LEADERSHIP TRACK
Conference Track Sponsor
Day 1, Tuesday, February 25th
10:30 – 11:20AM
"We've Been Acquired... Now What?"
Manufacturing business owners have a variety of exit options if and when they feel it's time to sell their business – traditional fund private equity, family office, hybrid private equity/family office, and strategic buyers. And each of these have their own selling process. What's often forgotten are the different styles of management and ownership across the different types of buyers and how the company and employees will ultimately be operated after the deal is closed.
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In this session, experts from the Broadview Group will share insights into the different types of buyers and their selling processes, along with what employees staying within the company can expect moving forward, depending on the new ownership type. They will share tips on how to smoothly transition from one operating style to another.
Davis Malone | Vice President, Broadview Group
Davis joined Broadview Group in 2024 as a Vice President. He is responsible for new investment opportunity sourcing, evaluation & due diligence, and execution. Once under management, Davis partners with our portfolio companies to provide resources and guidance needed to drive strategic, financial, and operational initiatives. Prior to Broadview Group, Davis was a Vice President at The Stephens Group in Little Rock, Arkansas, one of the oldest and most successful family office investment firms in the U.S., from 2019 to 2024, where he focused his efforts on Engineered Industrial Products, Specialty Distribution, and Technology-enabled Service businesses. From 2019 to 2024, Davis assisted in the execution of four different platform and numerous complementary acquisitions for The Stephens Group and their portfolio companies. Prior to The Stephens Group, Davis was a Senior Associate at KPMG in Chicago in their Financial Due Diligence practice focused on buy and sell-side quality of earnings. Davis started his career as an Associate at Deloitte in Chicago in their Audit practice. Davis was born and raised in Lake Bluff, Illinois and received his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Southern California. He now lives in Webster Groves, Missouri.
Alex Kuhlman | Vice President, Broadview Group
Alex joined Broadview group in 2020 and is a Vice President where he focuses on direct investments in private companies. Prior to joining Broadview Group, Alex was a Senior Associate at Capital Southwest, a Dallas-based investing platform targeting credit and minority equity investment opportunities in the middle-market, where he executed several transactions across a variety of sectors. Alex started his career as an investment banking analyst at Stephens in their transportation and logistics group in Dallas. Alex was born and raised in Saint Louis and enjoys watching his hometown teams. He received his BBA in Finance from Texas Christian University.
1:30 – 2:20PM
Industry 4.0 – Starting Small, Then Scale: A Midwest Manufacturer's Launch Story
Manufacturing is changing with the growth of technology and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Additionally, demand has been challenging for most manufacturers in a post COVID environment, and capital has been hard to evaluate. So, what is the right solution for your business and how can you company make process improvement with the implementation of technology and other enabling factors.
In this session you will hear from a Missouri-based manufacturer that does both molding and stamping for the automotive industry and others, along with the team at Wipfli that has been working with them for the last year. They will explore the challenges they were facing with efficiency, the product solution they implemented in their step towards Industry 4.0 and the necessary process improvements required to drive true success in implementation. They will share the challenges and successes of working together and the metrics they are seeing today towards improvement.
Laurie Harbour | Partner - Manufacturing, Retail & Distribution, Wipfli
Laurie Harbour is a partner with more than 35 yers of manufacturing and consulting experience. Prior to joining Wipfli, she was the co-owner of Harbour Results, Inc., and has spent her career helping clients develop strategies, improve operations, reduce risk and optimize business performance. Clients benefit from Laurie's ability to work with leadership teams to assess the current state of their business and provide strategic and operation recommendations for improvements.
Keith Suellentrop | Owner & President, LMC Industries, Inc.
Keith A. Suellentrop is an Owner and President of LMC Industries, Inc., an 80-year family business specializing in contract manufacturing for metal stamping, plastic injection molding, and tool & die. LMC serves a wide array of customers in the automotive, agriculture, consumer products, and industrial space. His experience over the last 35 years spans multiple areas of the business; strategic planning, operations management, finance, and supply chain management, enabling him to lead the organization on a new path to production automation, continuous productivity improvement, with a focus on streamlining processes and running the business based on data analytics.
3:30 – 4:20PM
Lead with Purpose: Project Management Principles for Leadership Excellence
Project management principles are leadership principles. When organizations overlook core principles like clear objectives, detailed planning and continuous improvement, the cost is high, time is wasted, and projects fail.
Join us for an insightful session on mastering the essential skillset of project management to enhance your organization and leadership effectiveness. In this session, Cristy Gies – an accomplished project management professional and leadership coach – will share five principles of project management that offer practical insights for successful outcomes.
Attendees will leave equipped with:
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An understanding of the benefits of project management and its impact on organizational success
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The tools for setting clear objectives and developing a comprehensive plan for success
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Insights on successful process improvement to achieve business objectives
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Ideas for effective communication across a multi-generational employee base
Whether you're a seasoned leader or looking to elevate your organization’s effectiveness, this session will provide you with practical strategies and tools to lead with purpose and drive your projects and organization to success.
Cristy Gies | Founder, 417 Project Management | Owner, KMEDPRO
Cristy Gies is a seasoned project management professional and dynamic leadership coach who is passionate about helping individuals, teams and organizations drive successful outcomes. Cristy empowers leaders and project managers alike to lead with clarity, confidence and conviction while equipping them with strategies to navigate the inevitable challenges along the way. With over 25 years of experience leading global teams and managing complex, multi-million-dollar initiatives, Cristy draws on her extensive leadership and project management background to bring strategic insight and practical tools to her coaching and consulting. Cristy’s keen eye for process improvement and the ability to lead multifaceted, global teams to consensus, makes her a unique leader in her field. She has collaborated with executives across multiple industries, transforming not only projects but also the leaders behind them. As the founder of 417 Project Management, Cristy has partnered with national brands, non-profits, and executive teams to implement effective project management strategies, improve processes, and empower leaders to drive measurable results. Currently pursuing a Master of Organizational Leadership, Cristy leverages her advanced studies to empower leaders to navigate challenges with clarity and confidence. Cristy also holds multiple project management certifications including PMP, PMI-ACP and Certified Scrum Master, which underscore her proficiency and dedication to the field. As a speaker and coach, Cristy’s style is personable, insightful and grounded in real-world experience. Her speaking and coaching offer actionable strategies for results, empowerment, and sustainable success in both individuals and organizations. Whether she’s addressing C-suite executives or emerging leaders, Cristy leaves audiences equipped with practical tools, inspired to take meaningful action, and ready to lead with renewed energy and purpose.
Day 2, Wednesday, February 26th
9:00 – 9:50AM
Thinking About Modernizing or Expanding Your Facility? What You Need to Know
Expanding, modernizing, or redesigning your manufacturing facility is a major investment that requires a strategic, holistic approach. This session will walk you through key considerations, including size requirements (both now and for future use), architectural design, electrical infrastructure, HVAC systems, utilities, facility layout, engineering and more – all critical to ensuring an efficient workflow, safe working environment, and long-term scalability of your facility. Whether you’re planning a new build or revamping an existing space, this session will help you make informed decisions that align with your operational goals.
John Berendzen | CEO, Fox Architects
John joined Fox Architects in 1988 and currently serves as CEO. John is a past President of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and serves as a trustee of the AIA St. Louis Scholarship Foundation. He serves on the Board of Building Futures St. Louis, Eliot Society, Washington University School of Architecture and is a past member of the Sustainability Commission for the City of Webster Groves. John is a registered architect in Missouri and 16 other states.
Adnan Omeragic | President, Fox Architects
Adnan joined Fox Architects in 2014, became a Partner in 2018 and President of the firm in 2023. A Registered Architect, he designs and delivers innovative built environments that are cost and schedule conscious. Believing that a successful project is the result of collaboration, this mindset forms the core of Adnan’s architectural process, elevating the quality and thoughtfulness of all projects. A refugee of the Bosnian War, his diverse background and experiences enable him to approach challenges with a solution-focused mentality of concentrating on future resolutions and goals instead of on obstacles.
Brian Orr | Vice President & Structural Department Manager, Toth & Associates
Brian has been the Structural Engineer of Record on countless buildings and bridges throughout his career. He has worked with buildings, bridges, structural reviews, failure investigations, and specification writing with projects including multi-story office buildings, bridges, and FEMA safe rooms. He is capable of design concept preparation, structural design, cost estimating, preparation of contract documents and reports, as well as public presentation of projects to various groups. His design experience encompasses a broad range of building materials including structural steel, light gauge steel, concrete masonry, reinforced, tilt-up and precast concrete, steel bar joist and joist girders, shallow and deep foundations, timber construction, and composite steel beams. This experience includes design of over 400 structures nationwide, plus the design of structures in extreme loading conditions including high seismic areas, hurricane region zones, and FEMA safe rooms. Brian is also a FEMA Committee member for publications regarding the design and operation of Tornado Safe Rooms. He has secured over $200,000,000 in FEMA grants for the Construction of FEMA Tornado Safe Rooms in the State of Missouri. He is often a guest speaker at Architectural and Engineering conferences, providing insight on how to efficiently integrate Tornado Safe Rooms into K-12 school projects.
10:30 – 11:20AM
Advanced Manufacturing on the Horizon
Industrial robots are increasingly being used in machining tasks traditionally performed by machine tools (e.g., milling, drilling, routing). While the decreased stiffness of robots limits their ability to achieve the throughput and surface finish of machine tools, advances in metrology tools have greatly improved their accuracy making them desirable options for operations on large parts or in flexible manufacturing scenarios. This session will highlight case studies and state of art solutions from the Center for Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies at Missouri S&T and more than a decade of its work with industry on these solutions.
Dr. Doug Bristow | Professor & Director, Missouri University of Science & Technology
Dr. Douglas Bristow, Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, was named the director of the Center for Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies (CAMT) at Missouri S&T in May 2016. Dr. Bristow joined Missouri S&T’s faculty in 2008 as an assistant professor and was named associate professor in 2014 and Professor in 2020. Dr. Bristow is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Missouri S&T in 2001. He earned master of science and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2003 and 2007, respectively. Dr. Bristow’s research interests include dynamic modeling and control with applications in laser metal deposition additive manufacturing, selective laser melting additive manufacturing, glass-wire laser additive manufacturing, atomic force microscopy, active vibration isolation, and precision motion systems. He is also interested in volumetric error compensation for machine tools and industrial robotics.