The WDMA Executive Management Conference is designed for industry CEOs and senior executives who want to walk away with a better pulse on the industry and a renewed energy to take back to their company. This unique event in the window, door, and skylight industry will focus on topics and trends which will shape the industry over the coming year and will provide executives with a forum to discuss and explore issues that will be driving the industry.

Hear top-rated presentations from accomplished experts and leave with broadened perspectives on industry advances and opportunities. You'll learn about the trends shaping the future, the economic landscape for 2023, supply chain challenges in a post-covid world, and how to manage emotions and mindset to boost performance. 

  

Wednesday, October 12
12:00 - 4:00pm WDMA Board of Directors Meeting
(board members only)
5:00 - 6:30pm   

Opening Reception


Thursday, October 13
7:00 - 9:00am

CEO/Presidents Roundtable
This breakfast roundtable will be an opportunity for industry CEOs and presidents to discuss the key issues facing the industry and the strategic direction of WDMA.  It will also provide a forum for review and input into the strategies to enhance the effectiveness of WDMA.
9:15 - 10:30am                                                                                                                             

Opening Keynote Session
Supply Chain Management in a Post-Pandemic World: U.S., China & the New World of Globalization
Speaker: Willy Shih, Robert & Jane Cizik Professor of Management Practice, Harvard Business School 

Product shortages during the pandemic elevated the importance of and threats to supply chains. They also prompted many questions about the inner workings of global manufacturing and distribution processes. In this session, Harvard Business School Professor Willy Shih, a world-renowned expert on global supply chain management and organizational change, discusses modern global supply chain complexities and interdependencies, the “supply shock” followed by the “demand shock” that occurred during the pandemic, and the many forces impacting the future of supply chains, including the subsequent surge in Chinese exports. He also shares his recommendations for strengthening competitiveness, including modernizing infrastructure and logistics, evolving the role of the warehouse and distribution center, and ramping up investment in automation.
10:30 - 10:45am              

Networking Break
10:45am - 12:00pm

2023 Residential, Remodeling & Commercial Market Outlook
Speaker: Kermit Baker, Chief Economist, American Institute of Architects (AIA)

This session will review building and construction market landscape as we enter the final quarter of 2022 and will provide a forecast for 2023 and beyond for new residential, remodeling, multifamily and commercial building. The session will also look at economic fundamentals, housing market strengths and weaknesses, and insights about consumer demand.   
12:00 - 1:00pm

Networking Lunch
1:00 - 2:15pm

Residential & Remodeling Geographic and Demographic Trends
Speaker: John Burns, President, John Burns Real Estate Consulting 

This session will cover the latest research from John Burns Real Estate Consulting on new home and remodeling demand by geography, as well as some seismic demographic shifts on where people are living and working. Find out where people are choosing to live, who they are, and what housing and remodeling choices they are making.
2:15 - 2:30pm

Networking Break
2:30 - 3:30pm

The Science of Happiness
Speaker: Catherine Sanderson, Poler Family Professor & Chair of Psychology, Amherst College 

This session presents both surprising and not-so-surprising information on the science behind happiness. What role do money, marriage, friends, children, weather, age, and religion play in making us feel happier? Is happiness stable over time? How can happiness be increased? Professor Catherine Sanderson will describe cutting-edge research from the field of positive psychology on the factors that do (and do not) predict happiness, and provide participants with practical (and relatively easy!) ways to increase their own psychological well-being.