Plant Tour: Ace Image Wear

Fall 2026 - Service Institute, Level 3

September

September 14th - 16th, 2026

Kansas City, MO

About the Event

Level 3 of the CSC Service Institute by Performance Matters builds on foundational topics from Level 1 and mastery skills from Level 2. This level introduces Six Sigma for process improvement, problem-solving, and operational leadership. Attendees learn to optimize time, cost, and performance by identifying essential and non-value-added activities across roles and departments. A breakout session will give attendees the opportunity to apply Six Sigma methodologies to develop strategies to increase route revenue. Participants are encouraged to implement these skills in their operations when and where needed, maximize team impact and performance, and provide an outstanding customer experience. Level 3 also prepares Service Leaders to lead cross-functional teams and balance priorities across multiple teams within their operations.

Course Overview

Review of Level 1 & Level 2 Topics
  • Progression from foundational skills to mastery, with emphasis on key Service Manager topics and completion of SMART Goals.
Introduction to Six Sigma
  • Introduction to process improvement, problem-solving, and operational leadership.
Optimization
  • Strategies to optimize time, cost, and performance, increasing efficiency and distinguishing between essential and non-value-added activities across roles and departments.
Advanced Leadership
  • Explore cross-functional focus areas and strategies for balancing priorities. Emphasize integrating vision, communication, empathy, integrity, and adaptability across Service, Sales, Office, Production, Stockroom, Engineering, HR, and Fleet departments.
Six Sigma Applied
  • Teams will be assigned a Six Sigma activity on a non-industry topic to analyze a process and identify areas for improvement.
Route Revenue Growth
  • Apply Six Sigma methodologies to develop strategies for growing route revenue.
SMART Goal
  • Each attendee will select a SMART Goal and present the baseline, target, and timeline to achieve the desired outcome.

Travel Information

Level 3 attendees are encouraged to arrive on Sunday, September 13, 2026, in time for a welcome reception beginning at 5:00 PM CT. The exact location will be shared closer to the event date.

We're pleased to offer an optional tour of the nearby Ace ImageWear KC Plant following the course on Wednesday afternoon. If you plan to join the tour, we recommend booking airfare for after 5:00 PM CT on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, to allow enough time for the tour and travel to the airport. If you won't be attending the tour, we recommend scheduling your departure after 3:00 PM CT on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, to allow for full participation in the program.

Plant Tour

Ace ImageWear KC

Ace ImageWear KC

Speaker

Ray Shabandarian headshot

Ray Shabandarian

Accommodations

Holiday Inn Kansas City Downtown by IHG

Hotel Address: 770 Admiral Blvd, Kansas City, MO, 64106, US

Contracted Guest Room Rate: $119.00 per room, per night
(Applicable Taxes: Additional)

Parking: $15.00 per vehicle, per night

Resort Fee: $3.71 per room, per night (Per hotel policy)

Hotel Phone: 816-789-3243

Link to Book Hotel Reservation: Book here

Deadline to Book: August 31, 2026