In late April 2008, WMMA delegates descended upon La Quinta Resort & Spa in La Quinta, CA, for the 17th Annual Woodworking Industry Conference (WIC). The days were sunny, warm and perfectly clear for a great meeting.

WIC has evolved into a premier industry-wide event where members from several associations gather to conduct their meetings, engage in well-considered sessions, learn from industry experts, conduct business and have fun.

This special edition of Cutting Edge highlights the conference’s various events, from honoring one of WMMA®’s own, summarizing the Association’s business session to learning sessions on how to apply practical strategies to enhance the bottom line.

We hope to see you at next year’s WIC!

WMMA® Honors Peter Perez with Baldwin Award of Excellence

James Laster, Peter Perez & Kenneth Hutton

During WIC 2008, the WMMA® honored Peter Perez, president of Carter Products Company, with the Ralph B. Baldwin Award of Excellence. This annual award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the woodworking industry, the Association, their companies and their community.

Kenneth Hutton, the 2006 Baldwin Award Winner, gave the presentation speech.

Before Peter came to the wood equipment, cutting tool and supply industry, he worked in a variety of industries from the musical instrument manufacturing arena to the vision sector. He then moved to the hotel construction industry where he was responsible for an award-winning lifecare retirement facility.

In the early 1990s, he purchased Carter Products which was known for many decades as a leading producer of accessory equipment for the industrial woodworking machinery industry. Under his direction, the company outgrew its original location and moved operations during a business downturn, despite what he knew from the ITR reports. That didn’t deter him! New product lines aimed at the stone, solid surface, and home hobbyist woodworking markets were added.

Peter brought his passion for our Association first to the former membership committee, which he ultimately chaired. During his tenure as chairman, WMMA® manufacturing membership reached its peak at 250 companies; as a result of his activities, he’s worn lots of WMMA® sweaters. He ultimately served as president of WMMA® and continues today on the board and executive committee.

Locally, Peter is vice chairman and a member of the executive committee of the Manufacturers Council which is affiliated with The Right Place, Inc., a regional economic development organization. He also chairs the council’s “Issues and Opportunities” working group. Peter is a member of the board of directors of the Grand Rapids Symphony. He serves as program chairman of the Economic Club of Grand Rapids and is on this organization’s executive committee. In addition, he serves on the CEO Roundtable Steering Committee which guides one of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce’s most successful programs serving over 350 CEOs in the area. For several years he served on the vestry of his church, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church.

He is also active in promoting initiatives to raise awareness of the importance of manufacturing to the overall U.S. economy. His company is a member of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), where he now serves on that board of directors as a representative of small and medium manufacturing companies. Peter also is a member of his state’s manufacturers’ association, national federation of independent business, his local chamber of commerce and several industry trade associations.

Most recently, the Michigan Manufacturers Association recognized several of the state's most outstanding manufacturing leaders and advocates with the 2008 John G. Thodis Michigan Manufacturer of the Year Award. Each year, the award is presented to individuals who have made a significant contribution to their communities through job creation, exceptional support of philanthropic organizations, effective advocacy on behalf of the manufacturing sector and other accomplishments. Peter was given the special achievement award for exemplary efforts in manufacturing advocacy.

Nominees for the Ralph B. Baldwin Award of Excellence come from the membership and are voted on by a panel consisting of WMMA® officers, past presidents and the membership services committee. This year marks the 25th year that WMMA® has formally recognized the contributions of an outstanding member.

New Officers & Directors Named to the Board

Tim Mueller, Membership Chair with new Directors, John Schultz, Anthony Lynn & Kris Hanchette

At the Friday business session, three new directors were named to the WMMA® board of directors: John Schultz, Super Thin Saws; Anthony Lynn, Castle, Inc.; and Kris Hanchette, Multicam, Inc. These three gentlemen will serve from 2008 through the WIC 2011. Congratulations!

Outgoing directors recognized for their service to the board over the past three years were Tim Mueller, Timesavers, Inc.; Mark Chappell, Alexander Dodds Company; and Richard Cowan, Rees-Memphis, Inc. Thank you for your service!

Tom Onsrud, C.R. Onsrud, was elected president of WMMA®. We look forward to an exciting year.

Finally, James Laster was recognized as the newest past president for WMMA®. Jim has played a vital role in the success of WMMA®. He has served as president, vice president and treasurer over the past six years and led the research and engineering committee, which resulted in a key industry developments – safety and manual guidelines as well as oversight of the ANSI standards committee, partnering with other industry associations. We expect to continue benefiting from his experience.

Former President James Laster congratulating new president, Tom Onsrud	Kenneth Hutton, James Laster, past president, and Tom Onsrud, President

James T. Harris, Founder of James T. Harris IllumiNation, Engages WIC Attendees at the Opening General Session

James T. Harris

Delegates and spouses alike enjoyed the opening general session by James T. Harris and his presentation Navigating the Currents of Generational Change. He presented a unique perspective into an organization’s ability to navigate the currents of change by extrapolating the characteristics of each generation and filtering them through societal trends and contemporary issues.

During the presentation, James Harris illuminated the subtext for the internal and external challenges presented by a society increasingly noted for its generational and cultural diversity. What drives him? His passion to elevate private and public sector organizations that want to revisit their understanding and practice of leadership, diversity, team building and workforce enhancement. He brought an international viewpoint; he has traveled throughout Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Western and Eastern Europe, West Africa, India, Jamaica and Turkey, where he immersed himself in a kaleidoscope of diverse cultural systems.

Public Policy

John Satagaj

On a beautiful sunny Friday morning John Satagaj, legislative counsel for WMMA®, addressed the delegates from the all attending associations. John provided his expert insight into current legislation and encouraged the audience to get involved.

WMMA® Business Session

The 2008 WMMA® business session on Friday gave members three hours of education and information on best business practices geared to maximize their success.

After the election of officers and presentation of the Ralph B. Baldwin Award of Excellence, members heard from two experts: John Satagaj, WMMA®’s Legislative Counsel, and Alan Beaulieu from The Institute for Trend Research (ITR).

John Satagaj provided members with detailed discussion and views on proposed legislation affecting manufacturing. He discussed his perspective on what bills can realistically be passed and what action steps members can take to help the industry.

Alan Beaulieu talked about the economic forecast of the U.S. economy and U.S. manufacturing with highlights from the gross domestic product (GDP). Illustrated with charts and graphs, his discussion was centered on data and the realistic expectations for the months (and years) ahead. For more detail on ITR’s forecast data, members can access the WMMA® Economic Outlook Report posted on the WMMA® website at http://www.WMMA.org/members/efreports.cfm.

For a fee, members can submit five years of sales data to receive a customized analysis, which can help track where a company should invest, spend and cut back over the near term.

WMMA® members who have participated in this customized service can attest to the benefits they have derived from their individual analyses. From building a new plant, to refinancing, to hiring personnel in anticipation of a sales increase – the results are in. This is a major member benefit that all members should act on – today.

See http://www.WMMA.org/members/efreports.cfm for details to subscribe.

Alan’s informative presentation was followed by roundtable discussions, whose topics included:

• E-Business Solutions
• Business Forecasting Tools
• Exporting and International Opportunities
• R&D Tax Credit Assistance Program
• U.S. Technology & Demonstration Center – A WMMA® Community Project

Through lively discussions at each of the roundtables, members learned more about the many member benefits and programs that are provided through WMMA®. Visit the committee section of the WMMA® website. Read about all the benefits of WMMA® membership here. Learn more about what areas of the association you would like to be involved in here.

Concurrent Workshops Give Delegates Tools for Maximizing Their Success

On Saturday, delegates attended concurrent workshops on a variety of topics. The speakers were experts in their fields who shared their knowledge and experience.

Alan Beaulieu

Economic Forecasting and the China Influence – Alan Beaulieu
China is on the forefront of the world’s thoughts with many business and political leaders gazing eastward, albeit for different reasons. The workshop’s focus was on the economic realities of China, what they mean for the future and how American manufacturing can prosper now and in the future. Participants learned what most people do not know – the real truth about China.

Richard Flint

Achieving a Millionaire Mindset - Richard Flint
Guiding Thought: Truly successful people are not unique; they just have the inner strength to maintain “consistent persistency,” which allows them to go beyond where average people stop.

Richard Flint talked about reaching a level of understanding necessary to help people see beyond the world of acceptable average. If average is not what you want, you reach beyond the achievements and expectations of the masses; you must stretch to realize what it takes to make the journey to reach personal, business and financial freedom.

Bob Langdon, CPA

Effective Ways to Immediately Improve Your Bottom Line – Bob Langdon, CPA
Reducing expenses is one of the fastest and easiest ways to improve profitability in your business. In this program, Bob Langdon, CPA and author of Managing Your Business for Profit, shared his proven techniques for reducing expenses. Delegates learned how to properly calculate breakeven for their business on a job-by-job basis and for their entire business. Using this formula, Bob Langdon showed how to achieve their desired profitability. Furthermore, they learned how to prevent losses from employee fraud.

Dr. Judith Briles

What the Bleep #%&! Did You Say? – Dr. Judith Briles
Delegates learned the four steps to effective communicating, both as listeners and speakers, and learned to identify the key factors that impede successful communication. They also learned how to avoid the pitfalls of sharing too much information and why listening is the key to resolving conflict and to successful negotiation.

Value Engineering – John Kline
Teamwork, data analyses, creativity, cost-worth. They’re hallmarks of Value Engineering (VE), a systematic cost-containment technique that combines common sense and technical knowledge to assure the highest value of a product by delivering all of its required functions at the lowest overall cost.

John Kline outlined the eight stages of a VE project and how the delegates could use VE to find the “sweet spot” – the point between cost and performance that delivers recognized value to their customer.

Contact Table Program Draws More Than 100 Companies; Yields Countless Opportunities

Contact Tables

As one WMMA® member declared, “The Contact Table Program is a unique opportunity to schedule one-on-one appointments and to focus on specific business issues and opportunities.”

Participating in the two-day Contact Table Program reduces company sales costs and brings you greater return on your WIC investment. The Contact Table Program continues to be an opportunity for industry leaders to get more done for less. Make sure you attend next year!

There’s Always Time for Fun at the WIC

Let’s remember the all-important social activities, where delegates escaped the meeting rooms and relaxed.

This year, attendees enjoyed an early arrival reception, a special event for first-timers and new members, and helped everyone feel comfortable at WIC.

Early Arrival Reception	WMMA® New Member Welcome Reception

Opening Dinner and Mixer

Opening Dinner & Mixer

Closing Garbo Gala

Closing Garbo Gala

Final Thoughts from the Corner Office

Your WMMA® staff would like to thank all the members who attended WIC for their continued support of our assocation. This association is about you and your involvement only makes it better. We hope that you will join us in 2009 at Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Please mark your calendars for April 29 - May 2, 2009.

Stella Sytnik, Account Executive & Kenneth Hutton, Executive Vice President	Karen Boyle, Administrative Director	Laura Mahone, Associate Director with the Newest WMMA® Member – "Harvey"