The popular Woodworking Inventors forum - a meet-up for makers of cabinetry and furniture to share new products and production methods  they have developed -  will make an appearance April 15 during Cabinets & Closets Expo 2015 in Chicago. The forum will held on the Expo Stage at the Renaissance Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL.

  Among presenters will be John Lindsay, co-founder of New Breed Furniture, a rapidly growing business that recently opened a new factory in Kenosha, WI. Lindsay will explain his design approach, including creation of the Petaply joint, that reduces the labor factor in chair and table manufacturing.

Also in the forum will be Pamela Anderson, founder of Contemporary Pull, which she launched with her husband Steven Kaishian. The artisan-style hardware is an innovative (see video below), yet functional, adornment for cabinetry designed to run flush with cabinet doors for a clean and modern look. Contemporary Pull is actively pursuing becoming a B-Corp, a new type of corporation that is environmentally and socially accountable. B Corps are certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards.

At the Cabinets & Closets Conference & Expo, custom interior remodelers can find just the tools and the training they need. Running April 14-16 at the Renaissance Conference & Expo Center near Chicago, in Schaumburg, IL, the 2015 edition of the show is packing real “star power,” with a roster of presenters is generating buzz across the country.

The three-day event begins April 14 with a 3-track conference day. Registrants can choose Closets Sessions, Business of Design, or Custom Cabinets tracks. Each begins with a rock-and-roll kick-off speaker. Regardless of which track they sign up for, registrants can mix and match at will to attend sessions in other tracks. (Open a PDF version of this article with including a timetable of conference sessions.)

CLOSETS SESSIONS Conference Track

Closets Sessions include eight seminars, opening with a presentation by Skip LaBella, president of Closet America, known for its dynamic product development, aggressive sales and marketing strategy, and state-of-the-art manufacturing platform. Other closet sessions include a look at the rapidly growing garage segment, a review of in-house versus outsourced production, and closet design technology.A session on luxury closets will include a presentation by Neff Custom Cabinetry of Chicago, as well as designs by firms like Wellborn and Elm Cabinetry.

The Association of Closet & Storage Professionals will moderate these sessions. (See more details on the accompanying chart.) It concludes with a plant tour of nearby closet manufacturer Plus Closets, sponsored by Felder and Plus Closets. All conference registrants are welcome to attend, but RSVPs are required.

BUSINESS OF DESIGN Conference Track

The full-day Business of Design track leads off with a presentation on NKBA’s cabinet design trends study, with designer Brigitte Fabi of Drury Designs. An exciting presentation on 3D design visualization moderated by Denise Butchko is followed by Houzz.com’s Lindsay Thudin on closet and consumer design trends distilled from Houzz data. (Thudin also opens Closets Expo in a keynote address, “How to Close a Sale on Houzz.com.”)

A “Power of Design” session will include award-winning furniture designer Martin Goebel, cabinet hardware designer Pamela Anderson, and Brian K. Ellison of BKE Design. Ellison, who is a contestant on the SpikeTV Framework reality design show, will appear again at the awards event on the show floor on April 15.

CUSTOM CABINETS Conference Track

The Custom Cabinets sessions, developed in partnership with the Cabinet Makers Association, carry the theme of practical measures to grow business profitability. “Five Steps to Growing a Bigger and More Profitable Cabinetry Business,” the lead session says it all. Also on tap is a double session devoted to the perennially popular “Art of Pricing Profitably.”David ​Buchsbaum, owner of Beacon Cabinets - Atlanta Closet & Storage Solutions, is the perfect presenter for closets and cabinet business owners.

CABINETS & CLOSETS EXPO April 15-16

The Woodworking Inventors forum takes place during the 2015 Cabinets & Closets Expo, running April 15 and 16.

Opening keynote speakers include Houzz.com's Lindsay Thudin April 15 and Bill Rossiter, building products marketing consultant, April 16. Rossiter was instrumental in advising giant Armstrong Cabinets' recent rebranding and repositioning as acpi Cabinets.