What Engage Forward does

Engage Forward LLC is a privately held, founder-led boutique consulting firm headquartered in Glendora, California, founded in 2018 by Lisa Rawcliffe. The firm delivers operational and leadership transformation services to U.S. manufacturing organizations, combining Lean manufacturing, Training Within Industry (TWI Job Instruction, Job Methods, Job Relations), and Toyota Kata (Improvement and Coaching Kata) methodologies within a proprietary three-pillar framework — Define Purpose, Refine Processes, Develop People. Engagements are customized and typically cover value stream mapping, Kaizen/5S events, Lean implementation, TWI training programs, Kata coaching, and front-line leadership development, with documented outcomes including $8M in new/retained sales for a sign company, scaling a custom manufacturer from 25 to 160 employees, and eliminating 7,100 miles of unnecessary walking in a single Lean factory launch.

The company operates on project-based and retainer professional services engagements with quote-based pricing, entering clients through a complimentary company assessment booked via Calendly. It is a partner resource for CMTC and the broader NIST Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) network of 51 centers, which serves as the primary referral channel for nationwide reach. Additional strategic partnerships include the Workforce Development Institute (WDI) and authorized delivery of the New World of Work 21st-century employability skills curriculum, which extends the firm's footprint into high schools, community colleges, and workforce development boards. The operating team is intentionally lean — founder Lisa Rawcliffe plus consultant George Sobota and project manager Mara Gillani — with differentiated credentials (TWI Institute and Personify Leadership certifications, MBA in Global Business, BS in Industrial Engineering) serving as a talent-based competitive moat.

Engage Forward is bootstrapped with no institutional investors or funding rounds disclosed, and generates revenue entirely through professional service fees. Its go-to-market relies on content marketing (detailed case studies and blog posts), LinkedIn presence, podcast appearances, MEP/CMTC webinars and roundtables, and direct outreach. The firm explicitly serves companies nationwide from its California base, with engagements documented in California, New York, Colorado, and additional states reached via MEP referral partners.

Name

Engage Forward

Legal name

Engage Forward LLC

Website

https://engage-forward.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Engage Forward is a boutique U.S. consulting firm founded in 2018 that delivers Lean manufacturing, TWI, and Toyota Kata-based operational and leadership transformation services to mid-market and enterprise manufacturers nationwide via customized project and retainer engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Manufacturing Operations Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA), People Management & Supervisory Skills (EDABAAAB), Coaching, Feedback & Mentoring Skills (EDABAMAM), Organizational Culture & Values-Based Leadership (EDABAAAE)

Keywords

• Lean manufacturing consulting
• TWI training programs
• Toyota Kata coaching
• Workforce development training
• Operations consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Glendora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Travel

Revenue model

1. Operational and Leadership Consulting Services: Engage Forward provides customized consulting engagements focused on operational solutions and leadership development for manufacturing companies. Engagements include process optimization, Lean implementation, TWI training, and workforce development programs. Revenue is generated through professional service fees for consulting engagements, training programs, and ongoing advisory relationships. They operate on a project-based and retainer model with clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Engage Forward provides operational and leadership development consulting services to manufacturing companies, specializing in Lean manufacturing methodologies, Training Within Industry (TWI), and Toyota Kata coaching. The firm helps manufacturers improve production processes, develop supervisory skills, and build sustainable continuous-improvement cultures through customized consulting engagements, on-site workshops, and long-term coaching programs.

Product overview

Engage Forward is a consulting and training services company (not a software product company) that offers operational solutions and leadership development programs. The core offerings include Training Within Industry (TWI) programs (Job Instruction, Job Methods, Job Relations), Lean Manufacturing consulting, Kata Coaching (Toyota Improvement and Coaching Kata), Leadership Development, and Workforce Development Training using the New World of Work curriculum. These services are delivered as customized consulting engagements rather than packaged software products. The company provides end-to-end transformation programs that combine process optimization with people development to achieve measurable business results.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Operational Solutions and Leadership Development Consulting Customized Lean manufacturing and operational-improvement consulting engagements that diagnose production-floor problems and implement sustainable solutions for manufacturing organizations.
• Training Within Industry (TWI) Programs Structured TWI training programs covering Job Instruction, Job Methods, Job Relations, and Job Safety that equip frontline supervisors and team leaders in manufacturing environments with standardized skills.
• Lean Manufacturing Consulting Lean transformation services that reduce waste, improve flow, and embed continuous-improvement practices within manufacturing operations for mid-market and enterprise manufacturers.
• Toyota Kata Coaching Coaching engagements that teach Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata routines, helping manufacturing leaders and teams build scientific thinking and a daily continuous-improvement discipline.
• Leadership Development for Manufacturing Supervisors Targeted leadership training for front-line supervisors, leads, and managers in manufacturing that builds the people-skills and operational habits required to lead production teams.
• Workforce Development / Power Skills Training Soft-skill and power-skills training programs designed for manufacturing workforces to improve communication, problem-solving, and team effectiveness on the production floor.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced defects, costs, and rework through standardized TWI Job Instruction training
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CMTC (California Manufacturing Technology Consulting)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCMTC is affiliated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and part of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program with 51 centers across the U.S. Engage Forward is a proud partner resource for CMTC, hosting joint webinars on workforce skills and TWI, and participating in manufacturing roundtables. CMTC also hosts Engage Forward's founder Lisa Rawcliffe on the 'Shifting Gears' podcast.
• Workforce Development Institute (WDI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWDI partnered with Engage Forward on multiple workforce development pilots, including a soft skills program at G.W. Lisk Corporation in Clifton Springs, NY, and a New World of Work curriculum implementation. WDI's Rochester/Genesee Valley Regional Director Lynn Freid collaborated with Lisa Rawcliffe on these initiatives.
• New World of Work (NWoW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew World of Work is a California-based non-profit affiliated with the CA community college system, which developed a Top 10 list of essential 21st-century employability skills and associated curriculum. Engage Forward is trained and authorized to deliver NWoW's Power Skills curriculum, having adapted it for manufacturing environments in partnership with WDI and G.W. Lisk.
• G.W. Lisk CorporationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerG.W. Lisk Corporation, a Clifton Springs, Ontario County manufacturer of fluid control systems and specialties, partnered with Engage Forward on multiple programs including TWI Job Instruction for mentors/supervisors, Introduction to Lean Thinking, and Power Skills for machining apprentices. G.W. Lisk invested in interactive training and the development of 44+ Job Instruction Breakdowns.
• The GO SpaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe GO Space is a co-working space in San Dimas, CA. Co-founding partners Sarah and Stacy are working with Engage Forward to apply the Improvement Kata pattern to align and serve business opportunities through collaborative workshops.
• TDO (Technology Development Opportunity)minorOthersTDO (Technology Development Opportunity) facilitated the connection that enabled Engage Forward to deliver New World of Work Self-Awareness training at Syracuse's Innovation Tech High School.
• Bill Berthel (B2 Coaching)minorOthersBill Berthel of B2 Coaching joined Engage Forward's Self-Awareness and Kata for Teams session at Syracuse's Innovation Tech High School as a guest facilitator.
• Onondaga Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLisa joined Michael Metzgar (Associate VP Economic and Workforce Development at Onondaga Community College) and Jennifer McCullough of Workforce Solutions to present workforce development programs at the NEXT? Global Entrepreneurship Week conference in Syracuse, exploring innovation and workforce capability development.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• KaiNexus: KaiNexus is a continuous improvement software platform that helps manufacturers capture, track, and scale Lean/Kaizen activities. It is an emerging technology-enabled peer adjacent to Engage Forward's Lean consulting practice, increasingly blurring the line between software and consulting.

Direct peers

• TWI Institute: The TWI Institute is the leading US organization dedicated to Training Within Industry (TWI) Job Instruction, Job Methods, and Job Relations training. It directly competes with Engage Forward in delivering TWI certification and implementation to manufacturers, and is the certification body for the founder's credentials.
• Catalysis: Catalysis (formerly part of the Lean Enterprise Institute) delivers Lean transformation education, workshops, and consulting to healthcare and manufacturing organizations. It overlaps directly with Engage Forward's Lean/Kata consulting and serves a similar operational transformation buyer.
• GBMP (Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership): GBMP is a non-profit manufacturing partnership that delivers Lean, TWI, and continuous improvement training and consulting to Northeast US manufacturers. It directly mirrors Engage Forward's TWI/Lean methodology focus and serves a similar mid-market industrial customer base.
• CMTC (California Manufacturing Technology Consulting): CMTC is a California-based Manufacturing Extension Partnership center offering operational consulting and workforce development to manufacturers. Although Engage Forward is a CMTC partner, CMTC also delivers Lean/operational consulting directly, competing for the same California mid-market clients.
• Gemba Academy: Gemba Academy provides online Lean training and on-site consulting to manufacturers worldwide. Its methodology, content library, and target audience closely overlap with Engage Forward's Lean manufacturing and Kata coaching offerings, and it competes in the same mid-market segment.

Broad incumbents

• Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI): Lean Enterprise Institute, founded by John Shook, is the premier global Lean education and research organization. It offers Lean training, conferences, and practitioner certification that overlaps with Engage Forward's Lean consulting practice, though at much broader scale and with a more research/education orientation.
• TBM Consulting Group: TBM Consulting Group is a global operational excellence consultancy that delivers Lean, supply chain, and operations transformation to manufacturers. It serves many of the same enterprise manufacturer clients as Engage Forward but at a much larger scale and with broader service offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/engage-forward

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 Engage Forward