CEO

What CEO does

The Center for Excellence in Operations, Inc. (CEO) is a private management consulting firm founded in 1991 and headquartered in Franconia, New Hampshire, with a European office in Wörth, Germany. The firm specializes in strategic and operational transformation, offering services across operating transformation strategy, PE/M&A operations due diligence and integration, demand and supply chain management, time-to-market and new product development, global quality and reliability management, procurement and supplier management, core process breakthrough improvement, digital technology integration, and custom education and talent development. Its practice is built around the Lean Business System Reference Model and a proprietary LBS Analytics assessment comprising over 600 best practice evaluation points and 50 graphical analytics.

CEO serves small and mid-sized manufacturing and service organizations, business units of large multinationals, private equity and M&A firms, and larger consulting organizations. Since 1991, the firm reports work with over 350 clients across 48 US states and 23 countries. Named engagements include a $1B Consumer/Industrial Products company, a Multinational Electronics Conglomerate, a $150M sporting equipment manufacturer/distributor, and $300M-$500M mid-market companies. The firm is founder-owned and led by Terence T. Burton (Founder, President and CEO), with Dr. Helmut G. Falser as European Managing Director and Edward A. Fagundes as West Coast Practice Director.

The revenue model is professional services: tailored consulting engagements delivered directly by senior practitioners, supplemented by published books, thought-leadership content (blog, LinkedIn), and the LBS Analytics assessment product. The firm does not publicly disclose pricing, and operates with a stated headcount of 1-10 employees, indicating a boutique model that depends heavily on senior practitioner capacity. No external funding, acquisitions, or ownership changes have been disclosed.

Name

CEO

Legal name

The Center for Excellence in Operations, Inc.

Website

https://ceobreakthrough.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Excellence in Operations, Inc. (CEO) is a founder-owned management consulting firm founded in 1991 that provides strategic and operational transformation services built around the Lean Business System Reference Model, serving small and mid-sized manufacturers, multinational business units, and PE/M&A firms across 23 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Development & Portfolio Optimization (BPAHADAK), Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA), Strategic Leadership & Business Acumen (EDABAAAC)

Keywords

• Management consulting services
• Operational transformation consulting
• Lean business systems
• Supply chain optimization
• Manufacturing improvement strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Bedford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Management Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for strategic and operational transformation. Revenue generated through consulting engagements with clients across various industries. Services include operating transformation strategy, M&A operations due diligence, demand and supply chain management, quality management, procurement optimization, and custom education programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CEO is a professional management consulting firm that delivers strategic and operational transformation services to small and mid-sized manufacturing and service organizations, business units of large multinationals, and PE/M&A firms. Its offering guides clients through the full transformation cycle (Strategy, Deployment Planning and Integration, Execution, and Sustainability) using the proprietary Lean Business System Reference Model and includes operating transformation strategy, PE/M&A operations due diligence, demand and supply chain management, time-to-market and new product development, global quality and reliability management, procurement and supplier management, core process breakthrough improvement, digital technology integration, and custom education and talent development.

Product overview

The Center for Excellence in Operations, Inc. (CEO) is a management consulting firm offering professional services centered on the Lean Business System Reference Model™. The core offering is strategic and operational transformation consulting, which includes Operating Transformation Strategy, Private Equity/M&A Operations Due Diligence, Demand and Supply Chain Chain Management, Global Quality and Reliability Management, Procurement and Supplier Management, Core Process Breakthrough Improvement, Digital Technology Integration, and Custom Education and Talent Development. The firm also provides LBS Analytics®, an assessment and evaluation solution with over 600 best practice evaluation points. CEO complements its consulting services with published books including Global Kata, Out of the Present Crisis, Accelerating Lean Six Sigma Results, and others. The consulting firm operates across Americas and European regions, serving clients in manufacturing, service organizations, PE/M&A firms, and larger consulting organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Operating Transformation Strategy, Detailed Implementation Planning, and Execution End-to-end strategic and operational transformation consulting that guides clients through strategy, deployment planning and integration, execution, and sustainability of breakthrough operating performance. Targeted at small and mid-sized manufacturing and service organizations, business units of large multinationals, PE and M&A firms, and larger consulting organizations.
• Private Equity / M&A Operations Due Diligence, Integration Planning and Implementation Support Operations due diligence, integration planning, and implementation support service for private equity firms and companies undergoing mergers and acquisitions, designed to accelerate value creation and reduce integration risk.
• Demand and Supply Chain Management Consulting Consulting services focused on demand management, supply chain optimization, and operational excellence across the enterprise value chain, including procurement and supplier management as a related sub-offering.
• Time-to-Market and New Product Development Consulting Advisory services to improve product development velocity, reduce time-to-market, and strengthen new product introduction processes.
• Global Quality and Reliability Management Consulting Quality management consulting to improve operational reliability, reduce defects, and enhance customer satisfaction across global operations.
• Procurement and Supplier Management Consulting Services focused on optimizing sourcing strategies, supplier management, and procurement cost reduction.
• Targeted Core Process Breakthrough Improvement Assignments Targeted improvement assignments aimed at achieving breakthrough results in critical business processes on a shorter, focused basis.
• Integration of Enabling Digital Technologies Consulting service to integrate enabling digital technologies such as cloud, big data, mobility, business analytics, and real-time performance dashboards into transformation initiatives.
• Custom Education and Talent Development Programs Custom education and talent development services designed to build internal client capabilities that sustain improvement beyond the consulting engagement.
• LBS Analytics Assessment Solution Assessment and evaluation solution using the Lean Business System Reference Model with over 600 best practice evaluation points and 50 graphical analytics to assess strategic improvement initiatives.
• Global Kata: Success Through the Lean Business System Reference Model (Book) Published book providing a detailed roadmap for leading, designing, architecting, implementing, and sustaining a holistic, organization-centric and culturally grounded Lean Business System.
• Out of the Present Crisis: Rediscovering Improvement in the New Economy (Book, 2012)
• Accelerating Lean Six Sigma Results (Book, 2011)
• Six-Sigma for Small and Mid-Sized Organizations (Book, 2005)
• The Lean Extended Enterprise (Book, 2003)
• The Future Focused Organization (Book, 1995)

Quantifiable outcome

• Improved operating results in excess of 10X+ CEO's fees within 12-18 months
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• LEK Consulting: Strategy consulting firm with notable private equity and operations practices. Comparable to CEO on PE due diligence and mid-market industrial engagements (LEK already appears in CEO's referenced client ecosystem).
• West Monroe: Mid-market-focused management and technology consulting firm serving industrial, consumer, and PE clients. Comparable to CEO on mid-market transformation, operations improvement, and PE due diligence/integration support.
• Kaizen Institute: Global consulting and training organization built on the Kaizen/continuous improvement methodology. Highly comparable to CEO on operating philosophy, lean transformation services, and education/training offerings for mid-market manufacturers.
• TBM Consulting Group: Specialist lean/operations consulting firm focused on manufacturing and supply chain transformation. Closest comparable peer to CEO given overlapping Lean Six Sigma methodology, mid-market manufacturing target clients, and similar boutique operating model.
• Palladium: Strategy execution and transformation consultancy focused on measurable operating outcomes in emerging and developed markets. Comparable to CEO on results-driven transformation, monitoring & evaluation rigor, and mid-market/global client work.
• Roland Berger: European-origin strategy consulting firm with strong operations and industrial footprint, particularly in DACH. Direct peer to CEO in serving German-speaking mid-market industrial clients with operating-transformation engagements.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company: Global strategy consulting leader with deep operating-transformation practice. Compares to CEO in that both serve multinational clients on strategic and operational improvement, though McKinsey operates at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• Bain & Company: Top-tier global management consulting firm serving private equity, consumer/industrial, and operations clients. Comparable to CEO on transformation consulting, PE due diligence, and mid-to-large enterprise manufacturing engagements.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG): Global strategy consultancy with strong operations and transformation practice. Overlaps CEO on strategic transformation, supply chain, and large-multinational engagements, though at significantly greater scale and with broader digital/AI offerings.

Emerging players

• Genpact: Professional services firm blending Lean/Six Sigma operational heritage with AI/digital transformation capabilities. Threatens CEO's positioning by modernizing the same methodology stack for enterprise digital operating model mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CEO