Buckley Brinkman

Brinkman is Executive Director of the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP). He brings more than 25 years of transformational manufacturing leadership to WMEP, with a breadth of experience in helping companies drive growth, world-class competitiveness and performance excellence.  Experienced in lean, Six Sigma, supply chain management and turnaround planning, he has led efforts to save dozens of operations in the U.S. by finding new ways to compete. 

Throughout his career, Brinkman has provided executive leadership to companies ranging from $5 million to more than $4 billion in sales.  He is credited with reviving the North American operations of the world’s largest playing card company, leading the turnaround of a prominent trade bindery and catalyzing the profit turnaround of a recycled paperboard mill. 

Brinkman has served as president and chief operating officer of U.S. Music Corp., an Illinois-based musical instrument manufacturer, and as chief operating officer of Minneapolis-based Manchester Companies, where he received the Turnaround of the Year award for his work with a medical device manufacturer.  Most recently, he served as president of Vallon, LLC, a Minneapolis-based interim executive placement firm.  Brinkman is an industry thought leader who has authored several white papers on innovation, corporate culture, business strategy and other topics.

A Wisconsin native, Brinkman holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.  He is the founder and moderator of the Forge Alliance, a networking and educational group for manufacturing executives.  He also serves on the board of directors of Safe Passage for Children, a nonprofit corporation that trains volunteers and business leaders to be advocates for children in foster care, child protection and public adoption programs.