Speakers & Sessions
Monday, October 2, 2023
Championship Execution: Measure What Matters
Matt Clark
9:15 AM–10:45 AM
Matt has timed tens of thousands of pit stops over his career. Each pitstop is broken down into at least twenty-five distinct time segments for critical review and improvement. Measuring the things that matter provides quantifiable results that can be improved upon.
NASCAR Pit crews spend about 60 - 80 seconds a week actually working on getting results; changing tires, fueling and adjusting the car during the race. Each pit stop can be 10-12 seconds with the average of 5 - 7 pits tops per race. These Pit Athletes are required to workout, rehab, stretch, watch film, setup & tear down, all of which is important. However, at the end of the day, it's the number on the stopwatch that matters.
The same holds true in the business world. Ultimately, it's all about the results. Tenths of a second on pit road mean the difference between winning and losing. Forty years ago, Peter Drucker famously wrote, " what gets measured, gets improved" and it's just as true today. Are you measuring what matters?
About Matt Clark
Matt Clark is a speaker, coach and expert team strategist. His experience as a NASCAR championship Pit Crew Coach for drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, gives him a unique perspective on mindset and performance. Along with doing time as an on air analyst for FOX Sports1, Matt has done a TEDx Talk and has shared his experience and insights with major organizations. His passion is to help high performers build a championship mindset as well as helping business leaders develop teams that drive performance.
KYKLO: The Power of Product Data and E-commerce: Driving Success for Manufacturers and Distributors
(IndustrySpeak A)
Ryan Francis, Managing Director, KYKLO
11:00 AM–11:45 AM
In the B2B e-commerce world, manufacturers and distributors cannot underestimate the power of exceptional product data. As a matter of fact, 87% of buyers will hesitate or go elsewhere if product content is lacking. With countless businesses operating online, having accurate and comprehensive product information is crucial to gaining a competitive edge. Your Customers want to find and compare products easily. They expect to know everything about the product, like the price, availability, materials used, and dimensions. By providing rich, detailed product data, coupled with the right taxonomy, you not only meet these expectations but also enhance your internal processes and decision-making capabilities.
This session will provide you with five key takeaways that are specifically tailored to your needs. These takeaways will help you optimize your product data and ensure that your business is well-positioned to succeed in B2B e-commerce. By enhancing search engine optimization and minimizing errors and returns, investing in exceptional product content can yield a substantial impact on your bottom line. Remember, it's not just about making your product searchable; it's about making it discoverable.
About Ryan Francis
Ryan Francis is a dynamic Sales professional who brought to KYKLO years of diverse experiences along with his hard work and determination. This native of Buffalo, NY is a lifetime student of human nature and uses his deep understanding and skill set in a multifaceted manner. Driven by his passion for sales, Ryan embarked on a journey to Thailand, where he joined KYKLO in early 2017. In 2020 Ryan returned to his hometown to establish the Buffalo Office and lead the US Sales Operations.
Meeting of Members Industry Update
Joe Calvello, Edgewater Research
2:30 PM–3:30 PM (FPDA)
3:45 PM–4:45 PM (ISD)
During the meeting of members, Joe Calvello will discuss an overview of Recent Economic Trends and Key Indicators, specific industry trends leveraging data from the Monthly Membership Benchmarking Program, cover our initial 2024 outlook and forecast for the industry as well as provide a brief overview of member benchmarking opportunities focusing on what’s new and what’s in the pipeline.
About Joe Calvello
Joe Calvello is a Senior Analyst and Head of Data and Analytics at Edgewater Research. Joe has been providing in-depth and differentiated economic and industrial market specific research for over 15 years. He is known for the innovative industry and financial benchmarking programs he’s developed and is passionate about helping association members to leverage these programs to drive better operational and strategic decisions.
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
Thriving in Challenge: Resilience for Sustained Results
Fred Harburg
7:30 AM–9:00 AM
The most effective and fulfilled leaders are separated from others by their ability to prepare for, recover from, flourish, and grow stronger physically, intellectually, emotionally, and ethically amidst demanding challenges.
During this session, Fred Harburg draws on his experience helping thousands of leaders create practical, evidence-based approaches for boosting their energy and thriving in the face of significant, challenging conditions. The session includes lessons from performance psychology, nutrition, exercise physiology, and neuroscience. Participants apply the concepts to fulfill their responsibilities, realize personal aspirations, and live more meaningful, fulfilling lives in an increasingly volatile environment.
About Fred Harburg
Fred Harburg is a Clinical Professor at the Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, and the former Executive Director of the Kellogg Executive Leadership Institute.
He provides many of the most respected Boards, CEOs, and C-Suite Teams with catalyzing research, growth guidance, and executive coaching. Fred served as the Chief Learning Officer and President of Motorola University, Chief Learning Officer at Williams Energy, and Senior Vice President for Leadership and Learning at Fidelity Investments. He began his career as a pilot. He was a faculty officer at the US Air Force Academy in the Department of Behavior Science and Leadership and a flight instructor for cadets, including some of the first US Air Force female pilots.
Fred has lectured at MIT, Harvard Business School, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and many Fortune 500 companies. He is a senior fellow at PathNorth and served as a board member for The Human Performance Institute. Fred’s grasp of leadership, organizational development, performance, and his capacity to coach leaders to excellence make him sought after as a keynote speaker, executive coach, writer, and consultant. He has written and lectured extensively on Leader as Coach, Purpose Driven Leadership, Executive Judgment, and Resilience for Thriving in Challenge.
Fred, his wife, and their three children lived abroad for six years when his coaching and consulting work took him to all parts of Europe and Asia.
Getting Specified in at the Design Stage: The Importance of Delivering Native CAD Data
(IndustrySpeak B with Panel Discussion)
9:15 AM–10:30 AM
Much of today’s industrial customer journey happens online before an engineer speaks to anyone at the company. Engineers want to research, compare, and test products virtually, as well as get pricing and availability. With little human interaction and dwindling levels of engineering support, manufacturers and distributors need a way to convey technical information earlier in the process, to ensure products are specified into designs. When browsing a manufacturer or distributor’s website to research products, if the native CAD information needed to select a product isn’t available, engineers will leave and select an alternative supplier that delivers the information they need.
This session will talk about what is important to end users with respect to CAD data, with examples of various fluid power and sealing manufacturer and distributor websites delivering on-demand CAD and technical information. A panel of manufacturers and distributors will join-in to discuss their experiences delivering CAD data and how it has improved their business.
About Ronald Klimko
Ron holds a degree in Marketing Communications from the University of Dayton. Ron has over 15 years' experience working in the B2B Media/Fluid Power and Design Engineering space and joined CADENAS PARTsolutions in May 2021.
About John McKenney
John holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Buffalo and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin. John has worked in the CAD/BIM/eCAD industry for the past 23 years with 17 of them being at CADENAS PARTsolutions.
About Nicole Farrell
Nicole has over 20 years’ experience working in the hydraulic industry. She has been with FluiDyne Fluid Power since 1999. She is a member of The NFPA Future Leaders, as well as the FPDA. She is recognized for her energy, cleverness, ability to manage a group of diverse individuals, as well as focusing on maintaining an outstanding team emphasizing on superior customer service!
About Chadwick Conte
Chadwick Conte, with four years in the fluid power industry and two decades of marketing and business experience, serves as the Product Lifecycle and Marketing Manager at Peninsular Cylinder Company. With a strong foothold in the NFPA as a Future Leader and Action Challenge facilitator, his customer-oriented approach amplifies our brand and guides product development.
About Todd Keim
Todd holds a degree in Marketing from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Todd has worked at Motion Industries since 1982, in many different roles including Account Representative, Branch Manager, Product Sales Management and is currently the Director of Motion’s Item Database.
Young Executives Speaker Session: Leading in a Turbulent World – What's a Leader to Do?
Fred Harburg
10:45 AM–11:45 AM
We live in one of American history's most polarizing and contentious times. Sometimes it can feel like we are on the verge of another Civil War. It is not just a political party divide; it is a divide on every possible issue (gender, reproductive rights, election integrity, climate change, capitalism, big pharma, energy, AI, education, the role of the government…, etc.)
How does a leader maintain a position of influence when every issue is contentious? What does sound leadership judgment have to do with patriotism, loyalty, courage, and conviction? One strategy is to keep your head down and never discuss any "hot button" issue. However, business significantly intersects with virtually all these issues. As an example, “women in the workplace" morphs into issues regarding childcare, education, health care, pay equity, etc. Is the excellent leader the one who skirts any discussion of hot buttons? How can a leader steer through a sea of no-win contentious issues?
In this interactive discussion, we will aim to identify guidelines and principles to help the next generation of leaders do better than the last in assisting disparate parties to find common ground to maintain civil discourse and make effective decisions in a tumultuous environment. We will aim to use these same guidelines and principles in the session itself.
About Fred Harburg
Fred Harburg is a Clinical Professor at the Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, and the former Executive Director of the Kellogg Executive Leadership Institute.
He provides many of the most respected Boards, CEOs, and C-Suite Teams with catalyzing research, growth guidance, and executive coaching. Fred served as the Chief Learning Officer and President of Motorola University, Chief Learning Officer at Williams Energy, and Senior Vice President for Leadership and Learning at Fidelity Investments. He began his career as a pilot. He was a faculty officer at the US Air Force Academy in the Department of Behavior Science and Leadership and a flight instructor for cadets, including some of the first US Air Force female pilots.
Fred has lectured at MIT, Harvard Business School, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and many Fortune 500 companies. He is a senior fellow at PathNorth and served as a board member for The Human Performance Institute. Fred’s grasp of leadership, organizational development, performance, and his capacity to coach leaders to excellence make him sought after as a keynote speaker, executive coach, writer, and consultant. He has written and lectured extensively on Leader as Coach, Purpose Driven Leadership, Executive Judgment, and Resilience for Thriving in Challenge.
Fred, his wife, and their three children lived abroad for six years when his coaching and consulting work took him to all parts of Europe and Asia.
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
ITR Economic Update (Breakfast & Closing Keynote)
Taylor St. Germain, Economist, ITR Economics
9:00 AM–10:30 AM
There is an extraordinary amount of noise concerning the status of the economy today and what the future will look like. ITR Economics will present a dispassionate look at the trends that define the economy and inform us about the future through 2025, and we will discuss how it will impact attendees.
We will be looking into key industries to determine what phase of the business cycle they are in and what the future looks like for each. Some industries are faring better than others; it is important you know which industries/markets they are in order to potentially mitigate the impact of business cycle decline.
Our assessment of labor costs and labor availability through 2025 will be presented, as these will have a prolonged impact on how we do business and what capital expenditures can help ameliorate the pressures.
Inflation is currently waning. The rate of inflation will recede as the economy weakens, but it will not be gone. Global economic expansion later this decade will again push up prices of raw materials and then finished goods. Higher labor costs will once again contribute in a significant way to the upward pricing pressure. The discussion on inflation will flow into a discussion on interest rates through at least the near term. Management objectives consistent with our forecasts for inflation and interest rates will provide actionable takeaways for attendees.
Attendees will leave the conference with the confidence that comes from an accurate, proven, analytical approach to the economy. We will provide attendees with clear direction regarding what will be and what must be done in order to maximize revenue and profit growth.
About Taylor St. Germain
As an experienced economist, Taylor St. Germain provides consulting services for small businesses, trade associations, and Fortune 500 companies across a spectrum of industries. Taylor specializes in forecasting at both the market and company levels and is a key contributor to maintaining ITR Economics’ forecast accuracy rating of 94.7%.
His dynamic personality and extensive knowledge of economic trends and their business relevance are highly valued by clients and colleagues alike.
Taylor spent time in the tech industry providing market intelligence to electronics OEMs, semiconductor companies, and component manufacturers. In his five years with ITR Economics, he has worked with various distributors, manufacturers, and producers, helping each client navigate the business cycle and optimize their corporate planning strategy. Taylor has also spent several years in Texas furthering his research in the industrial sector, with a specific focus on oil and gas.
Taylor earned his bachelor’s degree in statistics from the University of Vermont and is finishing a master’s degree in applied economics at Southern New Hampshire University. He has been featured in OEM Magazine and on the Fab Lab and Wealth Formula podcasts.
