Executive Management Team

Deirdré Mercedes

Deirdré Mercedes is the owner of OPAL, Quality Systems Management which she founded in 1998. OPAL is a service organization that provides consulting, training, coaching and program management assistance in support of organizational improvement and implementation of quality & environmental management system standards. Deirdré focuses on improving business processes, promoting continuous improvement and facilitating growth and development. During her career Deirdré has yielded successful, customer-focused results in large, global enterprises as well as in small, entrepreneurial settings. She has advised leadership teams in best practices leading their companies to successful growth and development phases through quality concepts. Deirdré has worked with executives in the fields of Science, aeronautics, manufacturing, medical devices, chemical, pharmaceutical, semiconductors, entertainment and retail.

Richard Neumann

Consulting CFO

Richard Neumann, brings over 20 years of experience as a Consulting Chief Financial Officer. His financial expertise and diverse industry background provide his clients with an entrepreneurial approach to issues. Mr. Neumann’s clients have included alternative fuels, entertainment, manufacturing, agriculture, bio-engineering, internet media and international. His clients seek his insights and guidance to restructure organizations, improve processes and develop new businesses and markets.

Mr. Neumann is an expert in start-up and transitional phase companies from inception and early stage funding to mature operations. In addition to his consulting clients, Mr. Neumann began his financial career working his way through the ranks of inventory control and cost accounting at FMC’s San Jose Ordnance Division, then as CFO for; COGNIS a bio-engineering and environmental remediation division of Henkel, California Gold Dairy Products a half-billion dollar dairy enterprise, Fibex an early stage tel-com company that later merged with Cisco, Jonergin Pacific a high end label printer for the wine industry, and the Napa Valley Opera House a non-profit entity supporting the historic landmark live theatre. Mr. Neumann was also co-founder of Ravix, a CFO consulting firm for high tech start-ups launched during the dot-com era.

Mr. Neumann graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business.

Donna L. Ford – Donna Ford, PMP, C.P.M.

Opal Professional Resource – Director, Project Management

Ms. Ford moved into the Silicon Valley in 1985 with a position at Westinghouse (now Northrup Grumman), in the Logistics group of the Marine Division. As a Production Planning Engineer, while there, valuable lessons were learned concerning the importance and value of excellent Materials processes to the organization’s overall success. From Westinghouse, Ms. Ford moved on to join Hewlett-Packard’s Instrument Division in Santa Clara in Materials. Utilizing skills learned at ISM, Ms. Ford went on to become their 1991 recipient of the Hewlett-Packard Sword of Manufacturing Excellence for exceptional performance in maintaining supply of critical components despite supplier availability constraints. Ms. Ford moved on to Applied Materials to work on new product introduction of silicon chip manufacturing equipment. At Applied Materials, Ms. Ford experienced repeated successes in the Materials Planning department that culminated in the receipt of the Applied Materials Certificate of Achievement Award for Zero Defects System, in April 1996. The award was given to her team for exceptional performance in the assurance of supply and the creation of best quality in materials. Ms. Ford bases this achievement on maintaining stellar relations with critical suppliers. Continuing as Senior Buyer in the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) in 2010, Ms. Ford lead the procurement effort in various major construction projects including the new TID pay station building in Ceres, CA. Ms. Ford views education and training requisite to continued excellence in performance, her credits include: A.A.S, Resources Management, Community College of the Air Force; BS, Industrial Technology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL; MBA, Operations and Supply Chain Management, Golden Gate University, San Francisco; C.P.M., Lifetime Certification, Institute for Supply Management, Tempe, AZ; Graduate Certificate of Completion in Operations & Supply Chain Management , Golden Gate University; and most recently, PMP, PMI, Newtown Square, PA.

Donna L. Ford is owner and founder of Strategies for Materials

Project and Contract Management

Stockton, CA

OPAL’s History

OPAL was founded in 1994. The OPAL Team has worked with organizations in the fields of aeronautics, manufacturing, medical device, semiconductor, global logistics, retail, chemical and pharmaceutical.

We are experts in every aspect of the quality systems implementation process from preparing and managing certification plans to maturing systems and facilitating continuous improvement.

For over 15 years we have helped companies accomplish major successes in the following areas:

  • System Implementation & Compliance to ISO 9001, 14001, 18001 & 13485 standards
  • Systems Integration
  • Corrective & Preventive Action Systems
  • Customer Satisfaction Programs
  • Quality Audit Programs
  • Disaster Recovery & Continuity Plans
  • Training Programs
  • Development of Technical Training Content

OPAL, Quality System Management has been awarded contracts by transnational conglomerations and industry leading corporations.

Past clients include, General Dynamics, Applied Materials, Port of Oakland, Alameda County Public Works, Extron Logistics, Mainetti USA, Medical Device Resources, Protech Materials, City of Richmond, and many more.

OPAL Now

OPAL offers systems management and strategic planning services that promote operational excellence and continual improvement. Opal is dedicated to helping our customers reach their highest goals and position themselves to be competitive in their respective markets. With experience in an extensive variety of industries and international compliance systems, we offer professional services that assist businesses in reaching their full potential. We advise, train, encourage, empower and motivate customers to plan and implement business systems that mature and expand their business.