General Sessions
Kyle Scheele has been called “the patron saint of crazy ideas”. Whether he’s having a Viking funeral for the regrets of 21,000 people, hosting the world’s first fake marathon, or gaining a million TikTok followers in just 25 hours, Kyle is always on the lookout for crazy ideas that produce wildly outsized outcomes.
Over the last decade, his projects have been featured in outlets like Fast Company, WIRED, The Washington Post, Yahoo!, BuzzFeed, UpWorthy, Goalcast, and more. His videos have been viewed over 250 million times, and he has spoken to hundreds of thousands of audience members across the United States. More than anything, Kyle hopes that his story can inspire others to chase their own crazy ideas and become the people they were meant to be.
Kyle’s session is on Wednesday, March 22 at 9:30 a.m. Attend and learn how to get the most creativity and innovation from yourself and your team.
Jeremy Bess is a vital member of ITR Economics team of expert economists and consultants. Backed by a decade of consulting experience, he lends his expertise to the production of client reports, forecast reviews and research, and frequent communications with clients.
In Bess’s General Session on Thursday, March 23 at 9:00 a.m., he will focus on the economic landscape in 2023 and how attendees can best prepare for the challenges and ongoing uncertainties. He will present business strategies and tactics that address the projected changes in the economy and in the markets key to participants.
Topics include:
1. Inflation and the Federal Reserve Board’s impact on the economy
2. Discuss varying opportunities in key markets.
3. The global impact on the US and North America.
4. Analyze the labor market conditions over the next several years.
5. Discuss lingering supply chain issues and ongoing pricing concerns.
6. Look at ITR’s key leading indicators and what they foretell for your markets.
7. Present actions that will help attendees prepare for the varying levels of inflation anticipated through the rest of the decade
8. Present relevant market outlooks and discuss issues that impact your profitability via resource allocation, budgets, expectations, and strategic planning.
9. Determine the potential impact of a shift in government from the midterm elections as well as the potential consequences of massive government programs.
Half Day Workshop for Emerging Owners hosted by Pinion Business Advisors and Accountants
Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur, a manager in a growing firm or an heir to a family business, this workshop will help you on your journey as an Emerging Owner. During this workshop, you will learn the fundamentals of finance and accounting required as a business owner and how to professionally manage a growing business. In addition, we will dive into what it means to be a leader and an owner, all while managing employees who may be family members or are your former peers. Come and learn what it means to transition from employee to owner, and the leadership skills it takes to create a workplace that offers opportunity and long-term profitability.
This workshop will take place Monday afternoon, March 20 and will be presented by Justin Mentele, Principal; Alex Breitinger, Principal; Travis Free, Senior Manager; Kala Jenkins, Manager.
Breakout Sessions
Grants for Manufacturers: Micki Vandeloo worked for over 25 years in the manufacturing sector. During that time, she learned about grants available to manufacturers to support their growth projects, and helped her employers and their customers access these grants. She also learned that there was very little knowledge about grants in the manufacturing sector, so in 2010, she started Lakeview Consulting to provide grant research and writing services to the manufacturing and technology communities. Since then, she and her team have obtained over $260 million in grants for her clients, she wrote a book titled “THE For-Profit Grant Writing Guide, and she has been featured in magazine articles and on podcasts as an expert on the subject of manufacturing and for-profit grants. She loves to educate the manufacturing community on grants through her webinar and conference presentations. Through her extensive work in the manufacturing sector, she recognized the need for manufacturers to connect with workers and launched Unira Workforce in January of 2023 to provide an online platform for manufacturers to post jobs and job seekers to post resumes.
Product Safety Program – Operator’s Manuals: Bryant Hintz is a Product Safety Specialist with Sentry Insurance, who specifically services manufacturers of farm equipment. In his session, Bryant will speak to members about how operator’s manuals play a crucial role in helping member’s keep their customers safe—and in helping protect them when the potential for litigation arises. Learn about recent updates to applicable standards and how to create effective, user-friendly, compliant manuals and safety messages in this session.
Energy Innovation: Craig Miller, Principal at the NOVA Advisory Group, will speak to members about current incentives available to companies investing into new energy technologies.
Multi-Jurisdictional Taxation: What You Need to Know to Mitigate Your Exposure: The days of selling and buying products close to home are long gone. Not only does this add complexity but also increased exposure to other jurisdictions for taxation. In this breakout, we will discuss the different types of tax exposure, ways states will determine if you have exposure, and practices to mitigate the exposure.