Custom Woodworking Conference – Session Descriptions
Closets & Home Organization Conference – Session Descriptions
T111 – General Session Keynote: “Managing Growth & Building Equity in Your Custom Woodworking Business”, Richard Oedel, Fine Furniture Master
Thursday, March 19, 8:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Most people get involved in the cabinetmaking business because of an innate love of the process, materials and independent work structure. As the business grows, however, it takes on employees, develops a client base and begins to make significant capital investments.
Do you have the skills necessary to handle the growth and management of your company effectively? How do you re-kindle the fire and the enthusiasm that brought you here in the first place? Will there be anything left of the business when you are no longer there? How do you plan for the future, especially in this economic climate?
This short program will provide:
- An overview of strategies that have worked for others
- A framework for thinking about your business that will help you ask the right questions to grow, manage, and eventually pass it along to others
T112 – General Session: “The Power of Branding”, Dave Grulke, President, Big Dave’s Service
Thursday, March 19, 10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Branding, by definition, is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product or product line. It seeks to increase the product's perceived value. Marketers see a brand as an implied promise of the level of quality people have come to expect from a brand.
So what does that mean to a woodworking business? What steps need to be taken to create a higher perceived value of your products and your company in the eyes of your clients? In this session you'll learn workable techniques that:
- Help you identify specific target clients
- Deliver your marketing messages effectively and efficiently
- Increase your perceived professionalism in your communications
- Add perceived value to your proposals and projects.
- Position your business and product as the most desirable in your market area.
T113 – General Session: “Passing the Torch: Selling Your Business”, Jeffrey Ebel, President, Wisconsin Chapter of the Architectural Woodwork Institute
Thursday, March 19, 11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
When planning to purchase or start a business, we invest plenty in our business plan. But many of us fail to plan or make provisions for our exit. Separation anxiety can be painful, but steps can be taken to avoid many of the pitfalls of exiting your business. In this session we will investigate ways to minimize the pain and surprises when selling your business by:
- Planning an exit strategy
- Creating a buy/sell agreement
- Preparing your business for sale
- Valuing your business
T114 – General Session: “Passing the Torch: Selling Your Business”, Jeffrey Ebel, President, Wisconsin Chapter of the Architectural Woodwork Institute
Thursday, March 19, 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
When planning to purchase or start a business, we invest plenty in our business plan. But many of us fail to plan or make provisions for our exit. Separation anxiety can be painful, but steps can be taken to avoid many of the pitfalls of exiting your business. In this session we will investigate ways to minimize the pain and surprises when selling your business by:
- Planning an exit strategy
- Creating a buy/sell agreement
- Preparing your business for sale
- Valuing your business
T115 – General Session: “How to Make More Money Making & Selling Custom Wood Products”, Eric Lehmann, President, Innovative Wholesale Fabricators
Thursday, March 19, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
With more than 29 years in the trade, including 22 years as a business owner, Eric Lehmann has developed systems to "make money, not just cabinets." He will draw upon his wealth of experience to share this concept in a straight-forward, common-sense approach. He will force you to rethink how you do business from how you handle orders through shop layout and efficiency. By attending this session, you will learn how to grow your business -- and your profits -- without additional workers.
F711 – “Wood Finishing 101”, Tim Woolery, Vice President, Gemini Coatings
Friday, March 20, 8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
This in-depth fast paced session is designed to educate the attendees on the different coating options available to them. Nitrocellulose lacquers, pre-catalyzed and post catalyzed lacquers, conversion varnish, water bornes, polyesters and UV curable coatings are all discussed. The component features and benefits, problem solving and properties of these different coatings are also covered. This session provides an excellent opportunity to learn more about the available options of wood coatings on the market today.
F712, F922 – “Pricing Profitability”, Sean Benetin, President, Millwork & More
Friday, March 20, 8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Understanding your expenses and how to price your work is the most critical part of any business; yet it is one of the most misunderstood aspects of almost every company in our industry. This in-depth seminar will teach you every single thing you will need to know to understand how much your company costs to run, how to price your work and how to make a profit on EVERY SINGLE project you bid from now on. You will learn how to:
- Find hidden labor and overhead expenses
- Consider depreciation of assets into your hourly rate
- Calculate Owner/Operator Value
- Find your “true” hourly rate
- Develop a pricing program that makes you profitable
F811, F921 – “Working with the A&D Community”, Joe Knobbe, Project Manager, Executive Woodworking
Friday, March 20, 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Finding the right members in the design community can be a daunting task. This seminar will delve into seeking out those individuals or firms, how to work with them once you find them and how to keep them coming back for more. This session will cover how this topic relates to:
- Finding your market
- Staying in front of your target
- Understanding your role
- Profits
F812 – “Using Technology to Grow Your Business & Maximize Profits”, Don Diamond , Eastern Sales Leader, Planit Solutions
Friday, March 20, 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Instead of being tempted by the newest machines, gadgets or software, develop a strategic plan for implementing technology in your business to maximize growth and profits. Understand how to choose the proper “Tool” and what is involved in implementation. This session will help you learn:
- Where profits are being spent
- Where technology should be implemented
- How to understand process flow and maximize throughput
- How to implement technology
Plant Tour: POWERS, Bolingbrook, Illinois
Friday, March 20, 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
This tour departs for POWERS, a manufacturer of store fixtures, immediately after the closing of the Closets Expo. The Bolingbrook-based company, which was profiled in the July 2008 issue of Wood & Wood Products, has an arsenal of advanced panel processing equipment including three CNC panel saws, three CNC machining centers, two CNC routers, two front milling edgebanders and a combination drilling, dowel insertion and gluing machine.
Breakfast Showroom Tour: Häfele America & Closet Works, Chicago, Illinois
Saturday, March 21, 8:00 am – Noon
This event, sponsored by Häfele America, features breakfast and a guided tour of Häfele’s beautiful new loft-style showroom in Chicago’s River North neighborhood followed by a stop at Closet Works' flagship showroom. Häfele Chicago's 5,000-square-foot showroom features nearly 300 products on display plus more than 1,000 different decorative knobs and pulls. Included are interactive displays of sliding hardware systems.
Closet Works is a recognized leader of the closet and home organization industry. Its idea-inspiring showroom on Chicago's north side is independent of its manufacturing facility in Elmhurst.
*Times, topics and speakers subject to change.
For Information on Exhibiting and/or Conference and Expo Attendance, contact Hall-Erickson at CLOSETS@heiexpo.com or 800-752-6312.
