Summary - 2026 Manufacturing Summit

Onsite registration will be available
$95/person

Questions? Contact Sue Herzog at sue.herzog@biztimes.com

Beyond the Bill: Navigating OBBBA Business Tax Changes in 2026

ROOM A

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that was passed into law in 2025 reshaped the tax landscape for manufacturers heading into 2026. The businesses that plan ahead may be in a better position to benefit. Join us for an educational session covering the key changes that matter for your business. We'll walk through what's changed from prior law, what it means for equipment purchases and capital planning, and the steps manufacturing business owners should be taking now to position their 2026 tax strategy.

Presenters:

Jenny Jesse, CFP®, EA, RICP®, Lead Financial Planner, Annex Wealth Management
Brian Lamborne, JD, LLM, Senior Wealth Strategist, Annex Wealth Management

The New Norm?: Navigating Supply Chain Disruptions and Volatile Raw Material Costs

ROOM C

Global supply chains continue to face unprecedented challenges, from geopolitical tensions and trade policy shifts, and evolving customer demand. At the same time, businesses are grappling with significant fluctuations in raw material costs, creating uncertainty around profitability, pricing strategies, and long-term planning.

This discussion will explore how manufacturers can adapt to this new operating environment by building more resilient and agile supply chains. Attendees will gain insights into the key drivers behind supply chain disruptions and commodity price volatility, and examine the financial and operational impacts on manufacturers.

Panelists:

Tim Verbeke, Sales Rep/Account Manager, Olympic Steel
Joe Skelton, President, Nemesis Metals Inc.

Moderator: Jared Junk, Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking Team Lead, Landmark Credit Union

What Is Manual Still Costing You? Faster Approvals, Cleaner Records, Stronger Supply Chain

ROOM D

Manual handoffs between paper, email, and disconnected systems slow work, hide risk, and make evidence harder to produce. This session shows how manufacturers are connecting order entry, production, quality, AP, and shipping through digital workflows, real-time analytics, and practical AI. Attendees will leave with a simple way to quantify the true cost of one manual process and identify where to start.

Presenters:

Paul Giesen, Solutions Consultant, James Imaging Systems
Alan Soriano, Engineering Manager / Shareholder, Mathison Manufacturing

Addressing Margin Leakage in Asian Supply Chains

ROOM E

Most supply chain leaders inherit their Asian supply chain rather than design it, and by the time costs start rising, the levers that would recover margin are buried under a decade of accumulated distance, translation, and workarounds. This session maps six specific places margin escapes between your sub-tier suppliers and your plant, puts a number on what each one is actually worth, and lays out the time, internal resources, and pitfalls involved in recovering it, drawing on real case studies from middle-market manufacturers. Attendees leave with a practical framework for deciding where to focus first, what a realistic result looks like, and how long it takes, none of which requires exiting China or the country you operate in today.

Presenters:

Joseph Jurken, Founder, The ABC Group LLC
Benjamin Jurken, Vice President, The ABC Group LLC

What It Takes to Be a More Competitive Supplier

ROOM F

Measure What Matters: Using data for better visibility into costs, operations, and profitability to strengthen your position in the supply chain.

For manufacturers, becoming a stronger link in the supply chain starts with understanding and improving what happens inside your own business. This session focuses on the data analytics and cost accounting principles that help manufacturers gain better visibility into costs, operational performance, capacity, and profitability so they can make faster decisions, improve execution, leverage AI effectively, and deliver more value to customers. Rick Sovitzky will also share practical strategies for building these capabilities based on an organization’s current level of data and analytics readiness. Attendees will leave with a clearer framework for where to focus first, how to strengthen internal decision-making, and what it takes to become a more capable, reliable, and competitive manufacturing supplier.

Presenter:

Rick Sovitzky, Partner, Chortek LLP

Building Business Value: Strategic Succession Readiness

ROOM B

Succession planning is more than identifying a successor – it requires intentionally building a transferable, valuable business long before a transition occurs. This session focuses on the operational, financial, and structural drivers that increase business value, reduce owner dependency, and position a company for a successful leadership or ownership transition, whether through sale, internal transfer, or generational succession. Attendees will gain a practical framework for assessing exit readiness, strengthening value drivers, and addressing common gaps that can erode value during due diligence and transition.

Key Takeaways

Understand the core drivers that influence business value
Identify common risks that reduce value during transition
Learn how to reduce owner dependency and increase transferability
Recognize operational and financial gaps buyers and successors scrutinize
Apply a practical framework to assess exit readiness and next steps

Presenters:

Nancy Mehlberg, Principal, SVA Certified Public Accountants
Dan Glomski, Principal, SVA Certified Public Accountants

The AI-Driven Buyer: How Buyers Choose Manufacturers in 2026

ROOM D

As AI continues to transform B2B procurement, buyers are increasingly leveraging generative search and intent tools to research and evaluate suppliers before reaching out to sales. In this interactive panel, we’ll share industry perspectives on:

How buyers use AI engines and specialized models to evaluate manufacturing partners.
Optimizing your digital footprint so AI platforms cite and recommend your brand.
Real-world examples of deploying AI tools in daily manufacturing operations.
Balancing automation with authenticity, thought leadership, and trust.

Panelists:

Jessica Finman, Social Media Strategist, Yaskawa America, Inc.
Eric Kraus, President, Doig Corporation
Caitlin McCabe, Digital Marketing Specialist, Fathom Manufacturing
Andrea Yank, Director of Marketing Services, Top Floor

Moderator: Justin Kerley, Co-Owner, Top Floor

No Space – No People – No Time; Consider Subcontract Partnering

ROOM E

Requirements for new startup projects and demands to support legacy products can negatively impact primary operations. The push for “On-Shoring” adds to the challenges for space planning, labor force staffing and process time management. You may find the solution for these issues by “Extending Your Workforce” with a Subcontract Partner. This interactive presentation will present the Key Steps to Success of working outside your facility with an “Extended Workforce” and provide the audience with an overview of:

Project Evaluation–Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
Process Work Instruction Implementation
Project Reporting Criteria
Inbound/Outbound Logistics

The objective of the presentation is to provide critical data to determine if outsourcing will support the current operation and to provide the Quality Manager, Production Manager or Operations Manager, with clear documentation and justification for the best financial outcome.

Panelists:

Linda Hapka, VP-Operations, Chryspac
Ryan Hahn, Design Director, Brooks Stevens, Inc.
Matthew Kownick, Owner, Left Hand Engineering
Brittany (Voeks) Mirissage, Regional Manager, Logical & Packaging Logistics

Moderated by: Warren Scurlock, VP-Business Development, Chryspac

Already registered?

Brookfield Conference Center

Strengthening the Wisconsin Supply Chain

Growing the state’s manufacturing industry together