Mayor to be Keynote Speaker at Six Sigma Event in California

Mayor Graham Richard will be a keynote speaker at the 2006 ASQ Six Sigma Conference in Palm Springs, California, Monday, February 6. Mayor Richard will lead a session on the use of Six Sigma in local government. The City of Fort Wayne has saved over $10 million by using Lean Six Sigma to better serve taxpayers, reduce costs and provide increased services with fewer employees.

Fort Wayne is known around the country for its Six Sigma efforts. Author Michael George in his book Lean Six Sigma for Service recognizes Fort Wayne for using business practices such as Lean Six Sigma.

“All of these people and their organizations were impressive, but it'€™s the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, that really amazed me '€“ perhaps because I, like most people, had low expectations when it came to government services of any sort'€¦What'€™s really intriguing are the dozens of city employees who are reducing lead times, streamlining processes, providing better quality service to citizens and holding down costs,” said George.

“Business practices like Lean Six Sigma prepare our City to be a leader in efficient and effective government,” said Mayor Richard. “We look forward to sharing Fort Wayne'€™s successes at the conference.”