Paul Holtrop, MA, Principal

Paul has worked within business and industry for more than 20 years, and has taught and implemented lean manufacturing technology while leading teams at a Fortune 500 company. He has a broad range of operations experience, holding various roles in engineering, front-line supervision, materials management, logistics management, and production management.

As his career has progressed, Paul has had responsibility for operations, capacity management, production scheduling, and materials procurement. His experience covers all aspects of manufacturing such as machining, welding, electrostatic paint, auto deposition coating, assembly, and packaging, enabling him to quickly recognize production issues. As a skilled change agent, Paul has worked through plant re-arrangements, major product moves, plant consolidations, and significant reduction in inventory and manufacturing space. During his tenure as a logistics leader, major software conversions were completed for both scheduling systems and procurement systems, replacing 30-year-old legacy programs.

Paul is a leadership development professional with strong skills in organizational behavior and building cohesive teams. He specializes in creating learning organizations emphasizing personnel as well as personal development. Paul's experience working with cost reduction strategies in downsizing organizations has given him unique understanding of the cultural impact that occurs with significant change. He has developed proven methods for maintaining a positive work environment and achieving improvement in team performance.

Other business consulting experience includes five years as a principal and co-founder of Sage Performance Counseling. Paul's vision and strategic analytical skills enable him to creatively help organizations construct, develop, and implement both short and long term strategic plans. Paul has been actively engaged in teaching as adjunct faculty in West Michigan , including work at both Calvin College and Davenport University . Classes taught include Leadership, Operations Management, Materials Management, and Personnel Selection and Training.

Paul earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business and Economics from Calvin College in Grand Rapids , Michigan prior to joining the workforce. While working full-time, he continued his formal education, completing a Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership and Human Resource Development from Western Michigan University.