Michigan Lean Consortium upcoming events

MLC Text Messaging Consent (Monday, November 17, 2025)

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Sign Up to Receive Text Messages from the Michigan Lean Consortium!

Stay connected with the MLC — right from your phone!
By registering for this “event,” you’re giving the Michigan Lean Consortium permission to update your member profile so you can receive helpful text (SMS) messages from us.

✅ What you’ll receive:

Event announcements and reminders
Membership renewal notifications
Occasional surveys or quick polls

This isn’t a real event — registering simply gives us your consent to activate text messaging on your profile. The MLC will handle the update for you so you don’t have to log in and do it yourself.

Our Promise:
We value your trust. The MLC will only send messages that are relevant and timely — never spam — and you can opt out at any time.

Informed Consent for Text (SMS) Messaging

With your consent, The Michigan Lean Consortium (MLC) would like to send text (SMS) messages to the mobile number you have provided in our records. By providing your informed consent where indicated, you acknowledge that you have understood the information below and agree to participate in our text (SMS) messaging service.

Purpose and Description: MLC’s text (SMS) messaging service is designed to provide you with helpful information, reminders, and notifications via text messages sent to your mobile phone. We may use text (SMS) messages to communicate with you for a variety of purposes, including:

announcements and reminders related to MLC events

reminders about membership renewal

surveys and polls

Voluntary Participation: Participation in our text (SMS) messaging service is completely optional. While we aim to keep messages timely and relevant, you may opt out at any time if you no longer find them valuable.

Benefits and Risks: Benefits: The text (SMS) messaging service aims to keep you informed about the MLC by providing an additional method of convenient and timely communication.

Risks: While every effort will be made to protect the security and confidentiality of information transmitted through text (SMS) messages, there are inherent risks associated with all electronic communication. These risks include unauthorized access, loss of privacy, and potential breach of sensitive information. It is important to be aware that text (SMS) messages may not be entirely secure and could be intercepted or accessed by unintended recipients.

Potential Costs: Standard text messaging rates may apply through your mobile carrier. Please check with your provider for any applicable fees. The MLC does not charge any fees for participating in our SMS messaging service.

If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact admin@michiganlean.org.

MLC Lean Virtual Coffee with Alex Suchman (Friday, September 11, 2026)

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:30:00 GMT

Join us for a MLC Lean Virtual Coffee!

Virtual | Free For Members | 8:30am - 9:30am

Topic: Kaizen Needs Courage: How Play Builds the Safety to Speak Up

You already know Lean's best idea: the person closest to a problem often sees it most clearly, no matter what their title says. It's a real departure from "leadership knows best."

But knowing that and living it are two different things. Ask around, and most employees, new hires and veterans alike, will tell you the same thing: pointing out a problem feels risky. Suggesting a fix to someone above you feels riskier. That discomfort doesn't disappear just because a company calls itself a lean organization.

So what actually gets people past that fear? In this session, we'll look at an answer you might not expect: games.

We'll dig into why play, not just games in a general sense, is one of the few tools that gets people speaking up before they've even noticed they're doing it. You'll leave with:

A clear case for why play builds psychological safety faster than a values statement ever could.
Practical ways to work with teammates who communicate differently under pressure.
A couple of exercises you can try in your very next meeting.

If this session sparks something for you, stay close: a few weeks later, I'm leading a Play Facilitation Certification for MCL member people who want to build this into a real skill, not just a one-off exercise.

Presenter:

Alexandra Suchman

CEO & Co-founder | Barometer XP

Alexandra Suchman is CEO and co-founder of Barometer XP, a company that helps organizations build cultures where people feel connected, valued, and free to do their best work, using games and experiential learning instead of lectures and slide decks. She turns play into a research-backed tool for building trust, psychological safety, and stronger team performance. A Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Alex was recently featured in Kaizen Made Easy's Top 9 Leadership Conversations and is a go-to speaker for SHRM, PMI, and ATD. She holds an MPP from The George Washington University.

What is a Virtual Coffee?

A Virtual Coffee offers a relaxed and engaging platform to connect with Lean professionals and explore meaningful discussions in a collaborative virtual environment. These sessions combine the best of our Coffee Chats and Book Club, offering a platform to discuss all things Lean, share professional challenges, and explore solutions with like-minded peers.

Opportunity to connect with other Lean practitioners and like-minded individuals.
Attendees are able to ask questions, interact with the presenter and other attendees virtually.

Why attend?

Leverage Collective Knowledge: Tap into the expertise of our MLC membership.
Focus on Lean Implementation: Discuss practical applications of Lean tools and strategies.
Networking Opportunities: Expand your network of Lean professionals.
Share and Learn: Exchange best practices and gain insights from others' experiences.
Stay Engaged: Stay connected with the MLC community and learn about upcoming events.

Join us for a session filled with ideas, insights, and inspiration—all from the comfort of your home or office!

Cost

Members: Free

Non-Members: $20

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!

Virtual Certification: The People Side of Process (Tuesday, October 06, 2026)

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Members Only Benefit

Join us for a Lean Virtual Certification!

Virtual | Tuesday - Thursday, October 6 - 8 | 1 PM - 5 PM

Topic: The People Side of Process - Play Facilitation for Lean Practitioners

The biggest barriers to flow rarely show up on a process map. They show up in who feels safe speaking up during a team walkthrough, whose definition of "done" quietly differs from everyone else's, and why a change effort stalls the moment someone's afraid to admit an experiment failed.

This 3-day virtual certification gives Lean managers a practical, research-backed methodology for facilitating play-based learning that surfaces - and resolves - exactly these relational breakdowns. In this program, you'll learn how to:

Turn play into practice. Specific game mechanics map directly onto the real challenges your teams face, so a well-chosen game becomes a safe, low-stakes space to explore root causes and try out new ways of communicating and working together before it matters on a live project.

Learn what status reports can't tell you. As you facilitate, you'll pick up real insight into how the people you manage handle risk, where their communication styles clash, and what conditions bring out their best thinking.

Get more out of your team. That insight is exactly what lets you drive better performance and real engagement out of the people you lead.

Make improvement stick. People apply what they experience far more readily than what they're told, so this becomes a repeatable way to make continuous improvement work hold up long after the training ends.

Over three half-days, you'll practice facilitating in front of peers and leave with a set of games tied to the challenges Lean managers face most often.

Facilitator:

Alexandra Suchman

CEO & Co-founder | Barometer XP

Cost

Members: $1,500 (40% off standard pricing — exclusively for MLC members)

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!

Registration Cancellations

We understand that plans change. In the event you are unable to attend an event, refunds will be issued in full for cancellation refund requests received in writing via the events@michiganlean.org email at least seven (7) days before the event. Refunds will not be issued when less than a seven (7) day notice is provided. After submitting your cancellation refund request via email, please allow up to ten (10) business days for your refund to be processed. If the event is rescheduled, all purchases will be honored for the rescheduled event date. If the event is cancelled, all purchases will be refunded in full.

MLC Lean Virtual Coffee - The Lean Roundtable (Friday, October 09, 2026)

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT

Join us for a MLC Lean Virtual Coffee!

Virtual | Free For Members | 8:30am - 9:30am

Topic: The Lean Roundtable: A Community Conversation

What if we skipped the slides… and just talked Lean?

For October's Virtual Coffee, we’re returning to something classic: a fully interactive, discussion-based session designed around your questions, challenges, and real-world experiences.

The Lean Roundtable is an AMA-style (Ask Me Anything) community conversation — no formal presentation, no lecture — just practical dialogue with fellow Lean practitioners navigating the same implementation hurdles, culture shifts, and leadership questions you are.

When you register, you’ll be invited to submit a Lean question, challenge, or topic you’d like discussed. Those submissions will help shape the conversation and ensure we’re talking about what matters most to you.

Facilitators

Josh Smith

Training Director | MLC

Josh Smith lives in Holland, Michigan with his wife, Samantha, who teaches 3rd grade, and their two sons; Hudson and Gordon. They are his world! They also have a chocolate lab named Maizey who is great playmate for the kids!

Josh is currently working at ZFS as the Director of Operational Excellence. Josh has been with ZFS since early 2020. Prior to that, he worked at US Marble, where he was introduced to Lean manufacturing and helped champion Lean implementations in multiple stone and marble manufacturing plants throughout the US.

Josh graduated from Ferris State University with a BA in Science-Integrative Studies. He is also a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt.

Josh grew up on a small dairy farm in Morley, Michigan. He is an avid sports fan and very passionate about his teams – GO BLUE! Josh is a firm believer that the Tigers will someday make the world series again – and hopes he lives to see that day! Josh is also on the board of directors for the Zeeland Little League and he coaches baseball during the spring/summer seasons.

Melissa Sherman
Vice Chair | MLC

Melissa has worked in the utility industry for over 27 years, both for an Investor Owned and Cooperative, gaining experience in Electric and Gas Distribution Engineering, Business Support for Pumped Storage, River Hydro and Renewable Generation, Online Scheduling for Fossil Generation, and Enterprise Change.

Throughout her career, Melissa has instituted lean methodology while embedding change management methodology. From scheduling to warehouse redesigns, to value stream analysis. Melissa analyzes and measures the effectiveness of existing business processes and develops sustainable, repeatable, and quantifiable business process improvements. She analyzes data to drive problem solving, root cause analysis and functional area process improvement. Responsible for delivering significant results in Company Breakthrough Objectives.

She is passionate about leading others on their continuous improvement/lean and change management journey. She enjoys being able to share her love for teaching/coaching others and seeing the “ah ha” moments when someone truly understands the methodologies. It is through breaking down those methodologies in terms they understand that they can then tackle those big problems.

What is a Virtual Coffee?

Opportunity to connect with other Lean practitioners and like-minded individuals.
Attendees are able to ask questions, interact with the presenter and other attendees virtually.

Why attend?

Leverage Collective Knowledge: Tap into the expertise of our MLC membership.
Focus on Lean Implementation: Discuss practical applications of Lean tools and strategies.
Networking Opportunities: Expand your network of Lean professionals.
Share and Learn: Exchange best practices and gain insights from others' experiences.
Stay Engaged: Stay connected with the MLC community and learn about upcoming events.

Join us for a session filled with ideas, insights, and inspiration—all from the comfort of your home or office!

Cost

Members: Free

Non-Members: $20

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!

Virtual Lean Summit for Students (Friday, November 06, 2026)

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Virtual Lean Summit for Students

What you Need to know for a Career in Lean

Date: Friday, November 6, 2026

Time: 12 PM - 2 PM

Location: Virtual

Join Jamie Bonini from Toyota, and others, who will share their thoughts and advice on why, in the age of AI, lean thinking is proving to be more important than ever. We humans are the center of lean and the skills we bring are unmatched.

Topics include careers in lean, why lean continues to be a very relevant organizational culture, how to perform a lean assessment at a company, and how AI is impacting lean cultures.

There will be time for small group discussions and Q & A.

*Not an MLC Higher Education member: Reach out to admin@michiganlean.org for more information on registration.

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!

MLC Lean Virtual Coffee with Rebecca VanDerveer (Friday, November 13, 2026)

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 13:30:00 GMT

Join us for a MLC Lean Virtual Coffee!

Virtual | Free For Members | 8:30am - 9:30am

Topic: Setting the Table for Innovation: The Human Side of Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement depends on more than strong processes and proven methodologies. It also requires an environment where people feel able to share concerns, challenge assumptions, contribute ideas, and learn openly from setbacks.

In this interactive session, we will explore how psychological safety supports collaboration, problem-solving, and innovation. Attendees will consider the leadership behaviors and team conditions that encourage honest dialogue, diverse perspectives, thoughtful experimentation, and accountability.

Participants will leave with practical questions and strategies they can use to create more productive conversations and strengthen continuous improvement within their teams and organizations.

Presenter:

Rebecca VanDerveer

Senior Client Success Consultant

PI Midlantic

Rebecca “Becca” VanDerveer is a Senior Client Success Consultant and Certified Master Trainer with PI Midlantic. She specializes in helping leaders and teams better understand human behavior, improve communication, and create the conditions for stronger collaboration and performance.

Her work focuses on the intersection of behavioral awareness, psychological safety, leadership, change, and innovation.

What is a Virtual Coffee?

Opportunity to connect with other Lean practitioners and like-minded individuals.
Attendees are able to ask questions, interact with the presenter and other attendees virtually.

Why attend?

Leverage Collective Knowledge: Tap into the expertise of our MLC membership.
Focus on Lean Implementation: Discuss practical applications of Lean tools and strategies.
Networking Opportunities: Expand your network of Lean professionals.
Share and Learn: Exchange best practices and gain insights from others' experiences.
Stay Engaged: Stay connected with the MLC community and learn about upcoming events.

Join us for a session filled with ideas, insights, and inspiration—all from the comfort of your home or office!

Cost

Members: Free

Non-Members: $20

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!

MLC Lean Virtual Coffee with Scott Post (Friday, December 11, 2026)

Fri, 11 Dec 2026 13:30:00 GMT

Join us for a MLC Lean Virtual Coffee!

Virtual | Free For Members | 8:30am - 9:30am

Topic: Lean Leadership and Daily Management

Most Lean transformations don't fail because of bad tools, they fail because leadership never adjusts to support the new way of working. This Virtual Coffee is a chance to talk through what it actually looks like to lead Lean day to day: leading like a servant, not a boss, running daily management that people actually use, and connecting the dots between people, process, and strategy so improvement becomes part of how work gets done, not another initiative competing for attention.

Presenter:

Scott Post

Founder | S Post Consulting

Scott Post is an Operational Excellence and Lean Leadership Coach with over 20 years of experience in leadership, continuous improvement, and Lean methodology. Known for his ability to identify inefficiencies and optimize processes, Scott helps individuals and organizations unlock their full potential through practical, results-driven approaches.

Scott’s passion for process improvement began during his service in the United States Marine Corps and continued as he earned an Industrial Engineering degree from Iowa State University. His expertise deepened through roles at Pella Corporation and later as Chief Operations Officer at Pizza Ranch, where he led the Operations, Training, and Process Improvement teams toward operational excellence.

Scott founded S Post Consulting in 2021 and began working full-time with clients in 2023. Based in Northwest Iowa, the firm helps Siouxland business leaders stabilize operations, boost profits, and build momentum. Scott helps organizations move from chronic inefficiencies to high-performing operations. Through a diagnostic, boots-on-the-ground approach, he uncovers root causes, aligns leadership, and builds sustainable systems that reduce waste, improve execution, and drive long-term profit, without adding headcount or complexity. Clients consistently experience improved employee engagement, increased labor efficiency, shorter lead times, and stronger bottom-line results.

A dedicated Servant Leader, Scott has also been an active contributor to the local Lean communities, serving on the board of the Siouxland Lean Consortium, and volunteering with the Iowa Lean Consortium. Outside of work, he enjoys family life, camping, and a hobby farm by Rock Valley, Iowa with his wife, four children, and a collection of farm animals.

What is a Virtual Coffee?

Opportunity to connect with other Lean practitioners and like-minded individuals.
Attendees are able to ask questions, interact with the presenter and other attendees virtually.

Why attend?

Leverage Collective Knowledge: Tap into the expertise of our MLC membership.
Focus on Lean Implementation: Discuss practical applications of Lean tools and strategies.
Networking Opportunities: Expand your network of Lean professionals.
Share and Learn: Exchange best practices and gain insights from others' experiences.
Stay Engaged: Stay connected with the MLC community and learn about upcoming events.

Join us for a session filled with ideas, insights, and inspiration—all from the comfort of your home or office!

Cost

Members: Free

Non-Members: $20

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!

2027 Grand Rapids Lean Summit (Friday, March 19, 2027)

Fri, 19 Mar 2027 12:00:00 GMT

9th Annual Grand Rapids Lean Summit

Save the Date

Friday, March 19, 2027

Bundle & Save

Get even more value from your 2027 learning experience by bundling the 2027 Grand Rapids Lean Summit with the 2027 Annual Conference. When you add the Annual Conference during Grand Rapids Lean Summit registration, you'll receive our exclusive bundle pricing and secure your spot at two premier MLC events designed to inspire new ideas, practical learning, and meaningful connections, all with one registration process.

How It Works

Select the Annual Conference add-on when completing your Grand Rapids Lean Summit registration.
We'll take care of the rest! Your Grand Rapids Lean Summit registration information will automatically be copied to your Annual Conference registration, no additional registration is required

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!

Disclaimer

By registering for Michigan Lean Consortium (MLC) events, you acknowledge and agree that photographs, videos, and other media taken during the event may be used by MLC for business purposes, marketing, and promotional materials. If you have concerns, please contact the event organizer prior to the event.

Summit Registration Cancellations

2027 MLC Annual Conference (Tuesday, August 03, 2027)

Tue, 03 Aug 2027 19:00:00 GMT

August 3 - 6, 2027

Hagerty Center | Traverse City

Learn More About the Conference

Bundle & Save

Get even more value from your 2027 learning experience by bundling the 2027 Annual Conference with the 2027 Grand Rapids Lean Summit. When you add the Summit during Annual Conference registration, you'll receive our exclusive bundle pricing and enjoy two premier MLC events designed to inspire new ideas, practical learning, and meaningful connections, all with one registration process.

How It Works

Select the Grand Rapids Lean Summit add-on when completing your Annual Conference registration.
We'll take care of the rest! Your Annual Conference registration information will automatically be copied to your Grand Rapids Lean Summit registration, no additional registration is required.

Hotel Information

Bayshore Resort

Traverse City, MI Ph: (231) 935-4400

Group Rates:

Room Type	Rate
Standard	$269/night
Eastside	$279/night
Bayfront	$339/night

Rates plus 11% tax, based on single or double occupancy. Additional guests in a room incur a $10/person/night surcharge. Guests 17 and under stay free in a parent's room.

How to Reserve: Call the hotel directly and reference "MI Lean." Booking link coming soon — call-in reservations only for now. Ph: (231) 935-4400

Book by: Thursday, June 3, 2027

Check-in: 4:00 PM | Check-out: 11:00 AM

Please note: Bayshore Resort is entirely non-smoking; a $200 fee applies for smoking anywhere on property, including balconies and the beach.

Park Place Hotel & Conference Center

300 E State Street, Traverse City, MI 49684 Ph: (231) 946-5000

Group Rate: $309/night (Double Queen or King, Historic Tower) Rates subject to 6% sales tax (if applicable), 8% facility fee, and 5% local assessment.

How to Reserve: Call the hotel directly and reference the "Michigan Lean Room Block." Booking link coming soon — call-in reservations only for now. Ph: (231) 946-5000

Book by: Sunday, June 20, 2027 Rooms not reserved by this date will be released and are subject to availability and prevailing rates thereafter.

Check-in: 4:00 PM | Check-out: 11:00 AM

New To The MLC?

At the MLC, we do our best to be inclusive at every level of experience, whether it’s a conference, Gemba walk or any other of our membership activities.

An individual or organizational membership gives you a year’s worth of great Lean learning and networking at low- or no-cost!