Month: January 2025

Ian Nairn / January 23, 2025

Originally Posted On: Wood River Weekly

By Mike McKenna

It’s pretty easy to get apathetic about almost anything in life, especially things like our daily duties for work. That’s why most of us follow the simple motto: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it—even if it isn’t running very smoothly or cost-efficiently.”

That’s where the continuous improvement theory comes in handy. It’s a process of regularly evaluating your business or nonprofit to find ways to improve and reduce wasted effort, resources and, most importantly, money.

“If you don’t continuously try to improve, any process will start to degrade,” John Rumasuglia said, and he should know.

John spent his career as a consultant in the manufacturing and supply-chain industry, helping improve efficiency and costs.

“I have a passion for any process-type stuff. I really enjoy making things streamlined, taking out waste in a good way,” he said.

John grew up in Boston. After serving in the Navy, he spent 30 years working in the Silicon Valley and Bay Area.

One year, John and his wife, Pauline, came to Hailey to visit a friend and instantly connected with the place. They soon came back for another visit and Idaho really got ahold of them, so they bought a cabin at Smiley Creek that they owned for nearly 20 years.

When it came time to retire, John and Pauline began traveling around the Mountain West looking for a new place to call home. But nothing they visited compared to their feelings for Idaho.

“Nothing beats Sun Valley, “ John said.

So they decided to build a home in Hailey, but retirement didn’t really sit well with John. He wanted to do more and become active in our community. That’s what led him to Schooley Mitchell.

Schooley Mitchell is the largest independent cost-reduction consulting firm in North America. It’s basically a company that helps other companies of all sizes focus on continuous improvement. It was just up John’s alley.

“I like working, but wanted to do something different, something that can help me be part of the community and make a difference,” John said.

The Schooley Mitchell system is pretty simple. Basically, they come in and assess and track all the costs of doing business (like telecom, software, waste, shipping, processing fees, etc.) and figure out where they can save money. There are no up-front costs; Schooley Mitchell only takes a percentage of the savings they find and create. And those saving can be large. Most businesses or nonprofits can reduce costs by an average of 28%, or more than $10,000 or more in benefits annually.

“People don’t even realize they’re being overcharged or that there are other options. That’s where we can help,” John said. “We can help them save money that usually goes out of our town and keep it here in our community.”

By helping locals focus on continuous improvement, John can fulfill his goal.
“I want to make a difference for small businesses and nonprofits in the Wood River Valley,” John said. When asked what the “catch” was, he simply replied, “I get to feel good about how I helped our community.”

Find out more by contacting John at (208) 266-5252 or [email protected].