ARLINGTON, Texas – The Cabinet Makers Association (CMA) is once again partnering with Woodworking Network to provide executive-level education at Wood Pro Expo.  

“Diversifying Your Business: Think Outside the (Cabinet) Box” will focus on what owners of wood product enterprises should consider doing now to prepare for the next economic slowdown to maintain steady cash flow. The panel, a component of the March 11 Wood Pro conference program, includes a distinguished trio of entrepreneurs who have built successful custom woodworking businesses. Each of the speakers will share how they diversified, why they chose to do it, and what they learned during the process.

The presentation will conclude with an interactive question-and-answer session with the audience.

Rick Thaler	Chris Valenti	Matt Wehner

Panelists include:
Rick Thaler, recently retired owner of OGB Architectural Millwork, a high-end commercial woodwork business based in Albuquerque, N.M.

Chris Valenti, co-owner of CK Valenti Designs of Chandler, AZ, a shop that specializes in fixtures and casework for museums.

Matt Wehner, co-owner, Cabinet Concepts By Design of Springfield, Mo., which also operates Simply Organized by Design to service customers’ closets and garages.

‘What’s Your Problem’ Roundtables
In addition to the panel discussion, CMA will coordinate its popular “What’s Your Problem?” peer-to-peer roundtables at 8 a.m. Thursday, March 12. The hour-long breakfast session will be facilitated by CMA Executive Director Amanda Conger.

Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a free flow of ideas with fellow custom woodworkers on topics ranging from managing customer expectations to finding, keeping and motivating employees.

CMA membership and Wood Diamond Awards
Representatives of the CMA will be on hand to discuss the benefits of association membership at Wood Pro Expo booth #631. Benefits include networking opportunities at national and regional events, as well as the opportunity to tap into the community knowledge base via the CMA’s members’ only online forum.  

The CMA was incorporated in 1998 by a group of custom cabinetmakers to provide a forum for small- to medium-sized shops to network and share best practices to grow their businesses. Today, CMA membership includes hundreds of cabinet, millwork and furniture shop throughout the United States and Canada, plus manufacturers and distributors of woodworking machines and supplies.

CMA also will promote its Wood Diamond Awards, the association’s annual design awards program open exclusively to CMA members.

Conger said she is personally looking forward to participating at Wood Pro Expo. “It’s been a great partnership with Woodworking Network. It’s a great opportunity to interact with members and show potential new members what CMA has to offer to help them grow their businesses.”

Learn more about and register for all educational programs scheduled at Wood Pro Expo, being co-located with the Cabinets & Closets Conference & Expo.

About Cabinets & Closets Conference & Expo and Wood Pro Expo Texas
The Cabinets & Closets Expo & Conference (CCCE) is the annual national event for cabinet and closet professionals and is co-located with Wood Pro Expo Texas (WPE), a regional marketplace for the woodworking professionals. The events are organized by Closets & Organized Storage and FDMC magazines respectively, both part of Woodworking Network. 

Both the Cabinets & Closets and WPE lead off with a separate full-day executive conference on Wednesday, followed by the two-day expo featuring woodworking machinery and supplies. Additional educational programming is offered on both days of the expo. Tours of local manufacturing plants and the popular Top Shelf Design Awards networking reception are also key components of the event.

The 2020 CCCE and Wood Pro Expo Texas are scheduled for March 11-13 at the Arlington Convention Center, Arlington, Texas.

For information about exhibiting, and sponsorship opportunities, contact Patrick Filippelli of Hall-Erickson Inc. at [email protected] or phone 800-752-6312.