Operations Advisory and Strategic Coaching for small and mid-size manufacturers, corporate leaders, and event-driven organizations — from someone who has stood on the factory floor.
You are the owner, the COO, and the firefighter. No one makes a decision without asking you first and you have not taken a real vacation in years.
You are working harder than ever but the numbers are not moving. Something structural needs to change but you cannot see it from inside.
The business runs on instinct and urgency. There is no written plan, no clear priorities, and no way to hold anyone accountable.
Fires everywhere, processes undocumented, costs untracked. Growth is creating disorder faster than your team can manage it.
Every engagement is grounded in three decades of firsthand operational experience — not textbooks. We work with you, not above you.
Fractional COO support for manufacturers and industrial businesses. We map your operations, identify inefficiencies, and build systems your team can run without you.
Learn more →12-month operational roadmaps built around your goals, your team, and your cost structure — from someone who understands what it takes to make something and deliver it profitably.
Learn more →End-to-end oversight for complex operational initiatives — venue launches, system rollouts, facility expansions, and cross-functional programs that need experienced leadership.
Learn more →Kanban, lean manufacturing principles, and workflow redesign applied to your real operation. Reduce waste, improve throughput, and build a culture of continuous improvement.
Learn more →Develop the managers and leaders inside your business so decisions get made at the right level. Build accountability structures that do not require the owner in every room.
Learn more →Operational planning and execution for corporate events, conferences, and large-scale venue operations. 15 years managing TiEcon — one of Silicon Valley's largest annual conferences.
Learn more →Operational and strategic consulting for travel businesses, tourism operators, and hospitality organizations looking to build scalable, profitable operating models.
Learn more →From raw material receipts to finished goods, we track every cost centre and find where margin is leaking. Grounded in cost accounting with real manufacturing experience.
Learn more →
Founder & Operations Advisor
Grey Matter LLC — San Jose, CA
Most business coaches learned operations from a textbook. Rudy Rana learned it by walking the floor. From the yarn receivables department at Reliance Industries' Vimal Textiles in Gujarat, to the automotive parts lines at Jernberg Industries in Chicago, to the lighting pole fabrication at Valmont Industries in Omaha — and most recently as Principal Cloud & Operations Engineer at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley — Rudy has spent over three decades understanding what it truly costs to make something and deliver it.
With a foundation in Cost Accounting, Statistics, and Economics from Gujarat University, combined with systems management training from NIIT and hands-on IT leadership spanning Oracle, AWS cloud infrastructure, and enterprise program management, Rudy brings a rare combination of analytical depth and operational instinct to every client engagement.
For 15 consecutive years, Rudy has been a core member of the operations team for TiEcon — one of the world's largest entrepreneurship conferences hosted annually at the Santa Clara Convention Center — bringing the same operational discipline to large-scale events that he applies to manufacturing floors.
As founder of ExploreSV, a digital travel and lifestyle magazine covering the San Francisco Bay Area, Rudy also brings firsthand knowledge of travel, tourism, and digital publishing operations to clients in those sectors.
Book a Discovery CallEvery industry below was experienced in person — from receiving docks to finished goods, from power generation to conference halls.
Book a free 30-minute Discovery Call. You will leave with at least one clear idea you can act on — whether we work together or not.
📅 Schedule Your Free Discovery CallWhether you are dealing with operational chaos, planning a strategic pivot, or simply wondering if an outside advisor could help — reach out. The first conversation is always free.