Dave Dragon grew up in Holyoke, MA, a rough and tumble industrial city along the banks of the Connecticut River in Western Massachusetts, and ultimately became a man whose questions get to the heart of the matter and whose interests lie in solving business mysteries and making leaders and organizations truly successful. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Western New England University, Dave began his business career at US Envelope, a division of Westvaco (now WestRock) in a finance management training program.
Dave’s life and career path changed radically when he was transferred from rural Western Massachusetts to La La Land — Los Angeles, CA. It was at the US Envelope manufacturing plant in East Los Angeles, as a Plant Cost Accountant, where Dave solved his first mystery providing the detailed analytics and insights used to turn around the operational and financial performance of the plant in less than six months. Dave spent 17 years with Castrol, now part of BP, on a general management career track with increasing responsibilities in accounting, supply chain, sales, and outsourcing. It was at Castrol where Dave solved the next mystery in I Solve Mysteries when he created an early version of Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) while in his supply chain positions.
During this time, he enhanced his consulting and change management skills with leading Fortune 100 manufacturers, implementing strategic operational excellence programs. After obtaining an MBA in Strategic Management from DePaul University in Chicago, IL, Dave joined Oracle as a consultant in strategic enterprise management, business intelligence, and data warehousing. Dave has always maintained he received an “honorary” master’s in information technology while at Oracle during the go-go internet days. During his tenure at Oracle, Dave designed an early version of the technology solutions that today drive Integrated Business Planning or IBP.
Over the next many years, Dave held management and leadership positions at a number of global technology and consulting companies, including Atrion International, Infosys, and Hitachi Consulting, where he crafted his advanced skills in solving mysteries. Dave currently leads his own consulting business, Dragon Management Consulting, which provides advisory, implementation, and education & training services in AI/RPA, Analytics & Insights, Integrated Business Planning (IBP)/Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), Operations, Performance Management, and Supply Chain aligned with robust digital technology solutions.
Dave resides in the Tampa, FL, area with his wife of 30 years, their beautiful daughter, and handsome Wire Fox Terrier.
Dave’s interests outside of Solving Mysteries include rooting for his favorite Boston sports teams, golfing, traveling, food and wine (he’s an accomplished chef), and exploring the beautiful coastline and waters of Florida. In 2019, he published his first business book, I Solve Mysteries: The Art and Science of Business Process Optimization and Transformation, a foundational book for analysts and business practitioners across many industries.
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