John L. Mariotti

Updated at: Jan. 1, 2011, 8:22 p.m.

John L. Mariotti is the President/CEO and Founder of The Enterprise Group, a coalition of time-shared executive advisors, is an internationally recognized executive, writer, and public speaker. Through The Enterprise Group, which he founded in 1994, he acts as advisor and consultant to many leading companies. Mariotti has been listed in Who's Who in International Business, and Who's Who in US Business.

He serves as a Director on the boards of Acorn Products (ACRN-NASDAQ), Amrep, Inc., HomeCare Industries, Doskocil Manufacturing, Henkel Consumer Adhesives (formerly Manco, Inc.), and World Kitchen, Inc. where he is non-executive Chairman.

Mariotti's career spans 40 years of diverse and successful business experience, 32 of it in four different industries. He was most recently (1992-1994) President of Rubbermaid Office Products Group, a $200+ million group of three U. S. divisions and six international operations spanning Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Prior to this Mariotti led Huffy Bicycles (1983-1992) to the preeminent position in the U.S. bicycle market, with a 33% share and over $300 million in sales. Huffy was the acknowledged product innovation, advertising and promotion leader, and the best known bicycle brand in North America. The Celina, OH factory where Huffy bicycles were then manufactured was widely known as the most productive in the world, and for its exemplary, high-involvement working relationship with its United Steelworker workforce, and where it pioneered what is now known as TQM, Lean Production and Mass Customization.

Mariotti began his career in the high tech world of electronics with Automatic Electric Laboratories, the research center of GTE's manufacturing arm.

Following his BSME from Bradley University and fellowship work for an MSME from the University of Wisconsin, he held several key positions in the advanced development laboratories of Automatic Electric leading mechanical design efforts on state-of-the-art computers and communications systems.

His career shifted from Design and Development to Operations when he joined L. R. Nelson Corporation in 1967. During his twelve years at Nelson, Mariotti held all the major operations management responsibilities, at times handling over one-third of the company's sales to major OEM accounts and Sears. His positions spanned Manufacturing and Materials Manager roles, Director of Logistics, and V.P. Planning & Development where his responsibilities included completion of acquisitions to help the company grow to six times its original size during his 12 year tenure.

Articles and interviews about Mariotti's business successes have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Boardroom Reports/Bottom Line Business, Industry Week, Business Week, New Leaders, Executive Excellence, Personal Excellence, and many more publications. He's been a guest on CNBC's Today's Business and Power Lunch shows, and his keynote speeches have been enjoyed by tens of thousands of people. Mariotti was the host of his own 1-hour talk-radio show, The Life of Business and the Business of Life" on the North American Broadcasting Network. He has been a columnist for the American Management Association, Management Centre Europe, Fortune Small Business/Netscape Netbusiness, and for over 5 years, he was Management Columnist and Contributing Editor for IndustryWeek magazine, and moderator of its America's Best Plants Conferences.

Mariotti is also the founder and host of The Reunion Conference series, which is now in its 7th year. He is an occasional guest lecturer at the University of Tennessee College of Business and Maryville College. He has written eight books to date.


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