systems, including custom metrics, custom training, and continuous improvement processes. These programs enabled workers, managers, and specialized resource people to work together to improve morale, attain standard work, and address problems and issues effectively. 

When not working, Gary enjoys feeding his family and friends as an accomplished cook and keeping an Italian espresso machine running.

What it’s like to work with Gary

“Gary has an innate ability, in any environment, to learn the system, understand the pain points, and be seen by others as an advocate and partner to help them improve.”

- Timothy B. Buchanan, Director Site Engineering