jrumasuglia – Wood River Valley Chamber
Wood River Valley Chamber Members
The Chamber exists to help local businesses stay competitive and thrive. In support of that mission, this 6-part series highlights practical strategies any business can use to uncover hidden savings and strengthen margins.
I’m John Rumasuglia, a Chamber member based in Hailey. Through my work with Schooley Mitchell, I help Idaho businesses reduce costs in areas like freight, telecom, merchant processing, and waste. On average, companies uncover 10–40% in savings — dollars that can be reinvested into equipment, people, and community growth.
These articles are designed to be useful whether or not you ever work with me. My goal is to spark ideas, share insights, and provide tools you can use to strengthen your margins — while knowing there are resources available if you’d like help digging deeper.
The 8th Waste in Manufacturing: Hidden Costs Draining Profits
November 5 2025 - 10AM MST
Cutting Costs Hidden in Plain Sight: What if the real waste wasn’t on your shop floor? Lean training highlights the 7 (or 8) wastes of production. But inefficiencies in freight, telecom, waste, merchant processing, and utilities quietly drain profits every year. These hidden costs don’t show up in kaizen events, yet they have a real bottom-line impact.
What you’ll learn:
- The Missing Waste: Why indirect service costs should be treated as Lean’s 8th waste
- Real-World Case Studies: How manufacturers are uncovering 10–40% in savings without layoffs or disruption
- Tools & Takeaways: A Service Waste Checklist to track vendor contracts and immediate opportunities
All registrants receive a Service Waste Checklist and the option to request a personalized Savings Estimator + 5-Year Cash Flow Analysis.
John Rumasuglia
Business Optimization Specialist
Office: 208-266-5252
rbingman – School District Savings
Waste
How predictable is your waste every month?
Variability in your waste from month-to-month makes a big difference to certain service providers.
Is your container size and collection frequency optimized?
Finding a provider that is both cost effective and meets your needs can be challenging.
Are your waste disposal fees changing frequently over the course of the year?
A professional audit of your expenses can get to the bottom of it.
Merchant Services
Do you reference the "effective rate" to evaluate how competitive your processing fees are?
A blended pricing structure makes it more difficult to fully understand all the factors impacting your fees.
Do you know how your current processing environment impacts your processing fees?
How you process payments and capture data can have a big impact on your monthly fees.
Have you asked your processor to provide you an "interchange-plus pricing" quote?
This pricing structure is often the least expensive and most transparent option.
Telecom
Have you conducted a recent usage audit across your telecommunications system?
In many cases, we find inefficiencies and redundancies in the number of lines and features.
Have you considered moving to a Voice over IP platform?
Cloud based telecommunications systems typically provide unique features at lower costs.
Do you know when your current plan automatically renews?
Companies typically only have a 30-day window to make changes to their current contract.
Shipping
Have you considered splitting your shipping business across multiple vendors?
Vendors tend to specialize in certain areas so playing to their unique strengths can reduce your overall costs.
Are you paying for unnecessary delivery guarantees?
Being more flexible on delivery times can significantly reduce your costs.
Do you review your monthly statements to ensure the correct charge codes are used?
Charge codes can be very confusing and require a detailed review to ensure you are being charged correctly.
Compressed Gases
Do you think your compressed gases expenses are written in stone?
Commodity markets can be complex and confusing, making it difficult for business owners and managers to navigate.
Are you certain there are no billing errors in your invoices?
There are opportunities to optimize pricing structures and recover billing errors.
Are you receiving all tax benefits available to you?
Your business might be missing out on significant savings opportunities.
Getting Started is Easy!
Step 1
Sign our Letter of Agency & Service Agreement
You also sign a letter of agency so we can negotiate with your current vendors, because chances are you’re not looking to switch. You also sign our service agreement which covers our business terms.
Provide Us Invoices or Online Access
You provide us with the bills or online access to your vendors so we can establish a baseline of your current cost structure.
Step 2
We do the Analysis & Negotiating.
This is where we use our benchmarking data to research options and negotiate better deals for you.
Set Up a Call to Introduce Our Specialist
We don't need much from you during this step, just a quick call to introduce our specialist who is doing the work.
Step 3
We Share Our Recommendations
Then we share our recommendations with you. You choose what to implement and we take it from there.
Ryan Bingman
Strategic-Partner
Office: 380-777-1819
Maci Bingman
Business Optimization Specialist
Office: 380-777-1819
Jillian Bingman
Business Development Specialist
Office: 380-777-1819
sbinter – Non-Profit Savings
Waste
How predictable is your waste every month?
Variability in your waste from month-to-month makes a big difference to certain service providers.
Is your container size and collection frequency optimized?
Finding a provider that is both cost effective and meets your needs can be challenging.
Are your waste disposal fees changing frequently over the course of the year?
A professional audit of your expenses can get to the bottom of it.
Merchant Services
Do you reference the "effective rate" to evaluate how competitive your processing fees are?
A blended pricing structure makes it more difficult to fully understand all the factors impacting your fees.
Do you know how your current processing environment impacts your processing fees?
How you process payments and capture data can have a big impact on your monthly fees.
Have you asked your processor to provide you an "interchange-plus pricing" quote?
This pricing structure is often the least expensive and most transparent option.
Telecom
Have you conducted a recent usage audit across your telecommunications system?
In many cases, we find inefficiencies and redundancies in the number of lines and features.
Have you considered moving to a Voice over IP platform?
Cloud based telecommunications systems typically provide unique features at lower costs.
Do you know when your current plan automatically renews?
Companies typically only have a 30-day window to make changes to their current contract.
Shipping
Have you considered splitting your shipping business across multiple vendors?
Vendors tend to specialize in certain areas so playing to their unique strengths can reduce your overall costs.
Are you paying for unnecessary delivery guarantees?
Being more flexible on delivery times can significantly reduce your costs.
Do you review your monthly statements to ensure the correct charge codes are used?
Charge codes can be very confusing and require a detailed review to ensure you are being charged correctly.
Facility Supplies
Are you over or undersupplied?
We audit your invoices to ensure optimal delivery schedules.
Are you splitting hairs with multiple vendors?
We look at all supplies invoices, across all vendors, to make sure everything you need is being ordered, delivered, and replenished effectively.
Do you require specific product quality or other specifications?
Schooley Mitchell helps you find the solutions that bet fit your business.
Stephanie Binter
Business Optimization Specialist
Office: 717-435-7891
jlichtenberg – Education Savings
Waste
How predictable is your waste every month?
Variability in your waste from month-to-month makes a big difference to certain service providers.
Is your container size and collection frequency optimized?
Finding a provider that is both cost effective and meets your needs can be challenging.
Are your waste disposal fees changing frequently over the course of the year?
A professional audit of your expenses can get to the bottom of it.
Merchant Services
Do you reference the "effective rate" to evaluate how competitive your processing fees are?
A blended pricing structure makes it more difficult to fully understand all the factors impacting your fees.
Do you know how your current processing environment impacts your processing fees?
How you process payments and capture data can have a big impact on your monthly fees.
Have you asked your processor to provide you an "interchange-plus pricing" quote?
This pricing structure is often the least expensive and most transparent option.
Telecom
Have you conducted a recent usage audit across your telecommunications system?
In many cases, we find inefficiencies and redundancies in the number of lines and features.
Have you considered moving to a Voice over IP platform?
Cloud based telecommunications systems typically provide unique features at lower costs.
Do you know when your current plan automatically renews?
Companies typically only have a 30-day window to make changes to their current contract.
Shipping
Have you considered splitting your shipping business across multiple vendors?
Vendors tend to specialize in certain areas so playing to their unique strengths can reduce your overall costs.
Are you paying for unnecessary delivery guarantees?
Being more flexible on delivery times can significantly reduce your costs.
Do you review your monthly statements to ensure the correct charge codes are used?
Charge codes can be very confusing and require a detailed review to ensure you are being charged correctly.
Jim Lichtenberg
Strategic-Partner
Office: 614-400-4067
jlichtenberg – Government Services Savings
Waste
How predictable is your waste every month?
Variability in your waste from month-to-month makes a big difference to certain service providers.
Is your container size and collection frequency optimized?
Finding a provider that is both cost effective and meets your needs can be challenging.
Are your waste disposal fees changing frequently over the course of the year?
A professional audit of your expenses can get to the bottom of it.
Merchant Services
Do you reference the "effective rate" to evaluate how competitive your processing fees are?
A blended pricing structure makes it more difficult to fully understand all the factors impacting your fees.
Do you know how your current processing environment impacts your processing fees?
How you process payments and capture data can have a big impact on your monthly fees.
Have you asked your processor to provide you an "interchange-plus pricing" quote?
This pricing structure is often the least expensive and most transparent option.
Telecom
Have you conducted a recent usage audit across your telecommunications system?
In many cases, we find inefficiencies and redundancies in the number of lines and features.
Have you considered moving to a Voice over IP platform?
Cloud based telecommunications systems typically provide unique features at lower costs.
Do you know when your current plan automatically renews?
Companies typically only have a 30-day window to make changes to their current contract.
Shipping
Have you considered splitting your shipping business across multiple vendors?
Vendors tend to specialize in certain areas so playing to their unique strengths can reduce your overall costs.
Are you paying for unnecessary delivery guarantees?
Being more flexible on delivery times can significantly reduce your costs.
Do you review your monthly statements to ensure the correct charge codes are used?
Charge codes can be very confusing and require a detailed review to ensure you are being charged correctly.
Jim Lichtenberg
Strategic-Partner
Office: 614-400-4067
