Operations turnaround · DFW-based · Texas

Find out exactly where your margin is going, in three weeks.

We help owner-run and private equity-backed operating businesses fix what eats profit: late shipments, rework, overtime, turnover, and an owner who can't step away. It starts with a fixed-fee Operations Checkup and ends with a written 100-day plan you own.

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Run a smaller shop? See owner-run businesses →

  • 16+ years in manufacturing operations
  • Texas A&M Industrial Engineering
  • Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
  • English & Spanish

Built for operations-heavy businesses

  • Manufacturers
  • Fabricators & job shops
  • Distributors
  • Field service
  • PE portfolio companies

Problems we fix

Sound familiar?

These are the things owners tell us. The fix is usually not where it looks from the office.

“We're busier than ever but making less money.”

Quoting and costing that missed, scrap and rework, overtime, the wrong product or customer mix, and prices that haven't caught up with material and tariff costs.

“We keep shipping late.”

No real schedule, bottlenecks nobody has named, too much work-in-process, and a team that spends the day firefighting.

“Quality problems keep coming back.”

Escapes reach the customer because nobody gets to the root cause. Standards are unclear, and inspection is doing the job prevention should.

“I can't find or keep good people.”

Unclear jobs, thin training, safety gaps, missing supervisors, and work that could be simplified or automated.

“Everything runs through me.”

No management layer, no scorecard, no meeting rhythm. The business can't run a week without you.

“I want to sell or retire in a few years.”

Buyers discount for weak margins, owner dependence, messy operations, and undocumented systems. Better to fix them before you go to market.

“We paid for the software. Nobody uses it.”

Technology, automation, and AI tools that don't fit how the work actually gets done. We find the ones that will pay off and make them stick.

“The bank is asking questions.”

Cash tied up in inventory, shrinking margins, and no credible plan to fix either one.

The Operations Checkup

Three weeks. One fixed fee. A plan you own.

We spend real time on your floor and in your numbers. We find where you're losing money, time, and customers. Then we hand you a written 100-day plan with the fixes that matter most, ranked by dollars.

  1. Week 1

    See it

    • Three to four days on site. We walk the floor from the moment an order comes in to the moment it ships.
    • One-on-ones with you, your managers, supervisors, and frontline staff, in English or Spanish.
    • Baseline the numbers that matter: margin, on-time delivery, scrap, overtime, inventory, safety.
    • Books-and-records check: can the numbers be trusted? Job costing, inventory accuracy, how current the books are. If they need work, we bring in a CPA partner.
  2. Week 2

    Size it

    • Find the root causes. Why are shipments late? Where is margin leaking?
    • Put a dollar value on each fix: margin, cash freed from inventory, capacity, overtime, safety.
    • Check quoting and pricing, people, equipment, and whether automation or AI tools would actually pay off.
    • Start one to three quick wins right away, so you see results before the plan is done.
  3. Week 3

    Plan it

    • We write the 100-day plan and review the draft with you.
    • A working session with your leadership team: findings, priorities, and who owns what.
    • Optional: a short all-hands talk so your people know what's changing and why.

What you get

A written 100-day plan in plain English

  • A one-page summary: what's working, what's costing you money, and the top five moves
  • Each fix with its estimated annual dollar value, cost, difficulty, and time to results
  • A roadmap for days 1–30, 31–60, and 61–100, with owners and milestones
  • A simple weekly scorecard of 5–7 numbers, each with a baseline
  • People and organization notes: who should own what, and where the gaps are
  • If a sale is on the horizon, an exit-readiness page: what a buyer will discount you for, and how to fix it

How it works

  • Fixed fee, quoted up front. No surprise hours.
  • Half to start, half on delivery.
  • No long-term contract.
  • Confidential. NDA offered up front.
  • Light on your time. About 6–8 hours from the owner over three weeks.

If you don't think the plan was worth it, you don't pay the second half.

After the Checkup

Run the plan yourself, or bring us in.

It's your call. Every option is month to month. No long lock-ins.

Implementation Partner

One or two days a week alongside your team to carry out the plan. We run the weekly scorecard meeting, coach supervisors, and lead the hardest fixes.

Typically 3–6 months

Interim Operations Leader

Full-time interim GM, COO, or plant manager when there's a leadership gap, a crisis, or a big change like a new line, a relocation, or an owner stepping back.

Typically 3–9 months

Fractional COO

Monthly support to keep the plan on track: a monthly review, coaching for your number two, and help when you need it.

Ongoing, month to month

Exit-Ready Program

For owners selling in one to three years. We fix what buyers pay for: margin, documented systems, and a team that runs without you. Coordinated with your CPA and M&A advisor.

Typically 6–18 months

Owner-run businesses

Smaller shop, warehouse, or crew? Same Checkup, scaled to fit.

Whatever you make, move, or install, the work is the same: find the leaks, fix what matters most, and make it stick. The Checkup is sized to your operation, whether that's light production, distribution, or field services.

Referred by your CPA? We work alongside CPAs and their clients. The Checkup includes a books-and-records check, and if the numbers need work, we bring in a CPA partner.

For private equity

An operator for the plant-floor side of the plan.

When a portfolio company has to hit its numbers, we do the work on the floor, alongside management or as interim COO. The engine is the same as the Checkup, sized for an operating partner: an Operations Diagnostic and 100-Day Value Creation Plan.

Talk about a portfolio company

  • 100-day plans

    An EBITDA bridge from baseline to target by lever, a risk register, and KPIs tied to the board package.

  • EBITDA lift

    Margin, throughput, cost-out, and pricing work that shows up in the numbers you already track.

  • Carve-outs & add-ons

    Standing up a carved-out business and integrating add-ons without losing customers or throughput.

  • Footprint moves

    Line moves, consolidations, and Texas–Mexico footprint decisions, with Spanish on the floor.

  • Interim COO / plant GM

    Full-time operating leadership through a gap, a turnaround, or a transition.

  • Automation & AI roadmap

    From AGVs to vision-based quality inspection: practical technology choices that pay back, and that buyers increasingly ask about.

Track record

Results, not slide decks.

13X

EBITDA growth, from $4M to $54M, while leading manufacturing

$2.9M

in annual labor savings, reinvested in engineering, quality, and automation

71.9%

reduction in recordable injuries company-wide

72 hrs

to restore shipping after severe weather destroyed a plant's loading docks

100+

systems separated in a private equity carve-out

$275M

sale to private equity, after a lean-driven turnaround

26

retail stores serviced by a field-services division launched from zero

Results achieved by our founder in prior operating roles.

George Willis, founder of Gluon Partners

George W. Willis
Founder, Gluon Partners

About

An operator, not a slide-deck consultant.

George Willis has spent 16+ years in manufacturing operations, most recently leading multi-site operations with a P&L of $300M+. He has run both IT and operations through a private equity carve-out, grown a business from $4M to $54M in EBITDA, and restored shipping within 72 hours after severe weather destroyed a plant's loading docks.

He builds as well as fixes. He launched a field-services business from scratch, rebuilt engineering, quality, and safety programs, and has put automation to work where it pays back, from AGVs on the floor to camera-based quality inspection. He walks your floor, talks with your people in English or Spanish, digs into your numbers, and stays until the fixes stick.

  • Texas A&M, Industrial Engineering
  • Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
  • Bilingual, English & Spanish
  • DFW-based, serving Dallas–Fort Worth and beyond

Let's talk

Book a 20-minute call.

Tell us what's keeping you up at night. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help. No obligation, and the first conversation is free.