Alumnus shares lessons in leadership through Creative Solutions Group
The day of the Clarke Fire, Scott Burgmeyer ’94 was in eighth grade. He remembers riding his bike past the campus and seeing the firefighters and community coming together to begin the clean-up of the devastation. He couldn’t have known then what the resurgence of Clarke would mean for him.
“My real introduction to Clarke was years later through the support of my advisor, Dr. Diana Malone. She and all the faculty let me find the joy in learning.” Burgmeyer said. “I also felt at home on the soccer team and met my wife Beth Goldstein Burgmeyer ’94 and my future father-in-law Hank Goldstein, who was the chair of the Psychology Department at Clarke. My time there impacted all areas of my life.”
Burgmeyer graduated from Clarke in 1994 with a degree in Chemistry and after attending graduate school in Analytical Chemistry, he was hired as an analytical chemist then promoted to a Lab Supervisor at Bridgestone Agricultural Tire. However, a chance invite from an executive leader would shift his path.
“I was invited to a presentation on Six Sigma and it just clicked for me,” Burgmeyer said. “While some people focus on rigidly following the framework, I am always outcomes and results driven. I love finding new ways to make things easier or better and that led me to learn more about and mastering optimization.”
During the nearly 30 years in the manufacturing and technology industries. Burgmeyer launched his own consulting firm in 2010, Creative Solutions Group. Burgmeyer and his team focus on guiding individuals and organizations to optimize their processes, talent, and technology. Starting his own company may have brought fear and frustration at times, but it’s also brought him a lot of joy.
To be an entrepreneur, you need to get comfortable in the unknown. You need to be ok with failure and learn from it. I also encourage people to find a coach, mentor, or a trusted advisor you can talk to and learn from,
“I have been fortunate enough to find some throughout my career, like my friend and colleague Tammy Rogers. But I also had mentors outside my profession, like soccer coaches or teammates, who pushed me to continue growing and trying new things,” Burgmeyer said.
Burgmeyer’s process relies heavily on a dedication to lifelong learning. Along with many certifications, Burgmeyer returned to school for his MBA and is working on a Ph.D. in Organizational Development and Leadership. Now he is passing on some of those lessons on leadership to his new intern, Clarke Graphic Design major Diego Arenas ’22.
“I’m excited to get real business experience with Creative Solutions Group,” Arenas said. “I’m starting out with things like branding, and I’ll build up to conference materials like booths and ads. I believe it will all be applicable to my career.”
“Remembering how incredible the art students were at Clarke, we wanted to see how we might be able to give back to the university,” Burgmeyer said. “We see internships as a win/win — we get great talent to work on projects and we can offer coaching and mentoring as they get important experience. It really aligns with what we are about at the Creative Solutions Group.”
Learn more about Burgmeyer and Creative Solutions Group at https://www.creativesolutionsgp.com/