Welcome to Welcome to the Operational Excellence Conference and Expo and to the city of Minneapolis, City of Lakes; a Midwestern city known for its gorgeous city layout, its fine arts community and blockbuster shopping and restaurants. This Op Ex conference provides education and practical applications from people who have actually implemented a successful operational excellence program. In addition to the wide variety of outstanding conference sessions, two new panel discussion sessions - Going Green and Senior Leadership – there are exceptional opportunities for in-depth discussions and exchange of ideas. We thank you for your support of the Operational Excellence Conference and Expo 2008. If you have questions or need assistance, a staff member at the conference registration desk will be happy to assist you. CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS Beth Cudney, Ph.D. - Missouri University of Science and Technology Sandi Reynolds – SIR Associates CONFERENCE COMMITTEE Majid Abab Boeing Company Larry Aft, P.E. Institute of Industrial Engineers Theresa Barker University of Washington Richard Hebbel Accu-mold Muhanad Hirzallah Mayo Clinic Marjorie Koch Nike Jerome Loftin IBM-Global technology Services Monique Matta Northrop Grumman Corporation Kevin McManus Great Systems! Merwan Mehta, Ph.D. East Carolina University Wilbur J. Meier, Jr., Ph.D. North Carolina State University Christy Strong Boston Scientific Bill Tolo Best Buy Chad Vincent Baxter Healthcare Corp. Scott Wise JMP (a division of SAS)