In Their Own Words

Paula Marshall is the CEO of the Bama Companies, Inc., a company that may be best known for being the single supplier of the famous Apple dessert pies to McDonalds. They are also "...an innovator and manufacturer of bakery products to some of the most well-known restaurant chains on the planet." In this episode Paula discusses with Tripp her amazing journey as a CEO that took her company from being on the verge of going out of business to the thriving powerhouse it is today. The transformation of Paula and her company started when she attended her first Deming seminar. That seminar and the subsequent meetings and friendship with Dr. Deming, shaped the future of the company in a way she never imagined. Paula shares her journey with Dr. Deming and how personally difficult it was to go against the very status quo management ideas she had learned and was using; in particular, learning the hard way how detrimental performance appraisals and the incentive based system are to an organization. See http://www.bama.com for more information on Paula and the company.  Paula is also an author of several books, including her personal story in Sweet as Pie, Tough as Nails.

Bill Bellows serves as president of the In2:InThinking Network, and as a Board Trustee of the W. Edwards Deming Institute®. In his podcast, Bill discusses his introduction to the Deming philosophy as a young engineer, and his "aha" moment after hearing Dr. Deming speak about the destructive nature of competition. He also shares his thoughts on the challenges of conveying the Deming message in the future and the importance of collaboration in the Deming community.

Bob Browne is the former CEO of the Great Plains Coca Cola Bottling Company and soon to be author of a new book, The Sys-Tao Way, that outlines his application of the Deming Philosophy. Bob gives a brief history of the Great Plains Coca Cola Bottling Company, his introduction to the Deming Philosophy and experiences incorporating many of the teachings into his organization. Bob states how the Four Pillars are the key to understanding Deming with a special focus on the theory of knowledge and working relationships. He describes the difficulty of letting go of his own established paradigms while incorporating the the teachings of W. Edwards Deming - it required constancy of purpose and faith that this was a better way. Bob also shares thoughts on where a CEO or change agent starts and he discusses organizational change and adoption of these ideas The Twitter account specifically for the Deming Institute podcasts is @DemingPodcast.

In this episode of the Deming Podcast, Tripp Babbitt interviews Steven Haedrich, President of New York Label & Box Works. In his podcast, Steven talks about the rich 130-year history of New York Label & Box Works and their Deming journey which began more than 20 years ago. Steven discusses his "aha" moments around management and leadership, and quality improvements. Steven also talks about the relevance of the Deming teachings today and the keys to long-term success using the Deming method. Steven will be sharing his experiences at the upcoming Deming Institute Fall Conference, in a presentation titled "Deming is it!" The 2014 Deming Institute Fall Conference to be held this October 17-19 in Los Angeles. Subscribe to the Deming podcasts via rss or iTunes.

In this episode of the Deming Podcast, Tripp Babbitt interviews Andrea Gabor. Andrea Gabor begins by discussing her book The Man Who Discovered Quality: How W. Edwards Deming Brought the Quality Revolution to America – The Stories of Ford, Xerox, and GM.  She discusses what  Ford and GM have done since her book was published. And then she discusses how to improve the education system and the problems with the primary efforts on "education reform" in the USA today. Andrea will be presenting, What Education Reformers Can Learn from the Deming Philosophy, at The 2014 Deming Institute Fall Conference, to be held October 17-19 in Los Angeles. The Twitter account specifically for the podcasts is @DemingPodcast.

In this episode of the Deming Podcast, Tripp Babbitt interviews Dan Robertson, Deming Institute Advisory Council member and Co-author of Deming's Profound Changes. Dan discusses his Deming journey at Hewlett Packard and his experience writing Deming's Profound Changes with co-author Kenneth Delavigne, as a tribute to Dr. Perry Gluckman. Dan is the Co-chair of The 2014 Deming Institute Fall Conference and shares details of the event to be held October 17-19 in Los Angeles.

In this third episode of The Deming Podcast, moderator Tripp Babbitt interviews David Langford. David serves on The Deming Institute's Advisory Council and is the CEO and founder of Langford International.  David shares the challenges he faced as an educator in Sitka Alaska, his introduction to the teachings Dr. W. Edwards Deming, and his work with the Leander Independent School District where they have been applying Dr. Deming’s principles since 1992. Go to Deming Today™  for more information on the Leander story. David will be speaker in the Education track at the 2014 Deming Institute Fall Conference Oct 18-19 in Los Angeles, CA as well as leading and facilitating a special 2-Day Pre-Conference session on Education Oct 16-17. 

In the second episode of The W. Edwards Deming Institute Podcast moderator Tripp Babbitt interviews Kelly Allan.  Kelly serves on The Deming Institute's Advisory Council and is the senior associate of Kelly Allan Associates. Kelly discusses the creation of the 2.5-day seminar and the current activities of the Institute while also touching on various aspects of the Deming management method.

Kevin Cahill, Executive Director, reflects on growing up with Dr. Deming, the relocation of the Deming Institute to Idaho due to his love for mountain biking, a life-changing incident that led to new hobbies in a supportive community, and the institute's efforts to expand its reach and collaborate with others.