Morris Group Inc. announces the creation of Morris University to provide formal education and training for employees of Morris Group Inc. and its divisions. Simultaneous with this announcement, Michael Whitney is named the Morris Group's Chief Learning Officer.
"Morris University will provide a centralized strategic framework for the education and development of our most critical resource, our employees," explains Morris Group's President, Brad Morris. Morris University is to be a key component in the recruitment and retention of the highest quality employees required to serve the expanding needs of our customers. Citing the market forces affecting manufacturers and the rapid pace of technological change, Morris continues "our customers will directly benefit from working with employees that are better educated, better trained, better problem solvers, and have access to the best technology."
Chief Learning Officer, Michael Whitney will serve as Dean of Morris University. He will work with the executive committee and key partners to establish and implement Morris University's curriculum and strategic learning vision. Since founding Creative Strategies, a leading research, marketing, and training firm in 1998, Whitney has designed and implemented highly successful workforce training initiatives in sales, strategy, customer service, and problem solving in the workplace. "Whitney has tremendous depth of experience in our industry, including multiple leadership positions within Morris operations. Not only does he understand our culture, but he also understands what our customers' expectations are. This understanding will be invaluable for Morris University and for better serving our growing customer base" Morris concludes.
Originally founded by Robert E. Morris, Morris Group, Inc. enters its 69th year of operation as one of North America's largest distributors of high performance machine tools. The firm employs 330 people and continues under family management. In all locations, Morris provides engineering support and field services to help customers improve machining processes and increase machine tool utilization.