Rich has built, renovated and maintained a variety of significant commercial, industrial and institutional buildings for over 32 years in the United States and Canada. The vast majority of his career, he has worked as a design-builder with a strong emphasis in self-performed work while also serving as a manufacturer, trade contractor and building inspector. Rich has a unique set of cross-functional skills across the horizontal supply chain and up and down the vertical chain of command.
Since 2004, Rich has studied, taught and practiced Lean Construction. He is a Founding Member and previously Chairman of The Lean Construction Institute Community of Practice in Chicago. He also participated in a Lean session with the Community of Practice in Ireland.
Rich is an Approved Instructor of Lean Construction Institute, the Associated General Contractors of America, as well as for the Construction Owners Association of America. He is also an adjunct professor at Northwestern University in Evanston.
As the Chief Improvement Officer of Unified Works, Rich coaches executives, middle management and front-line leaders on Lean Design and Construction techniques along with the thinking and behavioral changes necessary to effect rapid, but sustainable project and enterprise improvement. His distinctive blue-collar/white-collar hybrid nature enables him to adapt, communicate and lead quite efficiently not only in the field with value creators, but also in the boardroom with servant leaders.
Rich has facilitated over one thousand varying lean sessions with about 70 large project teams well into the billions.
