Burris, Denney Rejoin Oliver Wight Americas as Principals

NEW LONDON, N.H., May 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Oliver Wight Americas, Inc., the education and consulting organization for manufacturing professionals, recently announced that Rick C. Burris and Jim Denney have rejoined the company as principals.

"The Oliver Wight organization is delighted to welcome back Rick and Jim, both of whom possess a wealth of experience in providing education, coaching, and mentoring in Class A best practices," said Dennis L. Groves, Chairman of the Board, Oliver Wight Americas, Inc., and President, Oliver Wight International. "Rick and Jim, with their recent executive experiences, now can offer our clients their perspectives and insights in leading change at the senior executive level."

Burris, a proven senior executive in turning around distressed businesses through the real-world use of world-class best practices, has over 30 years of executive, management, and process experience in diverse industries. In his most recent assignment, he served as President of Weir Floway in Fresno, California, where he implemented the Oliver Wight S&OP Tool, installed Integrated Business Management processes, and guided the company to better- than-industry profit levels. During his industrial career, which included serving as COO at Keller Systems International, Strategic Resources Management, Video Products Group, and Beauty Group International, he instituted many operations and process changes based on Oliver Wight principles to produce fast, sustaining, financial and operational improvements.

When previously with Oliver Wight, he served as consultant to companies such as Boeing, Motor Coach, and Motorola, among others, and successfully helped guide several companies to achieve Class A performance.

Burris earned a BS in Physics, with a minor in Economics, from the University of California, and has participated in Executive Programs at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, the MIT Sloan School of Management, and the Covey Leadership Program.

Denney's recent experience includes Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Management and Commercial Manufacturing Practice, at Abeam Consulting, a global, Asia-based consulting company. He also was associated with Dell Computer as Engagement Leader responsible for managing 16 Operations and Supply Chain Reengineering Strike Teams to achieve Class A operational excellence.

He has 25 years of experience with the Oliver Wight Proven Path methodologies and the ABCD Checklist to achieve operational excellence. Previously as an Oliver Wight principal, Denney advised and coached clients such as LTV Steel, Reilly Industries, Merck PR, and Coca-Cola Canada.

Denney is a member of APICS - The Association for Operations Management and holds a National Instructor Certificate. He is a graduate of the SAP Partner Academy and was the founder and first President of the Oracle ERP Software User Group. He has a BSC in International Business Management from the University of Texas, Dallas.

About Oliver Wight

Oliver Wight are leading business improvement specialists who educate, coach, and mentor people to lead and sustain change on the journey to business excellence and outstanding business performance. With offices throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific, Oliver Wight consultants are at the leading edge of management thinking and practice. For over 35 years, the Oliver Wight organization has worked with hundreds of companies worldwide to achieve Class A results. For more information, go to http://www.oliverwight-americas.com.

Contact: Susan S. Hansen, Vice President, Operations and Marketing, at 1-800-258-3862 X103, or e-mail, shansen@oliverwight.com.