Ken Snyder

Executive Director of the Shingo Institute

Ken Snyder is the executive director of the Shingo Institute. Mr. Snyder has served as a member of the Shingo Executive Advisory Board since 2009, as a Shingo Examiner since 2010, and as Shingo advisory board chairman since 2013. He became executive director in 2015. Mr. Snyder developed an interest in Japanese business practices while living in Japan during the time he was a student. His interest led him to major in Japanese history and then to pursue an MBA for the purpose of working with a Japanese business. Inspired by the work of Professors Mike Yoshino and William Ouchi, Mr. Snyder wrote his master’s thesis on “Applying Japanese Business Practices in American Companies.” Mr. Snyder earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1980 with an emphasis in international business. Immediately after graduation, Mr. Snyder joined a Japanese electronics manufacturing company, Susumu Kogyo K.K., and helped lead the establishment of its U.S. affiliate company. As plant manager, and later president of that company, he led the company through the implementation of TQC, QC Circles, and later, JIT and kanban initiatives. After ten+ years with the Japanese company, Mr. Snyder led the startup of Progressive Impressions International (PII) in Bloomington, Illinois. There he created a “Lean accounting” system before the term even existed, and he led the growth of PII from pre-revenue to over $25 million in annual revenues. Before joining the Huntsman School, Mr. Snyder was president of Marketing Communication Inc., an operating division of Taylor Corporation. After 30 years in industry, Mr. Snyder joined the faculty of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business in 2008.