Rick Norman
Director of Programs, Strategyn Consulting
Locale: Wilmington, North Carolina
Biography: Rick has compiled a broad range of product development experience in engineering, design, design-manufacturing automation, marketing, sales, and consulting. Before joining Strategyn in 2006, he owned and managed a successful consulting business, assisting organizations in implementing customer-integration technologies using cross-functional teams.
In his consulting capacity, Rick has served as a trainer, team facilitator and consultant, helping companies develop methods and practices for integrating voice-of-the-customer techniques into product and market strategy disciplines. His clients have included Cadence Design Systems, PG&E Corporation, Vantus Energy Corporation, Pacific Bell, Navigation Technologies Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Company, Hill Phoenix, Sun Microsystems, Raychem, Becton Dickinson and Company, AT&T/NCR, LifeScan, Bose Corporation, GE Lighting, Lakeside Manufacturing, Boston Scientific Corporation, 3D Systems, Varian, Lockheed, Harley-Davidson, Baxter Healthcare, the Clorox Company, B. Braun Medical, Inficon, and FEI Company.
A longtime student of the product development process, Rick co-authored Customer Integration: The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Leader’s Guide for Decision Making. A certified Level III organizational engineer, he also pioneered a practical application of organizational engineering technology that enabled teams to revamp their innovation and product development processes. In his role as Director of Programs for the Strategyn Consulting, Rick is integrating organizational engineering technology and ODI technologies to help companies assess, measure and improve their innovation process as well as the organizational cultural elements needed to allow the process to work effectively and efficiently for growing markets..
Prior to embarking on his consulting career, Rick worked as an engineer for GE Aircraft Engines; a design manager for NuTone and Johnson & Johnson; sales and marketing manager for International TechneGroup Incorporated; and as a QFD consultant for Leemak Training Systems. He has a bachelor's degree in systems engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and has completed graduate studies in marketing at Xavier University.
Personal: I have a 94-year-old Dad who is defying medical science, two daughters and four grand-kids. I enjoy golf, fly fishing, golf, backpacking, and golf. And then there’s golf.
Most Significant Accomplishment: Studied the “Job of Innovation – Devise a Valued Solution” and the job of “Convert a Concept into a Design Specification.” This effort resulted in a provisional patent, and has expanded Strategyn’s suite of offerings in the field of innovation management and growth strategy.
One Thing People Don’t Know About Me: I graduated Ranger School with General Petreaus. He was in my West Point class. That’s why you’ll hear some people call me “Ranger Rick.”
Last Great Book I Read: The Limits of Power by Andrew J. Bacevich.
Quotes: The beginning of wisdom is a definition of terms - Socrates. And my favorite quote by me!Jobs-and-outcome thinking will set you free.