WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Wood Pro Expo Florida & Closets Conference 2026 will kick off with a high-profile keynote from one of baseball’s most respected players. Dale Murphy, a two-time National League MVP, seven-time All-Star, member of the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame and current managing director at Georgia Oak Partners, has been announced as the event’s opening keynote speaker. His session, Big League Leadership for Business Owners: Lessons from the Diamond to the Shop Floor, will take place Tuesday, June 30, from 9:00–9:50 a.m. in the Coral Ballroom at the Hilton West Palm Beach.

Murphy spent nearly 20 years in Major League Baseball, earning a reputation not only for his performance on the field but for his character, integrity, and leadership. His accolades include five Gold Gloves, four Silver Slugger Awards, and both the Lou Gehrig and Roberto Clemente Awards for community service. He is a nationally recognized speaker who translates lessons from professional sports into strategies that resonate with business owners navigating growth, change, and workforce challenges.

In his keynote, Murphy will address themes central to today’s manufacturing and home organization sectors, including building resilient company cultures, leading teams through periods of uncertainty, and strengthening communication and performance across an organization. Attendees can expect practical takeaways rooted in real-world leadership experiences with examples from the clubhouse to the shop floor.

Murphy currently serves as Managing Director at Georgia Oak Partners, a private equity firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, that invests in founder- and family-owned companies in the Southeast U.S. He and his team support a portfolio that includes Artisan Custom Closets and the broader Artisan Family of Brands. His work with companies in the home organization and manufacturing space aligns his keynote with the needs of designers, fabricators, installers, and entrepreneurs attending the conference.

With Murphy’s deep leadership insights and name recognition across generations of business owners, the session is expected to be a can’t-miss kickoff to the 2026 event.

The Closets Conference & Expo and Wood Pro Expo Florida returns to West Palm Beach June 30–July 2, 2026. As the only national event dedicated to the closets, cabinetry, woodworking, and home organization industry, it brings together suppliers, manufacturers, designers, and shop owners for training, product discovery, and peer-to-peer connection. Attendee registration opens in January.

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About the Closets Conference & Expo and Wood Pro Expo Florida 

The annual Closets Conference & Expo (CCE) is the only national event for all closet and home storage professionals. The 2026 edition is co-located with Wood Pro Expo Florida (WPE), a regional marketplace for woodworking professionals. The events are organized by Closets & Organized Storage and FDMC magazines respectively. Each is a distinct media brand of Woodworking Network. The twin-bill event is scheduled for June 30-July 2, 2026, at the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, FL.

CCE and WPE will each kick off with a separate full-day conference on June 30, the Closets Conference is co-sponsored by the Association of Closet and Storage Professionals (ACSP). The two-day co-located expo, July 1-2, features closet systems, accessories, hardware, software, woodworking machinery, supplies, and components. Additional educational programming is offered on each day of the expo. A virtual tour of Quest Engineering’s manufacturing facility, and the popular Top Shelf Design Awards Reception, sponsored by Rev-A-Shelf, and Closets & Cocktails: Miami Nights are also key features of the event. Learn more at ClosetsCon.com.

For information about exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities, contact Tom Davies, sales manager and publisher of Closets & Organized Storage, at [email protected].