John O’Brien

A seasoned consultant, executive, trainer, and entrepreneur, John O’Brien has expertise in finance, leadership training, marketing, sales management, and ‘kaizen’ processes (continuous process improvement). In addition, manufacturing, education, retail, and technology are fields of John’s focus.

Growing up in a family automotive business gave John a foundation and ability to understand the challenges small businesses and entrepreneurs face daily. After the family Dealerships were sold, he was recruited by the Saturn Car Company. Saturn was an innovative start-up during this period, and General Motors used Saturn to experiment with new processes – from manufacturing through the retail experience.

Saturn Consulting Services (SCS) was the training and consulting arm of the Saturn Car Company. In the beginning, Saturn had a very progressive company management style, work team development, Lean/Six Sigma processes, and creating a positive customer experience. In addition, SCS hired some great thinkers in business leadership, including Ken Blanchard, Steven Covey, and Tom Peters (McKinsey & Co), to mentor the SCS team. Saturn Consulting (SCS) grew outside the GM umbrella with Southwest Airlines, The Disney Institute, and US Army Recruiters as sample clients.

John O’Brien worked as a consultant and later National Marketing Manager for Saturn Consulting Services sharing Saturn’s successes with its parent company General Motors and its tier-one suppliers. His clients included Delco/Delphi Electronics, Hughes Corp., GM Truck Engineering, GM of Canada, and Oldsmobile Division. The experience with Saturn led John to start his own consulting business in 2001.

Shortly after venturing out as an independent consultant, John O’Brien became an adjunct faculty member of The Ohio State University, Department of Continuing Education School of Business. He designed and delivered on-campus classes on Leadership, Developing Staff, and High-Performing Cross-Functional Teams. Additionally, the school assigned him to convention workshops and client training at their location.

The faculty role opened consulting opportunities with Chase Bank, Nationwide Insurance, T Marzetti Company, and CVG Manufacturing in Central Ohio. Other projects included completing a start-up project for Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Standards for Excellence process for GM Dealerships, and completing a financial analysis and strategic planning project for Volkswagen of America.