Brad Kuik

Brad Kuik is the President of K2 Performance Management, a U.S.-based strategic business consulting firm devoted to helping organizations across the world think, plan and operate efficiently. Across more than 20 years of progressive managerial experience, Brad has furthered his reputation as an astute senior business leader and LEAN manufacturing expert. As President of K2PM, Brad works closely with business owners and staff to examine their organizations’ culture, processes and goals. In this course, he identifies challenges, creates LEAN solutions, and promotes continuous improvement through strong relationships and accountability.

In the late 1980s, Brad Kuik grew up working in his family’s printing business, Premier Printing, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. While gaining experience as a tradesman, Brad began learning the importance of hard work and dependability.

At the age of 21, Brad’s expertise in the printing industry led to his promotion to a managerial position at Premier Graphics, a Premier Agendas division, and subsequent relocation to Bellingham, Washington. Over the next 15 years, he advanced through several key managerial roles at Premier Graphics to the position of General Manager. In this role, he bore direct responsibility for more than 400 employees at four locations across North America.

Brad was first exposed to LEAN concepts in 1997 by Brad Schmidt and John Miller of Gemba Research. Intrigued by its applicability to the printing industry, Brad assisted in implementing the LEAN methodology into Premier Graphics’ operations. As Director of Agenda Operations and, subsequently, Lean Transformation (2004-2007), Brad led the full-scale implementation of LEAN into Premier Agendas’ culture and operations under the guidance of world-renowned LEAN expert Steve Matteson. Under Brad’s leadership, then-President Dave Loeppky described, “the culture of the company changed positively. Product quality, operations productivity and customer satisfaction improved. Facility space was reduced from 120,00 sqft. to 80,000 sqft. and cost savings exceeding $3 million dollars were realized.”

In 2009, Brad moved to Australia to become the General Manager of Nathan’s Cabinets, a cabinet manufacturer that had been operating in a traditional manufacturing mindset. In Brad’s three years in this role, the company embraced LEAN culture and processes, resulting in more than 150% growth in production using only 50% of the previous space. Simultaneously, Brad helped Nathan’s Cabinets accomplish this transformation while preparing to open their stone countertop division.

In 2012, Brad returned to Lynden, Washington near the U.S.-Canadian border. After completing a six-month role as Operations Manager at West Coast Machinery in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, Brad founded strategic business consulting firm K2 Performance Management. K2PM serves a dozen clients in the U.S., Canada and Australia spanning manufacturing, distribution, agriculture, and food and beverage industries. These include Brad’s previous employers, Premier Agendas and Nathan’s Cabinets, and several family businesses preparing to transition into the next generation of leadership.