Rich has tremendous passion for Project Excellence. Projects drive progress and quicker projects drive productivity.
Rich is a founder of Gargas Project Solutions, a Project Management company committed to helping clients successfully deliver projects by conquering project uncertainty. Rich is an accomplished expert at installing and executing Project and Program Management Operating Systems. His PM experience includes all facets of business and his specialty is in applying a unique, industry-agnostic style of Project Management which can help projects complete 30% shorter than usual methods. Rich has two decades of broad experience . . . and specific success with those methods.
Rich graduated Summa Cum Laude from Bradley University with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering. After co-op assignments with Western Electric (AT&T) he accepted an IE assignment at Indianapolis’ Eli Lilly and Company. After experiencing jobs in engineering, research, finance and manufacturing, Rich earned his Master of Science in Management degree from Purdue University (Krannert School of Business). In subsequent years Rich served as an internal consultant working on special projects in Manufacturing, Finance, Information Technology, Human Resources, Legal and Organizational Effectiveness. During his career, Rich’s roles have included productivity expert, financial analyst, manufacturing management, reengineering facilitator, program manager, internal consultant on special projects and Chief-of-Staff to the Chief Technology Officer.
Education:
Bradley University: Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering
Purdue University: Master of Science in Management
Breadth of Experience (a sampling of Rich’s accomplishments):
- Facilitating the Reengineering of Supply Chain Processes
- Implementing those redesigns with a new software package
- Conducting Timeline Risk Analysis on troubled projects
- Using Activity Based Costing and Management to drive process improvement
- Applying Organizational Effectiveness models to improve productivity
- Program Management of the corporate global ERP Implementation
- Implementing Critical Chain project management concepts in complex project environments (IT, New Product Development)
- Transforming organizations to new operating models based on process stewardship
- Organizational Change Management for an Enterprise absorbing IT changes
- Organizational Effectiveness Assessment and Design
- Creation and Implementation of IT Strategy
A former board member and president of both Boone County Leadership and the Central Indiana Regional Citizens League, Rich has also served on the Allocations Committee of the United Way. Rich strongly supports youth development and education, from volunteering in the classroom to serving on school boards. Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was highly influential in Rich’s upbringing. Throughout his “parenting career” he has assumed many different volunteer roles within the BSA organization. He is currently vice-president of Marketing for Area 6 of the Central Region of BSA National.
Rich is also an Adjunct Professor, University of Indianapolis, instructing on the following:
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- Information Technology Strategy
- System Delivery Lifecycle Management
- Project and Program Management
- Managing Information Technology Systems
He is a standing member of the Bradley University Industrial and Manufacturing Advisory Board.