Marilyn Opdyke is President and founder of The Opdyke Group, a human resource consulting firm focused on helping organizations find solutions to their people problems.  Marilyn's clients range from large automotive suppliers to small, family-owned operations, from human service organizations to manufacturing plants.  Regardless of their size, Marilyn approaches her clients' needs from a strategic perspective, learning about their business issues and helping them align their people policies and practices with their business objectives and strategies.

At the core of Marilyn's effectiveness in this venture is a strong personal mission to positively touch people's lives.  That passion is obvious from the moment you meet her.  She can virtually light a room with enthusiasm just by entering it.  Whether it's business-related or something she's doing purely for the betterment of the community, Marilyn doesn't do anything half-way.  When she makes a commitment, you can be assured it will be met – and exceeded.

Marilyn brings a diverse business and community background to her consulting and training practice.  She earned her operations stripes at General Motors Corporation in the mid and late seventies before moving on to more senior management responsibilities at Storage Technology Corporation in Louisville, Colorado.  At both corporations, Marilyn honed her ability to achieve tough business objectives while developing and motivating a diverse and productive workforce.  She quickly became known as a teacher and coach, always blending on-the-job and classroom training into the daily experience of her staff.

Returning to her native state of Michigan, Marilyn focused her efforts full-time on training and development.  While serving in progressively more responsible roles at ASC Incorporated, a tier-one automotive supplier, she developed and delivered over 20 different courses in quality, communications, management and process improvement.  She also practiced her organization development skills, helping to transition ASC from a "product" to a "process" driven company and to orchestrate the complete re-design of their program management process.  She then took these diverse skills into the broader Human Resource arena, serving as Director of Human Resources for the American Sunroof Company and Prechter Holdings, Incorporated.
In January 1999, after more than 20 years in the corporate arena, Marilyn brought her entrepreneurial spirit to the rest of the business community.  The Opdyke Group, her human resource consulting firm, provides businesses of all sizes with people solutions that complement and support their business strategies and values.  Marilyn's approach is not cookie-cutter.  Whether the solution is a redefined performance appraisal and compensation system, management training or a whole new organization structure, Marilyn's diverse business background and history of practical application make her uniquely qualified to assess each client's individual needs and develop simple and effective strategies to meet them.

A lifelong learner herself, Marilyn holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree from the University of Michigan, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Eastern Michigan University and pursued doctoral work at the University of Colorado at Denver.
Through her resourcefulness, phenomenal team-building skills and savvy ability to predict business trends, her consulting firm, The Opdyke Group, is rapidly becoming the company to turn to when organizations are seeking ways to get in touch with their "human" element.