The Continuous Improvement Focus of the Six Sigma Green Belt Program
Paul Iaderosa is an experienced operations executive who helped HD Supply (formerly Home Depot Supply) achieve major cost savings through a global vendor rationalization initiative. Paul Iaderosa has completed the executive leadership course offered by the Home Depot and earned Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
Designed for a wide range of executives, from project and quality-control managers to business analysts, the Six Sigma Green Belt program focuses on implementing and guiding process-improvement activities. Statistical and problem-solving skills are emphasized, with the goal of helping participants gain insight into ways of evaluating current performance and defining improvement opportunities. The program gives high priority to consideration of customer needs and expectations and to redesigning processes in ways that serve them better. Ultimately, Six Sigma Green Belt principles provide the basis for continuous improvement in the workplace, which drives efficiencies in highly competitive markets. The measurement-based methodology can change the employee culture and mindset, helping ensure high performance and significantly enhancing the corporate bottom line.
Drop Shipping Within the Wholesale Distribution Industry
American executive professional Paul Iaderosa worked as the Vice President of Operations, Sourcing, Distribution Services, and Canada at HD Supply, a large-scale diversified North American wholesale distributor. With extensive experience in vendor relations and global manufacturing, Paul Iaderosa guided distribution, logistics, sourcing, and corporate operations within the organization.
Drop shipping is a popular business model within the supply chain management industry in which a retailer partners with a wholesale distribution company that takes responsibility for order fulfillment. The advantages of a drop shipping arrangement are that retailers are not required to handle inventory, to deal with storing large product quantities, or to manage the shipping of products to customers. Rather, the products are shipped directly to the customers from the distributor, who may charge shipping and/or handling fees. The distributor may also deal with product returns.
Drop shipping is popular with small businesses that have limited capital, as the need for large inventory purchases is avoided. Additionally, large storage space areas are not required. This means businesses may offer a wide range of products to customers, and simply forward the orders on to the wholesale distributor to be fulfilled as necessary.
Association of the United States Army Hosts Golf Events to Raise Funds
Paul Iadersoa, a former senior vice president of HD Supply based in Atlanta, is a member of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA). Created in the 1950s, the non-profit organization supports everything pertaining to national security while helping those who serve in the U.S. army. There are three types of membership, including individual, corporate, and sustaining. Individual memberships are for active military members, their families, and citizens. Corporate membership is best suited for businesses, and the sustaining membership is for defense industry companies.
These members make up more than 100 chapters scattered across the country. With the help of these volunteers, the AUSA raises money for scholarships, awards, and for the families of soldiers. Each chapter has its own events, some of which include a Veteran’s Day golf tournament at Hunter Golf Club in Connecticut, and the North Texas Golf Classic at the Firewheel Golf Park in Texas.
Paul Iaderosa earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the Virginia Military Institute, which he attended on a Reserved Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship. He earned his master’s degree in business and international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, where he attended on an army fellowship.
Understanding Global Mindset
Senior executive Paul Iaderosa draws on both his military experience and business savvy to bring exceptional leadership to organizations. Paul Iaderosa has several years of experience within the manufacturing, distribution, and technology industries both in the Unites States and overseas.
Global mindset is often defined as using awareness of and openness to cultural and market diversity to see both patterns and potential. Cultural diversity is something to recognize as a positive and useful tool in the implementation of business practices. Global mindset is seen as a crucial quality that an organization must possess in order to become an international company.
Thunderbird School of Global Management further outlines the qualities that make up a global mindset. The school includes qualities such as cosmopolitan outlook, international business savvy, an appreciation of diversity, diplomacy, and intercultural empathy in the mix. Some steps that companies can take to promote a global mindset during international business expansion include reconciling cultural misunderstandings and differences, increasing the level of cultural diversity within management teams, and adapting marketing strategies to tolerate cultural differences.
The Foundations of Supply Chain Management
The process followed by a company leading up to the delivery of a service or product to clients is known as supply chain management. Many intricate steps take place, often involving numerous organizations, which makes supply chain management both complex and necessary. Beginning with the sourcing of materials, the process then involves developing a product or service, storage, logistics, final delivery, and returns. Companies must develop processes that facilitate smooth communication at every step of the process.
When implementing a supply chain management process, structure and efficiency are essential, particularly in modern workplaces where corporations expand rapidly, environmental issues affect daily operations, and strategic business relationships within the supply chain must be well maintained. Although most commonly found within a corporate environment, supply chain management has also been adopted for projects such as emergency response following natural disasters.
Paul Iaderosa on the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center
The Presidio of Monterey’s Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DFIFLC) is one of the most intensive and well-respected language schools in operation today. The DFIFLC handles the language instruction for all branches of the U.S. military as well as members of the Department of Defense. Instruction takes place five days a week, seven hours daily in 23 languages and two dialects. Programs vary in length from 26 to 64 weeks.
Almost all of the faculty members teaching languages are native speakers of what’s being taught and are integral to the development of the Center’s curricula. The training one receives in this environment is perhaps the most intensive found anywhere in the world, and includes immersion portions that place students in real-world scenarios and in circumstances that preclude the use of English. The center also is responsible for maintaining the readiness and linguistic fluency of its graduates, and offers refresher courses, pamphlet supplements and self-directed learning DVDs.
About the Author:
Paul Iaderosa graduated in 1992 from the DFIFLC, where he studied French and German. Mr. Iaderosa is currently a Senior Vice President with HD Supply, a wholesale distribution company.
HD Supply, National Provider of Waterworks Products: An Interview with Paul Iaderosa
Industrial distribution giant HD Supply is the No. 1 national supplier of waterworks products. Two keys to its success are having a wide array of offerings to meet the needs of contractors and municipalities, and a 96 percent order-fulfillment rate. Paul Iaderosa, Senior Vice President of Operations, Sourcing, Distribution Services and Canada, tells us more about this HD Supply line of business.
Q. Please provide a brief overview of HD Supply’s waterworks offerings.
Paul Iaderosa: HD Supply offers a complete line of products that are instrumental in water and wastewater building, maintenance, and repair. These include pipes, valves, hydrants, fittings, metering systems, casting, and much more. In addition, HD Supply provides several value-added services—such as inventory management, water system audits, and control valve testing and repair—to support both municipal infrastructure and residential and commercial construction.
Q. What are some differentiators that distinguish HD Supply from the competition?
Mr. Iaderosa: HD Supply has a unique Customer Advantage Program (CAP) that provides advanced materials management capabilities at no cost to our customers. Through CAP, we provide valuable services such as invoice coding, project estimating tools, and online project tracking.
Q. How does HD Supply ensure that customers’ delivery needs are met?
Mr. Iaderosa: HD Supply has over 265 locations in 41 states providing waterworks and fire protection supplies to customers. Plus, we have over 1,000 delivery vehicles and a top-notch team focused on providing superior, localized service.
The American Legion
Executive Paul Iaderosa maintains involvement with an array of professional, philanthropic, and advocacy organizations. Paul Iaderosa supports the Virginia Military Institute and the American Red Cross and remains active with the Pitt Alumni Association, the Mercedes Benz Club of America, and the National Rifle Association. A proud veteran, Paul Iaderosa also belongs to the Association of the United States Army and the American Legion.
The American Legion ranks as the United States’ single largest veterans service organization currently in operation, boasting a distinct department for every U.S. state and territory. Commanding approximately 2.4 million members across the globe, the American Legion supports an array of programs that assist veterans and contribute to local communities. The American Legion focuses on promoting patriotism, hosting local mentoring and community education initiatives, and advocating for a strong national defense. The guiding pillars of the American Legion include Americanism, Children & Youth, National Security & Foreign Relations, Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation, and Community Service.
Established by Congress in 1919, the American Legion maintains a largely grassroots constituency. In addition to a number of highly effective and ongoing initiatives such as American Legion Baseball, Boys Nation, and the Heroes to Hometowns program, the American Legion has directed millions of dollars toward supporting veterans and their families, notably offering a variety of scholarship options. The American Legion also supports lobbying initiatives directed toward issues that affect U.S. veterans’ rights. The American Legion sustains a number of national committees oriented toward developing the organization and maintaining relationships with affiliated groups, such as the Sons of the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary.
Headquartered in Indianapolis, the American Legion maintains an additional office in Washington, D.C. Collectively, the American Legion commands approximately 14,000 posts worldwide. The American Legion remains a nonprofit organization, supported entirely through membership dues and the generosity of its volunteers. For more information regarding the American Legion and its ongoing activities, please visit legion.org.
A Brief Overview of Specialty Construction Products Provided by HD Supply by Paul Iaderosa
About the Author: A resident of Duluth, Georgia, Paul Iaderosa serves HD Supply as its Senior Vice President of Operations and Sourcing. Mr. Iaderosa has maintained his current responsibilities at the wholesale distribution company since 2007, and he formerly held the position of HD Supply’s Company Officer. Over the course of Paul Iaderosa’s career with HD Supply, he has managed a team of executive leaders, played an important role in the purchase of the Hughes Supply business in 2006, and added Canada to the company’s service area in 2008.
Providing infrastructure, energy and maintenance, repair, and improvement products, HD Supply’s selection of specialty construction items is unsurpassed by any other distributor in the industry. In this brief overview, I’ll outline a short list of HD Supply’s specialty construction offerings.
1. White Cap. Large and medium-sized contractors may purchase White Cap products like pipe and fittings, concrete and masonry hand tools and accessories, decorative and stamped concrete accessories, 3M fire protection items, and erosion control products through HD Supply. HD Supply remains an industry leader in White Cap distribution nationwide.
2. Plumbing/HVAC. Supplies like faucets, tankless water heaters, chemicals and compounds, water filters and softeners, and pumps and tanks are available through the HD Supply plumbing and HVAC department. This department’s inventory is perfect for those in residential, commercial, government, institutional, and light industrial capacities. With Plumbing/HVAC centers in 17 states, HD Supply offers regional kitchen and bath showrooms that showcase the company’s upscale fixture offerings for the home.
3. Creative Touch Interiors. A provider of upscale interior finish solutions for those in the construction industry, Creative Touch Interiors manufactures cabinets and many different kinds of flooring, countertops, and window coverings. HD Supply is the nation’s number-one supplier of Creative Touch Interiors products, and the company also provides turnkey supply and installation services for its wide range of clientele.
National Rifle Association
The origins of the National Rifle Association lie in the disappointment of Union veterans General George Wingate and Colonel William C. Church at the overwhelmingly poor marksmanship demonstrated by their troops. As a result, the two men founded the NRA six years after the American Civil War. Receiving its first official charter from New York State in 1871, the National Rifle Association proceeded to construct a rifle range on Long Island for the purposes of training and annual marksmanship tournaments.
Today, the National Rifle Association remains a leader in gun-related education. In 1949, the NRA began the first specifically hunting-oriented education program in the United States. With the development of the NRA Police Firearms Instructor certification initiative in 1960, the organization assumed its present role as the sole firearms training organization for national law enforcement officers. Today, the National Rifle Association maintains exceptional programs covering the fundamentals of pistol, shotgun, and rifle operation, as well as muzzle-loading firearms and general personal protection. The National Rifle Association educates approximately 750,000 individuals each year in gun-related skills and the fundamentals of responsible weapon ownership.
The NRA’s Refuse To Be A Victim seminars have assisted over 15,000 civilians in creating personal safety strategies. Established in 1988, the Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program instructs children in kindergarten to sixth grade to immediately “Stop. Don’t touch. Leave the area,” and “Tell an adult,” if they encounter an unsupervised firearm. To date, this initiative has educated over 21 million children.
The National Rifle Association is the oldest continually operating civil rights organization in the United States today. Commanding approximately 4 million constituents around the globe, the NRA currently boasts more than 55,000 certified instructors, as well as almost 2,800 coaches working specifically with young competitors and 10,000 individuals operating as NRA-certified security and law enforcement firearms instructors. The National Rifle Association maintains international headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia. For more information regarding the National Rifle Association, please visit nra.org.
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