US LBM associates earn Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification

For the eighth consecutive year, associates from US LBM have earned a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification from the Wisconsin School of Business Center for Professional & Executive Development.

 Central to US LBM's continuous improvement strategy is the company's US 1 initiative, which includes a progressive series of Lean Six Sigma certifications for associates, such as Green Belt and Yellow Belt. 

Lean Six Sigma is a step-by-step process of interventions and statistical tools that allows companies to understand which business processes are not performing as needed, identify root causes of problems, and sustain a competitive advantage. 

"Congratulations to all of our Green Belt graduates," said US LBM's Chief Human Resources Officer and Executive Vice President of Culture Wendy Whiteash. "Providing our people with the knowledge and tools to drive efficiency and change helps us achieve our continuous improvement goals and allows our associates to continue building their careers."

To date, US LBM has had more than 900 associates certified with a Lean Six Sigma Yellow, Green or Black Belt.

 The Green Belt program typically runs from January to June and includes in-person work sessions at the Center for Professional & Executive Development in Madison. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, US LBM and the Center for Professional & Executive Development collaborated to adapt the program for online and virtual learning, with similar work underway for the Yellow Belt program.

 "Innovating, adapting to changing conditions, and problem-solving are at the heart of the Lean Six Sigma philosophy and US LBM's culture," Whiteash said. "We have been proud to partner with the Center for Professional & Executive Development for nearly a decade, and their ability to work with us under challenging conditions so that we can continue investing in our people and enterprise speaks to the strength of the Center and our relationship."

Seven US LBM associates completed the program in October and 15 more are working towards earning their Green Belt certification in December. 

The associates represent a wide range of disciplines from across US LBM's workforce, including operations, logistics, purchasing, HR, finance and sales, with the majority coming from the company's nationwide network of building products distributors.

"As an organization, we're proud that we have been able to overcome the challenges of this year and find new ways to deliver our high-quality programs, like Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, for long term partners like US LBM," said Scott Converse, the program's director of Project Management, Business Analysis and Process Improvement. "It's so rewarding to work with companies like US LBM that value their people and strive to find solutions that keep providing them the opportunities to learn and grow as professionals."

Based in Buffalo Grove, Ill., US LBM is one of the nation’s largest building products distributors with more than 250 locations across the country.