Are you looking to improve your marketing, manage cash flow, or learn ways to diversify your business? Does your company have a “sales culture”…and what does that even mean? Need to update your dust collection system? How are you building a stronger workforce and attracting and retaining quality employees? All of these topics and much more are covered in the College of Woodworking Knowledge Business Management and Culture & Workforce Session Tracks. Read on for more details:
Business Sessions Address Marketing, Sales, Cash Flow, Lean Management, and more!
Wood industry veteran turned marketing professional Jonathan Mills will speak on “Profitable Growth Through Digital Marketing” on Wednesday, July 18 at 9:30 a.m. The best ways to (digitally) market your business and products may not be the ways that you think! Hear Jonathan’s experienced advice to amp up your marketing efforts!
Sought-out speaker Dr. Cindy McGovern “The First Lady of Sales”, will speak on “Growing Your Business by Creating a Sales Culture” (Friday July 19, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.) Dr. Cindy will share the 5-Step Plan for Growth; step one is “What is your plan for growth? And does your team know what it should be and what their role is?”
Jeff Finney, owner of Ultimate Cabinet Components and host of the Push Thru podcast on the business of cabinetmaking, presents “Making it in the Cabinet Industry”, Thursday July 18 from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. Jeff will share the lessons he has learned during his process to make his business more efficient.
This session is returning because it receives such rave reviews every year: “The Proper Three are Key: Dust Collection for Small Shops” (Thursday, July 18) with Curt Corum of Air Handling Systems is a must if you are preparing to install or upgrade your dust collection system.
CMA will present “Diversifying Your Business: How to Think Outside the (Cabinet) Box” on Thursday, July 18 with Gene Wengert aka “The Wood Dr” and Cabinet Concepts by Design owner Matt Wehner. Get inspired to take your business to the next level!
Are you impacted by the recent tariffs or the TSCA Title VI formaldehyde regulation updates? Don’t miss “Wood Industry Regulatory Update”, a FREE session on Wednesday, July 17 at 3:30 with Kip Howlett of Decorative Hardware Association and Eamon Monahan of the Composite Panel Association.
Tom Grandy, contractor and business owner, offers two sessions on Wednesday, July 17 on managing your finances. In “Profit is Important but Cash Flow is Critical” you will learn everything you need to know to create a department-by-department, month-by-month cash flow budget for your company. “The Price is Right…or Is It?” will address improper labor pricing, the number one killer of small businesses! Worksheets will be provided and completed during the session, that you can take home and use immediately.
Ready to go Lean? Hear from two-time Shingo Prize winning author and 30 year veteran and lean consultant Gary Conner in “Interactive Case Studies in Lean Management”, Thursday, July 18. Gary will share stories of other woodworking companies who have transitioned to lean and how you can begin the process.
Two Power-Packed Panel Sessions in the “Culture & Workforce Track”
Why is diversity critical to your workforce and how can you strengthen it? “Creating a Stronger Workforce Through Diversity”, on Friday, July 19 from 11:30 – 1:00 p.m., will feature four panelists from across the industry and their very different perspectives and experiences on workforce. Beau Pray is an apprentice at Blum, Inc. and is currently on his path to acquire a journeyman’s certificate as a quality technician. Danielle Applestone is owner of Daughters of Rosie, where she helps women in the skilled trades connect with employers. Jim Wellever runs the Cabinetmaking Program at Michigan Career Technical Institute one of the leading programs for disabled students…and has a nearly 100% placement rate for all of his graduates! Whitney Pyle of Advanced Cabinet Systems implemented an intentional diversity program and her company experienced dramatically positive benefits as a result.
Are you following the exciting developments related to workforce within our industry? Are you connected with key partners like SkillsUSA or Woodwork Career Alliance? Don’t miss the FREE panel discussion “Industry Workforce Development Opportunities” on Wednesday, July 18 to hear from different organizations on what’s happening and how you can get involved!
Attend “Manufacturing Engagement: Smart Strategies to keep YOUR Top Talent from Becoming Theirs” (Friday, July 19) to learn Lisa Ryan’s “THANKS Process” to improve the work environment for your employees and much more. Lisa will be signing her Manufacturing Engagement book at the session as well!
Do you know what your “communication style” is? Do you know what your employees’ styles are? If not, you could be having a Communication Breakdown! In the session “Communication Breakdown: You’re Driving Me Insane!” (Wednesday, July 17), you will have the opportunity to take a communication style assessment and review the results. You will learn about different styles and how to create a better working environment for you and your employees. Equally important, how is your relationship 
with employees and co-workers of different generations? In “It Wasn’t Me: Are Your Leadership Skills Attracting the Next Generation’s Workforce?”, you will hear stories of companies who embraced generational differences, identified similarities, and experienced successful outcomes…and how you can do the same!
Marine veteran turned business leader Guy Bucey will share his story of organizational transformation in “Taking Your Business to the Next Level, Why Leadership Matters” (Wednesday, July 17). Don’t miss your opportunity to hear Guy speak and learn from his experiences!
Top-rated return speaker Paul Downs, author of Boss Life: Surviving My Own Small Business, will introduce a new session in 2019 on “Company Culture: Where to Start” (Thursday, July 18). Learn how he began the transformation to defining his company’s culture, including handouts to help you identify the type of worker and workplace you want!
WCA will present two FREE sessions to help you build your workforce. “Finding, Training, and Retaining Workers” (Thursday, July 18) will help you get creative in finding the right people for the job. “Building a Training Program for Your Workers” will help you create an in-house training program, including employee assessments and information on resources that you can access.
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