Gregory Offner

    

Author, Workforce Strategist and Award-Winning Keynote Speaker 
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Opening Keynote – The Tip Jar Culture: Re-Engage Your Workforce and Reignite Your Passion for the Profession

These days it seems like employee entitlement is at an all-time high, while engagement is at an all-time low. But what most leaders see as problems with workforce culture are actually just symptoms of the real problem.

In this unforgettable keynote, former dueling pianist and award-winning speaker Gregory Offner will demonstrate three principles of engagement—found in a piano bar—then discuss the strategies and stories of organizations that have applied these principles to business with phenomenal results. Attendees will leave inspired, entertained and equipped to put these principles into action, and create a Tip Jar Culture™ of their own.

Key takeaways from this presentation include:

• A framework to create a sustainable engagement strategy that appeals to broad and diverse employee groups
• Three tools to implement simple, but effective, shifts in the experience of work that eliminate the three major frustrations causing employees to leave
• Insight into the question that most leaders don’t ask, but all employees wish they would.

    

    

Connor Lokar

    

Economist 
ITR Economics
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Align Resources for the Rise Ahead

2025 looks to be a year of recovery for some markets and real growth for others, while still others can expect a measure of cyclical decline. Attendees will be able to see the future before it is here so that the scarce resources can be properly allocated. Tracking the leading indicators and being nimble as plans are drawn for beyond 2025 is imperative.

The winds of growth, inflation and interest rates are likely to shift as we go beyond 2025. Connor will present his forecasts for inflation and interest rates as well as an outlook for the forces that drive your markets. This outlook will require a change in perspective so that you can successfully plan and change to maximize your profits in both the near and longer term.

    

    

Omar Nashashibi

Founder 
Inside Beltway
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Paul Nathanson

Partner 
Policy Resolution Group at Bracewell, LLP
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Caitlin Sickles

Partner & Senior Principal 
Policy Resolution Group at Bracewell, LLP
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Keynote – New Congress, New President:
Your Government and Manufacturing

Manufacturers will face a new administration and Congress in 2025 as Washington tackles tax increases, tariff rates and an increasingly active regulatory state. PMA’s lobbying and communications teams in Washington, D.C., will provide attendees with the information they need to adapt and thrive in this uncertain political environment. With more than $4.6 trillion in tax increases slated for January 1, 2026, PMA’s advocacy agenda is full with the most important priorities for your company on the table. This presentation will provide insiders’ analysis of the politics and policy decisions affecting the industry in 2025 and beyond, and which strategies precision manufacturers can use to navigate today’s politics.

    

    

John Bell

Department Head Supply Chain Management 
University of Tennessee
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From Mine to Mill – Understanding Supply Chain Management and How it Impacts Your Company

Modern firms compete as part of larger supply chain networks, and they often underestimate or lack an understanding of the actual risks associated with the global and volatile nature of such networks. This is especially true for those in metalworking and manufacturing industries that depend on numerous upstream suppliers to discover, mine, smelt and form key metals inventories destined to become critical inputs for their manufactured products. This presentation highlights the types of supply chain risks in the sourcing of metals, presents models used for analyzing such risks, and discusses management techniques for mitigating sourcing risk for metals used as raw materials. Highlights include different perspectives on measuring risk across local and international supply chains and the often hidden and illicit nature of remote mining and sourcing operations where social and environmental violations take place in our metals supply chains.

    

    

Laurie Harbour

Partner 
Wipfli
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Unlock Your Competitive Edge: Utilizing PMA Metalforming Insights Benchmarking Data

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, manufacturers face unprecedented challenges that demand strategic agility and data-driven decision-making. In this presentation, Laurie Harbour delves into the latest results from the 2024 PMA Metalforming Insights study, offering manufacturers a comprehensive understanding of current industry trends, performance metrics and best practices. By analyzing key benchmarks, attendees will be better equipped to identify operational inefficiencies while optimizing productivity. The information shared will help participants navigate the complexities of the modern manufacturing environment with confidence and foresight

    

    

Admiral Scott Moore

    

Retired SEAL Leader 
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Leading No Fail Teams

Rear Admiral Scott Moore offers audiences a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse into the mind of the man whose uncanny operational skill and invaluable leadership experience make him one of the few who knows what it takes to both create and lead the world’s most high-performing teams. He shares stories of teamwork when quick decisions mean life or death and insights on how to recruit, train and equip teams that exceed expectations. He focuses on how to transform individuals into a cohesive team, how to select talent that complements each other’s strengths and compensates for their weaknesses, and the qualities to look for in team members and leaders. Larger than life, he knows how to get things done and how to build a team that achieves objectives when failure is not an option, and he shares stories about the three most important factors affecting teams—leadership, trust and peak performance. His insights and nail-biting stories are from some of the marquee moments of our nation’s geopolitical history, and they make his adrenaline-pumping, edge-of-your-seat presentation an instant audience favorite.