Will Sampson kicks off conference at Wood Pro Expo Lancaster, PA on Oct. 19
Will Sampson delivers the opening keynote October 19 at Wood Pro Expo in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
 
LANCASTER, Pa. - Registration is now open for Wood Pro Expo 2017. The next edition of the show takes place October 19-20 at the Lancaster Host Expo Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
 
Wood Pro Expo is a regional show that brings education, and equipment and supplies demonstrations to cabinetmakers, millwork firms, home storage businesses, and custom woodworking firms at locations closer to their business. Launched in 2014 in Baltimore, the show moved this year for the first time to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the heart of woodworking country.
 
"Wood Pro Expo will put you face-to-face with your local equipment and supply dealers," says show manager Lewis Goldman. "You don’t have to spend time traveling to the major industry shows in Atlanta and Las Vegas and wade through booths trying to find your local dealer. We're bringing them right to your front door."
Criswell Davis will talk about hardwood lumber trends at Wood Pro Expo. 
 
The 2017 event will be held at the Lancaster Host Expo and Conference Center. Under new ownership, the facility is undergoing a multimillion-dollar revitalization. Wood Pro Expo exhibit hall will be a busy marketplace of the latest in operating machinery and supplies. The Lancaster Host venue allows you to schedule minimal time out of the plant in order to find the latest technology and materials. A rich educational component cover key trends and best practices in shop operations and wood products manufacturing and finishing.

Veteran woodworker Will Sampson,  editor of FDMC magazine and widely known for his In the Shop demos and the annual FDMC Pricing Survey, will keynote the show with his presentation, "Seven Ways Woodworkers Can Improve Their Businesses." 

New this year are presentations by hardwood specialist Criswell Davis, and lean manufacturing expert Mike Rother. The Cabinet Makers Association will assemble a panel and open forum on CNC Tips & Tricks. 
Matt Buell
 
Custom woodworker Matt Buell of Matt Buell Design will offer his take on the major router brands and models that he has tested, in his presentation, Router Template Maniac. 
 
OCTOBER 19
8:00-9:00 a.m. Seven Ways Woodworkers Can Improve Their Businesses, Will Sampson
Opening Keynote  
9:00 a.m. Expo Floor Opens
10:00-11:00 a.m.
Criswell Davis, Frank Miller Lumber Company   
Noon – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch & Learn – Cold Weather Fabrication, Bob Schaefer, Fessenden Hall 
2:00-3:00 p.m.  
Finishing Trends: What’s In Your Spray Booth?, Russell Plywood
3:00 – 4:00  p.m.
Router Template Maniac – Matt Buell, Buell Wood Design  
5:00 p.m. – Best In Wood Awards 
OCTOBER 20
8-9 a.m.
Keynote AddressLean Management – Mike Roth, President, Go-Lean-Six.com 
9:00 a.m. Expo Floor Opens
10:00  11:00 a.m.
Software for Design & Production - moderated by Will Sampson
Noon – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch & Learn - Dust Mitigation & Collection – including spot collection and downdraft tables 
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. 
 CNC Tips & Tricks – Cabinet Makers Association expert panel
3:00 – 4:00  p.m.
Registration for the show floor is $20, and includes admission two both keynotes and the Best in Wood Awards. Conference sessions are $45. A conference pass is $75 ($125 after August 31) and allows admission to all conference sessions on both days. 

While big national shows are structured for national distributors, Wood Pro Expo concentrates on local access to resources for professional woodworking businesses. Up to 70 exhibitors of equipment and supplies for finishing, solid wood, panel, benchtop and floor machines, as well as software for both business and production design are typical at the show. Presentations and exhibitors will touch on many key concerns for professional woodworkers, including:

  • CNC Basics
  • Employee Recruiting & Retention 
  • Finishing 
  • Lean Manufacturing
  • Business Management
  • Software for Wood Product Manufacturing
  • Shop Safety
Wood Pro Expo is the regional show that brings education, equipment, and supplies close to cabinetmakers and custom woodworking businesses around the country. It will include a strong educational program on best practices for shop production, and as well as an expo oriented to equipment and supplies geared to the small and medium size shops, including CNC basics, employee recruitment, finishing, lean manufacturing, business management, software, and shop safety. Launched in 2014 in Baltimore, the show moves this year to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and will appear in multiple cities in 2018.

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About the author
Bill Esler | ConfSenior Editor

Bill wrote for WoodworkingNetwork.com, FDMC and Closets & Organized Storage magazines. 

Bill's background includes more than 10 years in print manufacturing management, followed by more than 30 years in business reporting on industrial manufacturing in the forest products industries, including printing and packaging at American Printer (Features Editor) and Graphic Arts Monthly (Editor in Chief) magazines; and in secondary wood manufacturing for WoodworkingNetwork.com.

Bill was deeply involved with the launches of the Woodworking Network Leadership Forum, and the 40 Under 40 Awards programs. He currently reports on technology and business trends and develops conference programs.

In addition to his work as a journalist, Bill supports efforts to expand and improve educational opportunities in the manufacturing sectors, including 10 years on the Print & Graphics Scholarship Foundation; six years with the U.S. WoodLinks; and currently on the Woodwork Career Alliance Education Committee. He is also supports the Greater West Town Training Partnership Woodworking Program, which has trained more than 950 adults for industrial wood manufacturing careers. 

Bill volunteers for Foinse Research Station, a biological field station staddling the border of Ireland and Northern Ireland, one of more than 200 members of the Organization of Biological Field Stations.