colorado lean network

What colorado lean network does

Colorado Lean Network (CLN) is a Colorado-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2012 that operates as a community platform for continuous improvement practitioners. It connects Lean, Six Sigma, and operational excellence professionals across government, healthcare, manufacturing, and nonprofit sectors primarily through in-person events across the Colorado Front Range (Denver, Arvada, Golden, Wheat Ridge, Longmont), with virtual programming extended since 2020.

CLN's core offerings include an annual Colorado Lean Summit (its flagship event drawing 120-170+ attendees annually from 2017-2019), quarterly Kaizen Forums hosted at rotating member organizations (e.g., Denver International Airport, Spectra Logic, Lutheran Medical Center), paid and free workshops on Lean tools and methodologies, and monthly Lean Coffee peer-discussion sessions. Supporting products include a Toolbox resource library covering Kaizen 101, Facilitation, Problem Solving, Standardization of Work, and Waste Elimination; a Job Board; a Member Forum; and member-only discounts. The Certified Lean Apprentice program is partner-offered via sponsor Transformation Advisors.

The business model is a hybrid community nonprofit: free individual membership, free Kaizen forums and most programming, with paid monetization layers introduced in May 2020 consisting of $10/hour workshop fees and Summit registration. Revenue is rounded out by tiered event sponsorships (Gold/Silver/Bronze) and tax-deductible donations. The organization is governed by a 100% volunteer Board of Directors with 1-10 staff and has no external equity investors.

Name

colorado lean network

Legal name

Colorado Lean Network

Website

https://coloradoleannetwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Colorado Lean Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community that connects continuous improvement practitioners across Colorado through an annual Summit, quarterly Kaizen forums, workshops, and peer-learning resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Development and Community Services for Continuous Improvement

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Lean Management & Continuous Improvement (Kaizen) (EDABAKAA)

Keywords

• Continuous improvement community
• Lean methodology training
• Professional networking events
• Kaizen facilitation services
• Nonprofit professional association

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Workshop Fees: Small registration fees for workshops beginning May 2020 at $10 per hour, so a 2-hour workshop is $20 and a 4-hour workshop is $40 per person.
2. Membership: Free membership available with benefits including newsletter, event updates, and member discounts. Organization was nearing 500 members as of 2018.
3. Sponsorships: Annual summit and event sponsorships from organizations including Gold, Silver, and Bronze tier sponsors.
4. Donations: Tax-deductible donations accepted as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to support scholarships and expanded programming.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Colorado Lean Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional community that connects continuous improvement practitioners through events, peer learning, and educational resources. It offers an annual Lean Summit, quarterly Kaizen Forums hosted at member organizations, facilitated workshops on Lean tools, monthly Lean Coffee virtual discussions, and an online Toolbox resource library. Membership is free, supported by workshop fees, sponsorships, and donations.

Product overview

Colorado Lean Network (CLN) is a professional membership organization and community platform for Lean and continuous improvement practitioners in Colorado. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit offering a membership network with free tier access, along with a structured portfolio of events and educational resources. The core offerings include an annual Colorado Lean Summit as the premier event, Quarterly Kaizen Forums hosted at various organizations, facilitated workshops on Lean tools and methodologies, and monthly Lean Coffee virtual sessions for peer discussion. Additional member services include a Job Board, Member Forum, and Members Only Discounts. The resource center (Toolbox) provides educational content organized by topic areas including Kaizen 101, Facilitation, Problem Solving, Standardization of Work, and Waste Elimination. The organization also facilitates community outreach initiatives and provides learning opportunities through partnerships with sponsors offering professional certifications such as Certified Lean Apprentice programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Colorado Lean Network Membership Free professional membership program for Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement practitioners offering access to a monthly newsletter, event notifications, Job Board, Member Forum, and Members Only Discounts.
• Colorado Lean Summit The annual premier event of the Colorado Lean Network featuring workshops, case study presentations, networking opportunities, and the CLN XL Award ceremony, bringing together Lean practitioners from across industries.
• Quarterly Kaizen Forums Quarterly in-person events hosted at member organizations where participants engage in Kaizen activities, learn Lean tools, and tour host facilities, with breakout sessions on value stream mapping, visual management, and Lean measures.
• Workshops Facilitated learning sessions covering Lean principles, A3 thinking, problem solving, attention management, and process improvement, offered in-person or virtual, receiving the highest customer satisfaction ratings among CLN service offerings.
• Lean Coffee Sessions Monthly virtual peer discussion sessions for Lean practitioners to connect, share ideas, and discuss Lean topics in an informal, participant-driven format.
• Toolbox (Resource Center) An online resource library organized by Lean topic areas including Kaizen 101, Facilitation, Problem Solving, Standardization of Work, and Waste Elimination, containing articles, guides, and links to relevant content for practitioners at all proficiency levels.
• Job Board A member benefit offering a platform for posting and viewing job opportunities related to Lean, process improvement, and continuous improvement professions in the Colorado area.
• Member Forum An online discussion platform where CLN members can engage with each other, share insights, ask questions, and collaborate on Lean topics.
• Members Only Discounts

Quantifiable outcome

• Assembly time reduced by 28% at Colorado aerospace manufacturer using Standard Work tools
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Transformation AdvisorscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20232023 sponsor of the Colorado Lean Summit. Offers Certified Lean Apprentice course, Lean Transformation, Strategy Execution, and Supply Chain Management programs. Transformation Advisors provides education and training programs that combine knowledge transfer and coaching for immediate and lasting results.
• Colorado Department of Public SafetycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 October 2019Summit Host for the 2019 Colorado Lean Summit, providing the Training Facility venue at 15065 S. Golden Road, Golden, CO 80401.
• Denver International AirportcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 October 2019Gold sponsor of the 2019 Summit. Hosted Q2 2019 Kaizen Forum. Denver International Airport served 64.5 million passengers in 2018 and operates the Peak Performance Team for continuous improvement.
• Gemba AcademyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 October 2019Silver sponsor of the 2019 Colorado Lean Summit. Provider of Lean and Six Sigma training resources.
• Camacho InsightsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 October 2019Bronze sponsor of the 2019 Summit. Sarah Camacho, Principal Consultant, is a CLN member and planning committee participant.
• Process + Results Leadership CoachingminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 October 2019Bronze sponsor of the 2019 Summit. Jamie V. Parker, Principal, is a CLN Board member and Event Management team lead. Also sponsored the 2018 picnic food and supplies.
• Spectra LogiccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Host for Q3 2019 Kaizen Forum. Boulder-based data storage company demonstrating Lean systems thinking and tools including 5S, visual management, value-stream mapping, standardization of work, spaghetti diagramming and Lean metrics.
• Metro CaringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Community outreach partner for hands-on Lean events. Denver's front-line anti-hunger organization where CLN conducted value-stream mapping and 6S restructure workshops for members to learn by doing.
• REVISIONcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 September 2017Gold-level sponsor of the 2017 Colorado Lean Summit. Colorado-based Management and IT Consulting firm focused on helping local government, non-profit, and commercial clients achieve performance excellence through Lean and Six-Sigma programs.
• City of ArvadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 September 2017Silver-level sponsor hosting the 2017 Colorado Lean Summit. Provided venue and schoolhouse venue at no cost. First-ring suburb of Denver with estimated population of 115,368.
• Denver Health Lean AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 September 2017Silver-level sponsor providing breakfast for the 2017 Summit. One of the first healthcare delivery organizations to successfully adopt Lean with quantified success; now offers training in collaboration with Healthcare Performance Partners.
• Herman Miller and Workplace ResourceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 September 2017Bronze-level sponsors for the 2017 Summit, sponsoring the after-hours networking event. Herman Miller implemented the Toyota Production System successfully over 20 years ago and continues to deploy the Herman Miller Performance System.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Catalysis: Nonprofit formerly known as the Healthcare Value Network, focused on Lean transformation in healthcare delivery. Closely comparable to CLN's healthcare practitioner community and its value-stream/Gemba walk programming.
• Gemba Academy: Provider of Lean and Six Sigma online training content and certification, listed as a Silver sponsor of the 2019 Colorado Lean Summit. Directly comparable to CLN's training mission but with a scaled, on-demand delivery model.
• Government Performance Solutions: Government-focused Lean and performance improvement consultancy where CLN's Co-Director of Learning and Development serves as Principal Consultant. Operates in the same Colorado public-sector Lean ecosystem as CLN.
• Transformation Advisors: Colorado-area Lean consulting and training firm offering the Certified Lean Apprentice course, Lean Transformation, and Supply Chain Management programs. A 2023 CLN Summit sponsor and one of the closest direct competitors to CLN's Lean training offerings.
• REVISION: Colorado-based management and IT consulting firm specializing in Lean and Six Sigma for government, nonprofit, and commercial clients. Gold sponsor of the 2017 Colorado Lean Summit and a regional peer in the Colorado Lean ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Association for Manufacturing Excellence: Nonprofit organization dedicated to enterprise excellence and Lean manufacturing. Comparable to CLN as a member-driven Lean community but operating at national scale with a manufacturing focus.
• Society for Health Systems: A community within the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers focused on healthcare process improvement and Lean. Comparable professional society operating in an overlapping healthcare/Lean domain.
• Lean Enterprise Institute: Founded by Jim Womack, LEI is the leading global Lean thinking and practice organization. Operates at much larger scale than CLN but shares the same Lean thought-leadership, education, and community-building mission.
• American Society for Quality: The largest professional society for quality and continuous improvement practitioners, including Lean and Six Sigma. Comparable mission of advancing professional practice but at vastly larger scale and broader scope.

Regional players

• Peak Performance: Colorado-based organization that confers the Peak Award for operational excellence (awarded to Denver Health in 2016). Operates in the same Colorado operational excellence ecosystem as CLN.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/FRLPG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coloradoleannetwork

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 colorado lean network