Kurt Bell is the CEO of HUI Manufacturing, a contract manufacturer with expertise in sheet metal fabrication, design engineering, powder coating and assembly located in Kiel, WI. HUI specializes in industrial and medical product fabrication and serves customers nationwide. Kurt joined the company in 1993 as a scheduler and in 1998 as President Kurt led HUI’s journey into Lean Manufacturing on the floor and in the office in 2001. His journey continues as CEO and President with an emphasis in sales, implementing LEAN principles into the sales functions with visuals, flows, and deliverables. Kurt strives in developing HUI into a World Class Manufacturer.Outside of HUI Kurt has served on numerous manufacturing boards and community organizations. In 2003 utilizing his experience at HUI, Kurt was an Adjunct Professor at Lakeland College teaching Organizational Development with an emphasis on Teams and Group Dynamics. For the past 20 years he has volunteered coaching football and basketball at the high school level and several other youth coaching positions.Things I Learned Along the Way:Lean Journey: As the Leader I had to go first Don’t expect the pure logic of Lean to sell itself You always get more of what you tolerate Continuous improvement is a way of life Where we are going is more important than where we’ve been My questions will drive the results we need Team Based Culture: I couldn’t lead anyone where I wasn’t willing to go myself You get what you structure for Make it safe for others to learn and try Create an environment where people can grow, and they will grow your company Good Teams will always outperform managers Don’t confuse getting good with feeling goodFavorite Quotations:"How we solve issues is a function of where we have been""Before I fix them I need to fix me"