EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine August 2019 | Page 34

Taking a New Direction
Brad Harris remembers his first
summer job at age 16. He worked
in a shoe factory in Wilkesboro,
Pennsylvania. “My job was to stain
the crepe shoe soles by dipping
them into a staining solution.” It
was a job that sparked his interest
in technology and started him
down a path that would eventually
lead him to where he is today,
Acting Director of Volusia County’s
Economic Development Division.
“I was interested in technology,
machinery, the whole process.” As
a college student working toward
Brad Harris
an industrial engineering degree at
Lehigh University, Brad worked for a large, vertically integrated
paper mill. Its raw material: logs. The finished product: Bounty
paper towels, White Cloud toilet paper and other paper products.
“It was a massive operation. It showcased the technology and the
creativity of the men and women who put that together.”
With his degree in hand, opportunity led Brad to Burlington
Industries, where he worked as a project engineer at locations
in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Later, he took a job in the
medical device industry with Becton Dickenson. He started as
an engineer, before moving up to plant manager, and finally, was
given the responsibility of opening a twin-plant on the El Paso/
Mexican border.
Experience and Perspective
Brad broadened his experience, working at several other
companies in the medical field, until an opportunity with
Sherwood Medical Industries brought him back permanently to
Volusia County in 1997. The lessons he learned from his long career
in manufacturing help him understand industries based in Volusia
County today.
Daytona Automall | 1450 N. Tomoka Farms Rd
Daytona Beach, FL | 386.274.0571
www.DaytonaDodge.com
| 34 | EVOLVE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE
As Acting Director of Volusia County’s Economic Development
Division, Brad brings to the table an in-depth overview of
manufacturing in all of its aspects. But when thinking back on
lessons learned, he doesn’t focus on the technical. “You realize
how important others are to the success of what you were doing.
There are so many people who contribute to a successful outcome.
Everyone has to work together for a company to succeed.” And
he too, stresses the importance of getting the right people in the
right jobs. “Most people have unique capabilities. The goal is to
optimize the strengths you have, and put those to work for the
organization.”
Brad also emphasized the role of “culture and work
environment” and the nature of the work itself. In the medical
manufacturing field, for instance, Brad found it personally
rewarding to be in an industry that helped improve and save
people’s lives. “When you see people who get along, who are
proud of the product they produce, other people want to be a part
of that. If you can marry that to a work environment that is a joy to
be in, that is a great combination.”
These are lessons, learned in manufacturing, that Brad says we
can all take to heart.
What is Lean Six Sigma?
Lean Six Sigma, sometimes referred to as Six Sigma, is a business tool that helps
identify and eliminate waste in order to increase a product’s value. Six Sigma
is a methodology designed to define, measure and analyze problems, and then
devise, implement and maintain solutions to those problems. There are Six Sigma
belt rankings similar to those in martial arts. In order of mastery from least to
greatest, they include: White Belt, Yellow Belt, Green Belt, Black Belt, Master
Black-Belt and Champion.
Eleanore Osborne is a writer, editor, who lives in
Daytona Beach.