All education courses are included as part of a paid Convention registration. However, individuals should sign up for classes they plan to attend through the general registration process. (link to come)
Schedule
Thursday, Oct. 28
EDU1 – The Workforce Challenge
8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Presenter: Gene Marks, The Marks Group
Workforce challenges continue to impact all industries. How do you find the best people and keep them productive, all while keeping labor costs under control? One of the biggest challenges faced by business owners today is attracting and retaining good people. During this entertaining and fast-moving session, we will touch on some of the most important employee-related issues.
At the conclusion of this course, you will be able to:
- Realize how trends and regulations in minimum wage, paid time off and overtime impact your ability to find and motivate employees.
- Identify key issues that need to be addressed in your employee handbook.
- Discover innovative, cloud-based technologies that are helping companies of all sizes recruit, manage, compensate and make them more attractive with which to work.
EDU2 – Understanding Emotional Intelligence
9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Presenter: Kevin Hinman, Momentum Makers
For leaders, having emotional intelligence is essential for success. A leader who stays in control and calmly assesses a situation is more likely to succeed than a leader who shouts at his team when under stress. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, use and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict. People with a high degree of emotional intelligence know what they are feeling, what their emotions mean and how these emotions can affect other people. This session focuses on maximizing people skills in the workplace and examines how you can grow as a leader.
At the conclusion of this course, you will be able to:
- Identify three reasons that explain why emotional intelligence is essential.
- Describe the four components of emotional intelligence.
- Explain five skills to raise your emotional intelligence.
EDU3 – Setting Expectations
9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Presenter: Sam Lines, Concrete Sealants Inc.
Setting clear expectations for employees is a necessity. Most people understand there may be significant differences between expectations and reality. Additionally, some may think expectations are the same as goals. However, that is not the case. Goals are flexible because they are built around a plan of how to reach them. Expectations are only a want or need without planning how it will happen. This session explores the specific differences between expectations and goals. We also will discuss how expectations are subjective and why it matters to be clear. If both sides don’t know what the other wants, it opens the door to feelings of frustration and resentment. Setting clear expectations from the very beginning can prevent these frustrations.
At the conclusion of this course, you will be able to:
- Differentiate between expectations and goals.
- Identify and qualify expectations as realistic or unrealistic.
- Discover how expectations are critical for the success of high performers.
EDU4 – Solve Your Turnover Problem Now! Get on Board with Onboarding
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Presenter: Claude Goguen, P.E., LEED AP, NPCA
Finding the right candidates for open positions is a challenge. Once found, how do you get them integrated into their roles? How do you make sure they are trained and motivated to develop into long-term, valued employees? The answer is through an effective and thorough onboarding program.
Many manufacturing companies exercise great recruitment strategies only to squander those efforts through poorly organized and outdated employee orientation. Today’s candidates have different needs and aspirations. An effective onboarding program provides for those generational differences and quickly turns a company from employee seeker to employee keeper.
During this session, we explore how simple changes to current employee orientation and development processes can enhance integration. We talk about what you can do between hire date and first day. We go over onboarding tips for the first day, week and month on the job. We discuss the factors that go into training and developing employees from generations, including Millennials and Gen Z.
At the conclusion of this course, you will be able to:
- Recognize the importance of having a thorough onboarding program.
- List five things you can do right now to enhance your current onboarding program.
- Identify common mistakes during new employee orientation and training that can lead to higher turnover.
- Explain how certain methods of communication and training may be more effective and attractive to younger applicants.
EDU5 – Your Exit: Succession Strategies for Your Business
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Presenter: Gene Marks, The Marks Group
The average age of the U.S. small business owner is about 53, which means many will be looking to transition from business owner to retirement in coming years. But what is the best strategy for you? What are the considerations for passing your business down to family members? What options do you have for selling your company? How should you prepare your company – and your finances – to best take advantage of tax and business laws? Join CPA Gene Marks for a fast-paced, entertaining and informative discussion where you will better understand the best succession actions you should be taking.
At the conclusion of this course, you will be able to:
- Identify the key issues in transitioning a business to family members or key employees while providing for financial security.
- Realize the most important retirement and estate tax considerations you should be considering to ensure your income will be maximized for the years to come.
EDU6 – Resolving Workplace Conflict
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Presenter: Kevin Hinman, Momentum Makers
Conflict occurs when the needs of one person interfere with the needs of another and the parties disagree on how to meet their needs. With many different people working in one organization, it can be difficult to avoid conflict. It can have positive or negative consequences both on individual and team performance. The difference depends on your ability to identify, confront and resolve these conflicts appropriately. Have you experienced conflict in the workplace? If so, how did you handle the conflict? How could the situation have been improved? By learning to handle conflict well, you will increase your success and the success of your organization.
At the conclusion of the course, you will be able to:
- Explain four keys to understanding the need to resolve conflict.
- Identify signs that conflict is likely to occur.
- Describe typical sources of conflict and how to prevent them.
- Explain steps to effectively resolve conflict.
Speaker bios
Claude Goguen, P.E., LEED AP, NPCA
Claude Goguen is NPCA’s director of outreach and technical education. He has nearly 25 years of experience in the precast concrete and construction industry. He holds a degree in civil engineering and is a licensed P.E. Prior to his role with NPCA, Goguen was an operations manager at a precast concrete manufacturing plant. He also worked as a field superintendent, project manager and project engineer on numerous large residential and commercial projects.
Kevin Hinman, Momentum Makers
Momentum Makers cofounder Kevin Hinman began his career with a Fortune top-10 company, graduating from its two-year management training program and gaining experience in both the defense and consumer products divisions. Hinman left the corporate world to work with the U.S. Navy, serving as a civilian with a joint forces team producing 150 training courses for Navy pilots, communication officers and SEAL teams. Hinman’s passion for training leaders and workers in underprivileged countries led him and his wife to found Leadership Training International in 1992. He holds a B.S. in business management and a joint master’s in journalism and divinity along with his corporate management program diploma.
Sam Lines, Concrete Sealants Inc.
Sam Lines is the engineering manager for Concrete Sealants. He began his precast concrete career in 1990 as a project designer for Hartford Concrete Products in Indiana. Later, he was promoted to quality engineer and eventually quality and safety director. Joining Concrete Sealants in 2005, Lines brings his experience in precast to the industry by providing technical support, plant visits and education to precast plants across the United States. He holds an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. Additionally, Lines is a member of the NPCA Board of Directors, the technical liaison for the Ohio Precast Concrete Association board of directors and the vice chairman on the board of advisors for Wastewater Education 501c3.
Gene Marks, The Marks Group
A past columnist for both The New York Times and The Washington Post, Gene Marks now writes regularly for The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Forbes Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine and Fox Business. He has authored five books on business management geared toward small and medium-sized companies, including his most recent, “The Manufacturer’s Book of Lists.” Marks appears regularly on MSNBC and Fox News as well as The John Batchelor Show and SiriusXM’s Wharton Business Channel, where he talks about the financial, economic and technology issues. Through his keynotes and breakout sessions, Marks helps business owners, executives and managers understand the political, economic and technological trends that will affect their companies and – most importantly – take action to continue to grow and profit.
