AME Blog

AME Blog
April is right around the corner, promising warmer weather, lighter evenings, and an enriching AME event season. AME has some incredible learning opportunities in April. Join us in person on April 10 for the Blue Q: Benchmarking Plant Tour, where we will expand the future through lean innovation and... More
AME Blog
It is always my honor to share a weekly letter with our membership. It is even more fun when we have guest columnists. This week, AME Champions Club member and columnist David A. Behling shares an interview with Billy Ray Taylor, AME’s Board chair-elect. Billy Ray Taylor is a keynote speaker at the... More
AME Blog
I recently attended a "Milk and Cookies" open house event at the Peake Childhood Center in Hampton, Virginia. While there were a lot of "oohs" and "ahhs" about the incredible work they are doing with pre-kindergarten children, it was even more fascinating to learn about the impact early childhood education... More
AME Blog
In my January 31st letter, I shared how one of our AME founders, Robert “Doc” Hall, has been the heartbeat of AME for forty years and how incredibly important he is to AME and me personally. Long-time AME members shared in this letter how much Doc has meant to them over the past four decades. It... More
AME Blog
Valentine’s Day, with its trademark heart-shaped chocolates and flowers, is traditionally reserved for romance. Last year, I shared that I would like to reframe the narrative and challenge us to take the time to show a little extra love to those other people in our lives—our coworkers, suppliers,... More
AME Blog
This week is our exciting U.S. football finale! While my team is not in Super Bowl LVIII, I do have a favorite, as I am sure you do. As Superbowl Sunday approaches, I cannot help but think about how important continuous improvement in manufacturing is to the success of the most important United States... More
AME Blog
Last week, I talked about celebrating my four years as CEO of AME and how wonderful this experience has been. I am forever grateful to the AME trailblazers for this dream. In my January fifth letter, I talked about AME’s history and the pioneers who founded this incredible organization four decades... More
AME Blog
This month marks my fourth anniversary as AME president and CEO! It's hard to believe how quickly these four years have flown by and all we've overcome in this timeframe. I assumed this position shortly before the pandemic irreversibly changed our personal and professional lives. It has been quite a... More
AME Blog
This past week, I read some intriguing articles about how we can enhance our value at work. My greatest takeaways boiled down to these simple ideas: Do work on what truly matters. Busy work is not a value-add and distracts us from our mission. Be humble about what you know, and always share credit. Build... More
AME Blog
2024 is commencing with great energy! It is exciting to see members collaborate and innovate as we design new training and workshop opportunities for members. This year, AME will host the annual virtual Back to Basics Lean Summit and offer in-person events again, including the AME Nashville 2024 Lean... More
AME Blog
2023 was an action-packed and wonderful year for AME. Through all the challenges, successes and celebrations, I am humbled you have graced me with the honor to continue to lead this forward-thinking, innovative organization and work with such outstanding members, volunteers and boards, as well as a fantastic... More
AME Blog
The end of a year and the pending new year are always exciting and hopeful times. These are also times of supreme gratitude. We are thankful for all the good things that transpired and the relationships we made or nurtured during the year. This year has been personally rewarding, and while challenging,... More
AME Blog
‘Tis the season where we gather to reflect on the current year as it winds down while getting excited about the upcoming year. During the holiday season, we traditionally have fun, reminisce and exchange gratitude for all of life’s joys with families and friends. Isn’t it just as important to get... More
AME Blog
Get to know the AME team! I’ll be sharing a series of fun Q&As of AME staff and board officers in future CEO letters. This week, enjoy an interview of yours truly. Kim Humphrey, AME president and CEO 1. How does your childhood dream career align with what you do now? When I was a child, all I... More
AME Blog
Continuing in the spirit of gratitude this week, I would like to thank Mike Kijak and the entire Legrand (formerly Wiremold) family for hosting the AME best practice workshop and tour last month. It was an action-packed day of tours, learning and new experiences. And a special thank you to AME Northeast... More
AME Blog
Happy Thanksgiving! Whether you brave the airports on the busiest travel day of the year, host your extended family or spend time with friends for Friendsgiving, I hope you enjoy a lovely holiday full of delicious food, gratitude and love. We usually think of Thanksgiving as “turkey day,” accompanied... More
AME Blog
I am still celebrating the success of the AME Cleveland International Conference. The people and the learning environment were so energizing. As lean leaders, we know that an important and worthy piece of the continuous improvement journey is the celebration. In today’s fast-paced world, we sometimes... More
AME Blog
I am still celebrating the success of the AME Cleveland International Conference. The people and the learning environment were so energizing. As lean leaders, we know that an important and worthy piece of the continuous improvement journey is the celebration. In today’s fast-paced world, we sometimes... More
AME Blog
Another amazing AME International Conference has come and gone. It feels surreal that we all gathered just a few days ago to share, learn and grow as we ReImagined Excellence. What a fun time in Cleveland, and how impressive was it that the honorable Cleveland mayor, Justin Bibb, kicked off the week... More
AME Blog
I am a big fan of Halloween. It brings out the inner child we tuck away most days of the year, allowing us to relive and reinvent precious childhood memories. Halloween also allows us to exercise our scope of creativity. Think about how costumes have evolved over the years. I know many of us can recall... More
AME Blog
First, let me share that I am ecstatic that next week, we will gather in the beautiful city of Cleveland, Ohio to celebrate our 39th AME International Conference! We will host attendees from all over the United States, Canada and 19 other countries. I cannot wait to see you all in person. Zoom calls... More
AME Blog
I couldn’t be more thrilled to join you in just over a week at AME’s 39th annual conference, AME Cleveland 2023, as we ReImagine Excellence. This year is a little extra spooky (oops – meant special) because day two of the conference falls on Halloween. Luckily, our talented events team has ensured... More
AME Blog
Every day at AME, I am reminded that it truly takes a village. Collaboration and support in our community are crucial for change and innovation. We know we cannot do it alone, and this reflects AME's values – we share, learn and grow. Our network provides opportunities every day, and I am so grateful... More
AME Blog
This week, I am thrilled to update our membership on a few exciting changes at AME. We have appointed three new members to our international board of directors. Ellis Jones, Marc Kuzik and Bob Miller will serve as directors-at-large for a two-year term that began October 1, 2023. Jones is an independent... More
AME Blog
Dear Present, Past and Future AME Members: I am thrilled to announce an exciting update to this week’s letter. We are honored to have a special guest writer, Jenny Snow-Boscolo, AME’s outgoing 2022-2023 Board chair. I am so personally grateful for Snow-Boscolo’s leadership these past few years.... More
AME Blog
You hear me talk a lot about how proud I am that AME has a world-class Champions Club. This is one of the best places for senior leaders, lean influencers and C-suite executives to network for peer-to-peer learning. It is an exclusive group that delivers experiential learning and strategic value to leaders.... More
AME Blog
One of the things I am most proud of in my three and a half years at AME is the success and growth of the AME Emerging Leaders Program. What started as an idea blossomed into something significant to AME’s future. I want to give a shoutout to our AME volunteer Emerging Leaders director, Josh Buchanan,... More
AME Blog
AME’s AME Cleveland 2023 Conference is less than two months away. With the date fast approaching, I find it difficult to contain my excitement. In one unforgettable week, we will explore world-class keynote speakers, sessions, workshops, tours and networking opportunities. This year’s theme is “Reimagining... More
AME Blog
Labor Day is an incredibly important holiday to honor workers – all those dedicated to hard work and accomplishing their dreams. In the past few years, workers across the globe have shown incredible resilience, dedication and innovation as they learned to navigate a new world. Whether in the front... More
AME Blog
It is hard to believe that we are a little over nine weeks away from gathering in Cleveland, Ohio for the 39th annual AME International Conference: AME Cleveland 2023. I am so excited to see everyone again. I hope you have registered to attend. If you haven’t, why not? Conferences are a great way to... More
AME Blog
Happy summer! It seems like spring just started, yet some of our children returned to school this week. It is true that time passes quickly. We must celebrate each day because we know, “Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” Last... More
AME Blog
One of our home team members shared that she was ecstatic to see her idol, Taylor Swift, in concert last week, as it was her dream and at the top of her bucket list. How awesome is that! This inspired me to ponder my own bucket list items. You know, those dreams that fuel our passion and thrill us. They... More

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