Senior Advisor-Innovation Strategy, Sundberg-Ferar, Inc.
Chairman-Michigan Design Council
Jeff joined Sundberg-Ferar, a 90 year-old U.S. innovation consultancy, in 1985 and became Vice President and a Principal in 1992. Jeff currently serves as Senior Advisor to Sundberg-Ferar’s Genesis Innovation Strategy team. Genesis™ is a unique, consumer-oriented process which he created to ensure that companies are strategically and tactically poised to create and develop winning products.
To support this process, he and his team have developed numerous research methods to analyze consumer, design, industry and technology trends. This analysis is used to identify breakthrough product solutions and create innovation roadmaps to guide future development efforts. To communicate design and technology strategies and motivate corporate organizations, Jeff leads executive workshops aimed at challenging “status quo” design, and identifying pathways to invigorate sales and gain market share.
Jeff has consulted across numerous categories in the U. S., Mexico, Canada, Europe and Asia, including home products, automotive, major appliances, house-wares, and system furniture to name a few.
Genesis innovation work in the automotive realm include; Autonomous Vehicle Innovation, Vehicle Entertainment Strategies, Lighting Redefinition, User Interface Innovation, Comfort Redefinition, Interior Flexibility Innovation, Luxury Redefinition, SUV / CUV Feature Strategies, Future Mobility Strategies, and others.
Consumer product innovation programs include; Innovating Outdoor Lifestyle Products, Redefining Food Preparation Environments / Kitchen Products, Water Purification Innovation, and Innovating Tools for Creative Work-Places.
Speaking engagements include SXSW in Austin, SAE International Congress in Detroit, and the CAR Management Briefing Seminar in Traverse City.
Jeff is Chairman of the Michigan Design Council (MDC) and is consulting with Michigan school districts to institute STEAM curriculums that stress design thinking and project-based learning. The idea for the MDC emerged from a Sundberg-Ferar commission by the State of Michigan. Jeff transitioned this effort to a 501c3 non-profit organization in 2015, and since then, thousands of Michigan’s youth, and numerous educators and professional Industrial Designers have benefited from MDC programming.
Jeff holds over 50 mechanical and design patents, has been a guest presenter at the College for Creative Studies, has mentored University of Michigan Ross Business School students in product development courses, and taught Innovation Strategy Fundamentals at the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art and Design. Jeff is a graduate of the University of Michigan.