Sumer Sorensen-Bain

Sumer Sorensen-Bain has over 25 years of direct MEP management with 25 years in manufacturing consulting. Sumer is the CEO of an international consulting firm that focuses on consulting the MEP national network and local companies called the Business Excellence Group. Their clients range from manufacturing, healthcare, service industry, and government and focused on a holistic model of optimizing the entire business. The model, called the Straight6TM, optimizes an organization’s strategy, organizational structure, people systems, methods and tools, communication and collaboration, and metrics. It has driven significant impact regardless of the industry it is being applied to.

Prior to the Business Excellence Group, Sumer was the COO of Manufacturer’s Edge, the federal MEP center in Colorado. During her tenure at Manufacturer’s Edge, she was responsible for internal operations leading to the execution of the federal mission–to provide programs that drive economic impact and vitality to the Colorado manufacturing community. Her responsibilities include coordination and oversight of outreach, client services, and partnerships. By cultivating and nurturing meaningful relationships with clients, service providers, and key governmental agencies, Sumer has earned a solid reputation as a reliable civil servant as well as a fierce advocate for manufacturing. Her work with the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, World Trade Center Denver, Small Business Development Center, and the Procurement Technical Assistance Center, for example, has led to numerous funding and outreach opportunities. Most notably, the Small Manufacturer’s AdvantEDGE program that provides essential low-cost training and consulting services to manufacturing organizations with fewer than 20 employees, which constitutes the majority of the Colorado manufacturing community. 

Sumer participated in the 2018 Colorado Governor’s Fellowship program and has volunteered with a number of state programs and boards. Sumer participates in numerous advisory groups for local manufacturing task forces, economic development councils, community colleges, workforce centers, sector strategies. As a high-level representative of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), Sumer participated in a number of national sub-committees and is also a graduate of the MEP Emerging Leaders program.