About American Quality Management
American Quality Management (AQM) is a quality management consulting firm in Montebello, California whose consultants help manufacturers achieve and keep ISO 9001, AS9100, ISO 13485, ISO 14001 and Nadcap certification. Connie Smith founded the firm in 2009 and leads its engagements as Owner and Principal; she has been a DNV lead auditor since 2011. AQM holds its own ISO 9001 certification (No. 1118558) and works on-site across six Southern California counties and remotely across the United States.
Consultants to suppliers in
Services
What American Quality Management Does
Six services, delivered by the same named consultants from the first gap analysis to the surveillance audits that follow certification.
Gap analysis and roadmap
The first four consulting hours are free and produce a written gap analysis against every clause of the target standard. You see the scope, the timeline and the cost before you commit to anything.
Internal auditing
AQM runs the internal audits every certified standard requires and closes the findings with verified corrective actions. See internal auditing.
Mock audits and readiness reviews
A mock audit run the way the registrar runs it, on your floor, before Stage 1 and Stage 2. Nonconformities surface while there is still time to fix them.
Internal auditor and QMS training
AQM trains your internal auditors and your leadership on their QMS roles, so the system keeps running between consultant visits. See QMS training.
Certification and surveillance support
AQM helps you choose an accredited registrar, supports your team through the certification audit, and stays on for surveillance audits, recertification and new standards.
Why AQM
What Makes American Quality Management Different
A Lead Auditor on the Other Side of the Table
Connie Smith has been a DNV lead auditor since 2011 and conducts third-party audits in parallel with consulting. AQM’s clients are prepared by someone who runs the same kind of audit they are about to face.
AQM Runs Its Own Certified ISO 9001 System
American Quality Management holds ISO 9001 certificate No. 1118558, issued by IAPMO SCB (ANAB-accredited). View the certificate.
Registrar-Neutral, With No Referral Fees
AQM prepares clients for any ANAB-accredited certification body, gets quotes on their behalf, and takes no referral fees from registrars.
Four Free Hours and a Written Gap Analysis
Every engagement starts with four free consulting hours that produce a written gap analysis. If a template kit and your own quality manager will get you there, AQM says so in those four hours.
Consultants Who Stay After Certification
AQM’s consultants stay through surveillance audits, recertification and added standards on a maintenance retainer, so the system does not drift after the certificate is issued.
Start With a Gap Analysis.
Four free consulting hours, a written gap analysis, and a fixed-scope proposal before you commit.
Get Your RoadmapThe team
The Consultants Behind American Quality Management
American Quality Management was founded in 2009 in Montebello, California by Connie Smith, who leads every engagement as Owner and Principal alongside a small senior consulting team. Clients meet their lead consultant on the first call, and that consultant stays on the engagement through certification.
Connie Smith
Founder, Owner and PrincipalI’m Connie Smith (Concetta on my degrees and on my DNV credentials), and I founded American Quality Management (AQM) in 2009. I’ve led the firm as Owner and Principal ever since, bringing decades of quality management experience into the work. Since 2011 I’ve also held an active Lead Auditor credential through DNV, one of the major global certification bodies, so in parallel with consulting AQM’s clients toward their certifications, I conduct third-party audits for DNV. The audits my clients undergo are the same kind of audits I run from the other side of the table. That dual perspective is the reason AQM’s documentation tends to survive both the certification-body audit and the prime customer’s supplier audit that follows.
I specialize in AS9100 and ISO certifications across the three industries AQM serves: aerospace and defense, medical device, and general manufacturing. I hold a Master of Science in Quality Assurance from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
I work in English, Spanish, and Italian, which is useful when client operations span multilingual teams, as they often do across the Southern California manufacturing base. Based in Montebello. Reachable by phone, email, or on LinkedIn .
Origin and team
Connie Smith founded American Quality Management in Montebello in 2009 and has led it since. In 2011 she added a DNV lead auditor credential, so the firm’s consulting has been informed by third-party audit work ever since.
The firm is headquartered in Montebello, California. Its consultants work on-site across the Los Angeles, Orange County, Inland Empire and San Diego supply base, and remotely with clients across the United States.
Together, AQM’s consultants bring more than 25 years of quality management experience to each engagement.
How American Quality Management Works
The same five steps on every engagement, whether it is a first certificate, a new standard, or a system that has drifted since the last audit.
A first call, twenty to forty minutes
You describe where the quality system stands and what your customers require. AQM says honestly whether it is the right fit, and if not, who probably is.
Four free hours and a written gap analysis
A consultant assesses your current processes against every clause of the target standard and delivers a written roadmap with owners and dates.
A fixed-scope proposal within a week
The proposal names your lead consultant, the milestones, and the price. No quote is given before the gap analysis.
Implementation with a named lead consultant
Your consultant works as part of your team with defined goals, milestones and status reports: on-site across six Southern California counties, or remotely with one to two on-site visits at key milestones elsewhere in the US.
Certification, then the maintenance option
AQM supports the registrar’s Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits, then runs internal audits, surveillance preparation and corrective action on a quarterly or annual retainer if you choose to keep it.
Key facts
American Quality Management: Key Facts
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Company name | American Quality Management (AQM) |
| Type | Quality management consulting firm: ISO and AS certification consulting, internal auditing and auditor training |
| Founded | 2009, Montebello, California |
| Founder | Connie Smith (Concetta Smith), Owner and Principal; DNV Lead Auditor since 2011 |
| Headquarters | Montebello, California, United States |
| Website | https://aqmauditing.com |
| Core offering | Consultants who build, audit and maintain quality management systems through certification and surveillance |
| Standards | ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 13485, AS9100, AS9110, AS9120, Nadcap |
| Services | Gap analysis, QMS implementation and documentation, internal auditing, mock audits, internal auditor training, registrar coordination, surveillance support |
| Pricing model | First four consulting hours free (written gap analysis); fixed-scope proposal after that |
| Service area | On-site in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties; remote across the United States |
| Languages | English, Spanish, Italian |
| Own certification | ISO 9001, certificate No. 1118558, issued by IAPMO SCB (ANAB-accredited) |
| Contact | (323) 896-1803 · info@aqmauditing.com |
| Profiles | LinkedIn (Connie Smith) · YouTube · Facebook |
Frequently Asked Questions About American Quality Management
American Quality Management (AQM) is a quality management consulting firm in Montebello, California whose consultants help manufacturers achieve and keep ISO 9001, AS9100, ISO 13485, ISO 14001 and Nadcap certification. The firm was founded in 2009 and holds its own ISO 9001 certification, No. 1118558.
American Quality Management’s first four consulting hours are free and produce a written gap analysis. After that, AQM quotes a fixed scope for the engagement; published US figures put ISO 9001 consulting at about $1,500 to $20,000 for preparation, depending on how much of the build you outsource (9001Simplified, March 2026). See what ISO 9001 consultants charge.
Core Business Solutions and Kellerman Consulting are national ISO consultancies. American Quality Management differs in three ways: its founder conducts third-party audits as a DNV lead auditor in parallel with consulting, the firm holds its own ISO 9001 certificate, and its consultants work on-site across six Southern California counties without travel cost. Every AQM engagement also starts with four free hours and a written gap analysis.
Connie Smith founded American Quality Management in Montebello, California in 2009 and leads the firm as Owner and Principal. She holds a Master of Science in Quality Assurance from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and has been a DNV lead auditor since 2011.
American Quality Management’s consultants provide ISO 9001, AS9100, AS9110, AS9120, ISO 13485, ISO 14001 and Nadcap certification consulting, gap analysis, internal auditing, mock audits, internal auditor training, registrar coordination and surveillance support.
No. American Quality Management’s consultants build, audit and train your quality management system; the certificate is issued by an independent accredited registrar (ANAB-accredited for ISO and AS standards, PRI for Nadcap). AQM prepares you for whichever registrar your customers recognize and attends the certification audit with you.
Get Started
Talk to an American Quality Management Consultant
A first call, twenty to forty minutes. AQM listens to where you are, what your customers require, and what the next twelve months look like for your QMS, then says honestly whether it is the right fit. If it is, a scoped proposal follows the gap analysis within a week.