About Us

Maintenance Innovators, Inc. a maintenance and reliability company was founded in 2007, initially as an ‘idea’ which quickly grew into a passion.  The emphasis behind the company is that maintenance and reliability are core value drivers to any business.  But nobody knows that or seems to care.  The world is well into the second decade of the 21st century and it’s time to alter our view of this critical aspect of our organizational existence.  We need to recognize maintenance and reliability as a true profession.  And, those in maintenance and reliability need to start acting like it.

In order for Maintenance Innovators, Inc. to add value, in order for any of our associates to be of aide and assistance, we first realized that we needed to become students of the craft.  A truly high level of executable maintenance and reliability is part science and part social application.  There are a lot of moving parts.  Inside of all the activities lies the truth that there are fundamentals that can be taught, mentored and learned.  World-class is the execution of the fundamentals, consistently, at the highest level.  We have honed and mastered the foundational elements of high-performing maintenance and reliability. Most notably:

  • Preventive and Predictive Maintenance
  • Planning and Scheduling
  • Storeroom Control

Through the years, since the founding days, the principal and associates of Maintenance Innovators, Inc. a maintenance and reliability professional company have gone from practitioners of maintenance and reliability practices to greatly sought, and highly regarded leaders in the industry of maintenance and reliability consulting and training.

Our opportunities have taken us around the world and throughout almost all industries.  We continue to lead companies in the right direction by working to customize their approach and execution of the fundamentals of good maintenance and reliability.

Our associates have published multiple articles in trade magazines, white papers and blogs.  John Ross is the authored of two strategy development workbooks.  John is a highly sought guest and keynote speaker on all aspects of maintenance and reliability.

Our passion remains strong, and the initial ‘idea’ from which our company has grown continues to point us in the direction that returns growth and understanding for our clients and our team.

Principals

Dr. John L. Ross, Jr. - Owner, President

Maintenance and Reliability leader Dr John L Ross Jr

Dr. John L. Ross, Jr. has been a practitioner of maintenance and reliability for over three decades.  John is:

  • A former Captain in the United States Air Force.
  • A Distinguished Graduate of both the Aircraft Maintenance Officer School and the Squadron Officer School. 
  • A Gulf War veteran and a former commander of the F-111F Field Training Detachment.
  • A former college professor, having taught 7 semesters of undergraduate and 3 semesters of graduate classes. 
  • A charter member of the Lake Huron Toast Masters Association. 
  • A published author with two Amazon best-selling books: The Reliability Excellence Workbook:  From Ideas to Action; Cover You’re A$$ets, Asset Management at Your place and at Your Pace.
  • Nationally and globally recognized; John’s military and civilian career have taken him to all 50 U.S. states, 29 foreign countries and 5 continents. 
  • The creator of the well-publicized Storeroom Map, Storeroom Potential Savings Calculator, and the Stock-Don’t Stock Decision Tree. 
  • The principal instructor for North Carolina State University’s Maintenance and Reliability Management (MRM) diploma series.
  • The seasoned author of numerous magazine publications on the subject of reliability as well as hosting webinars, podcasts, and authoring many relevant blogs.
    • “Who’s Leading the Parade?” Maintenance Technology, May 2008
    • “’Lean’ Doesn’t Always Mean Less,” Plant Engineering, June 2008
    • “Establishing Proactive Maintenance,” Uptime, Jun/Jul 2009
    • “CMMS & Inventory,” Maintenance Solutions, Oct 2012
    • “Process Safety Management-3 part series,” Plant Engineering, April, May, June 2013
    • “Bullets and Beans,” Plant Services, April 2014
    • “Keep Supply Lines Intact with Basic Storeroom Care,” Plant Services, August 2014
    • “Take Stock of your spare parts Storage,” IDC Industrial Review, Spring/Summer 2015
    • “Get Your Stuff Together: A Roadmap for a Better Storeroom (Part I),” Plant Services, Jun 2016
    • “Get Your Stuff Together: A Roadmap for a Better Storeroom (Part II),” Plant Services, Jul 2016
    • “Maintenance Professionals as WORLD-CLASS FIREFIGHTERS,” MaintWorld, Dec 2016
    • “Critical Spares,” MaintWorld, Jun 2017
    • “Stock It – Don’t Stock It,” MaintWorld 2/2018
    • “An Asset’s Potential For Reliability,” MaintWorld 3/2018
    • “We Need to Talk – An Asset Management Intervention,” MaintWorld 3/2019
    • “Keeping Your Operations Profitable and Sustainable,” Waste Advantage 2/2020
    • “When Alright In Not All Right,” Machinery Lubrication May/June 2021
  • A highly sought after public speaker and workshop facilitator:
    • “Maintenance Leadership,” Guest Speaker, International Maintenance Conference, Ft. Myers, FL, 2009
    • “Who’s Flying the Plane-Leadership,” Guest Speaker, Smithfield Foods Annual Engineering Conference, Nashville, TN, 2011
    • “World Class Maintenance,” Keynote Address, MicroMain Annual User’s Conference, Austin, TX, 2012
    • “MRO storerooms-the 3rd rail of equipment reliability in the 21st century,” Guest Speaker, Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals Annual Conference, “Leadership,” Jacksonville, FL, 2016
    • “Care for your Spares-Preservation of Spare Parts,” Guest Speaker, Poultry Protein and Fat Seminar, Kansas City, MO, 2017
    • “Asset Management,” MRM Summit, Raleigh, NC 2019
    • Speaker, Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals Annual Conference, “Asset Management,” Louisville, KY, 2019
    • “Making Predictive Maintenance Relevant in Industrial Practice,” Keynote Address, OPMUG Annual Conference, Stillwater, OK, 2021
    • “Making Predictive Maintenance Relevant in Industrial Practice,” Workshop, OPMUG Annual Conference, Stillwater, OK, 2021
    • “What Are We Doing Wrong?” Keynote Address, SMRP NE/IA Regional Conference, SAC Museum, Ashland, NE, 2021
    • “Getting Maintenance Dollars to Make Sense,” Workshop, SMRP NE/IA Regional Conference, SAC Museum, Ashland, NE, 2021
    • “Getting Maintenance Dollars to Make Sense,” Workshop, Reliable Plant Conference, Louisville, KY, 2021
    • “What Are We Doing Wrong?” Keynote Address, Reliable Plant Conference, Louisville, KY, 2021
    • Speaker, Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals Annual Conference, “My Advice? Hire Less Than Extraordinary People,” St. Louis, MO, 2021
    • “Strategic Asset Management Plans – Developing a SAMP That Excites and Energizes,” Workshop, Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals Annual Conference, St. Louis, MO, 2021
  • Greatly experienced in a multitude of industries:  aviation, aeronautics, manufacturing, transportation, marine, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, pet food, mining, facilities maintenance, utilities, power generation and distribution, oil, gas, ethanol, chemical plants, and natural gas. 
  • A certified Lean Manufacturing facilitator, Process Safety Management SME, and a CMRP.  John holds a U.S. Patent, an A.S., B.S., M.S. and Ph.D.

 

Mary Jo Ross - Business Development Manager

Mary Jo Ross is the Business Development Manager for Maintenance Innovators, Inc.  In this capacity, Mary Jo facilitates the execution of the company’s business plan and coordinates client engagement to include proposals, publications, and speaking engagements.  Mary Jo has introduced and continues to guide Maintenance Innovators, Inc. through all eight areas of the business:  energy, leadership, strategic direction, money, brand, people/accountability, delivery/operations, sales and marketing.

Mary Jo also owns and directs her own successful business as well.  She is the owner of MJ Executive Consulting, LLC, specializing in helping female small business owners through consulting and coaching.

Mary Jo is:

  • Co-Creator of the oncology division HOSS (Hematology/Oncology Society Services) for Next Wave Group where she provided mentoring and marketing services.
  • The creator and editor of a monthly online digital magazine, Strategies, sent to oncology professionals across the country.
  • A small business transformation coach, helping business owners visualize a future where they are empowered with the proper tools and understanding to reach their vision.
  • Highly sought expert for mentoring through the nonprofit SCORE organization helping startup companies and nonprofits create business plans.
  • A graduate of Tony Robbins and Dean Graziosi’s business and marketing course, Project Next.
  • The former owner of an association executive management firm specializing in state oncology professional organizations for:
    • Alabama Cancer Congress
    • Louisiana Oncology Society
    • Oklahoma Society of Clinical Oncology
    • Society of Utah Medical Oncologists
    • Mississippi Oncology Society
    • Idaho Society of Clinical Oncology
  • A pragmatic and strategic partner in the national and global growth of Maintenance Innovators, Inc.
  • A philanthropist.
  • A specialist in business event planning and business marketing. Notably, Mary Jo assisted the Binaytara Foundation with its national and international conferences.
  • A graduate of the University of Denver, with a B.A. in Mass Communications.