Skip to main content

NUME Conference

Menu

The Biggest Event of the Year for Northern Utah Manufacturers

REGISTER NOW
REGISTER NOW

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
8:00 AM to 3:00 PM

CACHE COUNTY EVENT CENTER
490 S. 500 W., Logan, Utah

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
9 AM and 11 AM

FACTORY TOURS IN CACHE, BOX ELDER, WEBER, MORGAN, & DAVIS COUNTIES

Get insights you can’t get anywhere else on the toughest topics in manufacturing at the 5th Annual Northern Utah Manufacturing Excellence Conference.

NOW FOR MANUFACTURERS IN CACHE, BOX ELDER, WEBER, MORGAN, AND DAVIS COUNTIES!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW
VENDOR INFORMATION

SIT DOWN WITH THE BEST IN MANUFACTURING

At this once-a-year event, you will take part in nine breakout sessions and discussions with industry thought leaders on the most pressing issues manufacturers face today, like cost, supply chain, workforce, and more.

OPPORTUNITIES TO NETWORK WITH TOP MANUFACTURERS ACROSS NORTHERN UTAH

AWARDS AND PRIZES

CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST AND CATERED LUNCH

GAIN INSIGHTS FROM MANUFACTURING THOUGHT LEADERS

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: THRIVE: IT'S UP TO US TO BUILD THE WORKFORCE: Matthew Wardle
Owner, JD Machine

Manufacturing is facing many challenges, including a paradigm shift in production workflow, how to best transfer knowledge as old methods become obsolete, and best practices for standardizing and improving upon new methods. But the biggest challenge may be that your organization’s new people today will be running the show tomorrow. This session focuses on the most valuable resource of all manufacturing companies—human capital! Attendees will learn how to create a pipeline, establish a strong internal and external brand, and develop a robust on-the-job training program. Training is an investment in your company’s future that will put you in a position to succeed for the long term.

Matt Wardle has 30+ years of experience in the manufacturing industry. After assuming ownership of JD Machine in 1992, Matt has grown the business from a team of six to over 225. JD Machine is an advanced manufacturer servicing the Aerospace, Space Exploration, Medical Device, Energy and Defense industries. He is active in the community and industry having served on various boards and committees. He has a passion for workforce development and helping young people in education and career exploration.

ECONOMY OF MANUFACTURING: Michael Jeanfreau
Senior Economist, Utah Department of Workforce Services

Get an up-to-the-minute reporting of the state of Manufacturing in Utah from the Senior Economist for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, Michael Jeanfreau. Michael will provide a statewide snapshot before diving deeper in the Northern Utah manufacturing, covering topics such as employment numbers, wages, imports and exports, workforce pressure, and more. He will close out the session with a forecast for the future.

Michael Jeanfreau conducts labor market analyses that inform policy and support workforce development initiatives. He also develops and delivers economic presentations, including detailed reports on Northern Utah’s manufacturing sector and other key industries. His collaboration with stakeholders helps to provide actionable insights on employment trends, wages, and industrial growth opportunities. Michale also is adept at utilizing advanced data visualization tools to create accessible and impactful economic reports for diverse audiences, including government agencies, educators, and business leaders.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN DC AND HOW IT TIES TO UTAH MANUFACTURING: Utah Congressman Blake Moore

Blake Moore is a native of Ogden, Utah, and has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2021. He is Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference, the first Utah Republican to serve in House or Senate leadership. He serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Budget Committee, where he focuses on fiscal responsibility and reversing our national debt. He graduated from the University of Utah after serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Seoul, South Korea and received a master’s in public policy and administration from Northwestern University. He lives in northern Utah with his wife, Jane, and their four sons. Even after being sworn in, his most prized title is “Little League Coach.

WELCOME VIDEO MESSAGE: Deidre Henderson, Utah Lieutenant Governor

Deidre Henderson was elected Utah’s ninth lieutenant governor in 2020 and now serves as the Beehive State’s second-highest elected official, chief election officer, and secretary of state. She has dedicated her time in office to removing barriers to success for Utahns and ensuring elections are properly run. A consensus seeker, she assembles different points of view to find appropriate solutions to problems. She is a staunch advocate for expanding opportunities for all Utahns.

UTAH-MEP UPDATES: Steve Black
Center Director, Utah-MEP

Steve has 25 years of experience in leadership, operational excellence, and engineering in small manufacturing organizations. His experience in manufacturing runs deep. Before heading up Utah-MEP, Steve’s worked for an original equipment manufacturing company that produced metal vacuum chamber solutions and for another that manufactured semiconductor and oil research equipment. He specializes in data-based decision-making and problem-solving, and he has extensive experience in both product development and in applying Lean and Six Sigma methodologies across all levels of an organization.

LEADERSHIP & PEOPLE

WE FIX WORKFORCE PROBLEMS

YOU’RE NOT MEASURING ENGAGEMENT – AND IT’S COSTING YOU: Eric Burton
Managing Director, Utah Industry Partners

If you don't measure it, you won't improve it—but many manufacturers aren't measuring one of the strongest drivers of performance: employee engagement. Data from our Utah manufacturing needs survey revealed that engagement is among the least measured metrics in local industry, even as companies struggle with training, retention, leadership development, and workforce readiness. This session challenges the idea that engagement is a "soft" HR topic and reframes it as a critical business metric. Learn how leading organizations measure the factors that shape behavior, culture, and results—and how better engagement data can help you make better decisions, improve performance, and build a stronger workforce.

Eric Burton is a Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt with more than 15 years of Lean manufacturing experience. He’s a walking encyclopedia of knowledge on Lean implementation with a no-nonsense approach to process improvement. He has led hundreds of lucrative operations projects for companies. Eric learned Lean manufacturing as a blue-collar guy on the shop floor. That experience has let him connect with team members that may be skeptical about the value of lean implementation. He understands that the best way to motivate employees and reduce turnover is to empower them with the ability to find solutions to their work problems.

SKILLED LABOR ISN’T THE PROBLEM, YOUR LEADERSHIP IS: Hollie Doyle
Owner, LLB Training and Consulting

Do you feel exhausted as a leader, yet look at your team and feel like they are not stepping up? Do you feel like the organization would crumble if you weren’t actively holding it all together? Does it seem like your team is only doing the minimum to get by? The solutions to these common problems are often within our control as leaders—if we could just find the right way to communicate and lead. This session is designed to provide practical, hands-on skills for leaders to overcome the phenomenon of “learned helplessness” in their organizations. Discover leadership skills that you can apply immediately to lead a genuinely engaged and effective team.

Throughout her career, Hollie Doyle has had the opportunity to manage large projects for companies all over the world. This has provided an in-depth opportunity to peel back the layers of many different organizations to learn what leadership strategies work, how they are applied, and how they can be shared. Because most of us are not naturally born with leadership talents, Hollie develops workshops specifically tailored to teach hands-on, practical leadership skills relevant to the workplace. More than simply talking about theories, Hollie is passionate about providing applicable tools that you can use at work immediately.

TRAINING AND STANDARDS: THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF EMPLOYEE MORALE: Joshua Adams
President and CEO, Perspective Approach

The United States Marine Corps knows that the most important aspects of high morale are training, accountability, and purpose. This session is designed to reinforce the importance of training and developing your people as an act of love, a way to improve morale, and achieve results that surpass expectations. Using practices taught during dynamic operations around the globe over a decade of military service, Joshua will teach techniques to improve training and accountability, and instill a desire to see your people thrive and succeed!

Joshua Adams is a retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant who has trained and led tens-of-thousands of high-performing teams in dynamic operations across the globe. He is the President and CEO of Perspective Approach, a company dedicated to providing training and tools for leaders to create organizations that profit. He travels the nation training leaders and organizations on the best principles and practices to inspire other people and improve teamwork and organizational results.

TECHNOLOGY & AI

WE HELP COMPANIES ADOPT TECHNOLOGY THAT MATTERS

THE AI MYTH: WHY MOST AI INITIATIVES FAIL TO DELIVER VALUE – AND HOW TO FIX IT: Thomas Richards
Founder & Operator, DevCI Group

The excitement, hype, and potential of AI have led many companies to move full steam ahead—often without a clear strategy or sustainable implementation plan. At the same time, organizations know they need to prepare for AI transformation but aren't sure where to begin. This session introduces a practical AI transformation roadmap focused on moving beyond the hype to achieve measurable operational impact. For most manufacturers, the greatest AI ROI comes from workflow automation that reduces repetitive administrative work while improving visibility and operational flow. Attendees will also learn about VLI, a modern automation approach that works alongside existing systems and processes, enabling continuous improvement and operational changes to naturally integrate into AI-enabled workflows over time.

Thomas Richards is an operations and continuous improvement professional focused on the practical application of AI, workflow automation, and digital transformation within Lean organizations. His background spans manufacturing, healthcare, and service industries, where he has led initiatives centered on process improvement, operational efficiency, and scalable systems optimization. Thomas specializes in helping organizations combine Lean principles with emerging technologies to improve workflows.

AUTOMATE OR FALL BEHIND: PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR MANUFACTURERS AT EVERY STATE: Matt Fuller and Jake Bodily

Automation isn't just for large operations anymore. Knowing where to start is half the battle. This session breaks down the real-world steps small manufacturers need to take to begin automating, including infrastructure, staffing, and process changes. We'll then turn to companies that already have automation in place and explore what it takes to scale up and maximize ROI. Whether you're on step one or step ten, this session meets you where you are.

Matt Fuller, Department Head at Bridgerland Technical College, is a career and technical education leader focused on building the next generation of highly skilled workers through practical, hands-on learning. He works closely with industry partners to align education with real workforce needs—especially in manufacturing, automation, and systems integration. With a background in robotics, screen printing, and small business ownership, Matt brings both technical expertise and entrepreneurial experience to the classroom. He currently leads efforts to embed automation and engineering principles into K-12 and Technical College programs, helping students gain the skills and confidence to thrive in modern industry.

Jake Bodily, founder and CEO of Bodily Strategic Advisors (BSA), serves as Director of Global Business Development at SAE, Inc., where he helps manufacturers, technology companies, and investors make smarter automation and robotics decisions. Jake specializes in evaluating automation investments, assessing technical and commercial risk, scaling automation initiatives, and translating complex engineering challenges into measurable business outcomes. He is widely recognized for helping organizations separate market hype from deployable technology while identifying the operational, economic, and strategic factors that determine whether automation projects succeed or fail. His core philosophy is that automation success is rarely about hardware alone—it’s achieved through the alignment of technology, operations, and economics.

TAMING THE FRANKENSTEIN FACTORY: WHY STANDARDIZATION CAN'T WAIT: Alex Moore and Ryan Hatch

It happens gradually, a machine here, a system there, until one day your plant floor is a patchwork of mismatched PLCs, conflicting programming standards, and equipment no one fully understands. This session makes the case for why standardization needs to happen now, not later, and what it looks like in practice. Schreiber Foods will share their own path to standardization, offering a real-world blueprint for manufacturers ready to bring order to chaos and reduce costly downtime in the process.

Alex Moore, Operations Technical Manager at Schreiber Foods, started at Schreiber in 2006 as a Maintenance Supervisor. He enjoyed PLC programming and furthered his skillset as a Project Controls Engineer. He then obtained his Black Belt Certification, which helped to hone his process improvement skills. Alex’s focus is on all things regarding manufacturing excellence, with a priority on creating standardized, templatized process control.

Ryan Hatch, Controls Team Leader at Schreiber Foods, started at Schreiber as an intern while attending Utah State University. He became proficient in systems development and PLC programming. Ryan now leads a team of two Controls Engineers and two Systems Developers to create a world class automation and controls environment, leading the organization in automation innovation.

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

WE IMPROVE EFFICIENCY

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT ISN'T ABOUT TOOLS—IT'S ABOUT DEVELOPING LEADERS: Travis Russell
Global CI Culture Development Manager, SLB

Many organizations view continuous improvement as a collection of Lean tools designed to eliminate waste and improve efficiency. The most successful organizations know it's much more than that. Sustainable continuous improvement depends on developing leaders at every level who can solve problems, engage employees, and build a culture of ownership. In this session, Travis Russell shares how SLB has embedded continuous improvement into its culture by focusing on leadership development first, creating lasting operational excellence through people—not just processes.

Travis Russell has spent the past two decades learning about Continuous Improvement, practicing what he has learned through applying the CI principles in all aspects of life, and coaching others on how to create a CI Culture. He spent 17 years with US Synthetic in various leadership positions. During his time there, the company won the Shingo Prize. Travis is considered a change management expert in leadership development, value creation, cultural transformation, strategy goal deployment, scientific method (PDCA), systems thinking, Lean principles, cultural transformation, situational leadership and Kaizen methods. He has successfully led organizations through the “Culture by Design” process in several industries across the globe (over 60 countries) and continues to coach and guide SLB Leaders on how to align, engage, and empower employees to run and improve the business every day.

THE BEST CI SYSTEMS DON'T DEPEND ON EXPERTS—THEY DEVELOP PROBLEM SOLVERS: Eric Pope
Vice President, Operations, SLB

Continuous improvement reaches its full potential when problem solving becomes part of everyone's job—not just the responsibility of Lean specialists or managers. Organizations that consistently outperform their competition build systems that empower employees to identify opportunities, solve problems, and continuously improve the way work gets done. Join Eric Pope as he shares how operational leaders can create a culture where continuous improvement becomes a daily habit, strengthening leadership capability while driving measurable business results.

Eric Pope serves as Vice President of Operations at SLB, a global leader in chemistry solutions, artificial lift systems, and highly engineered equipment and technologies that help companies drill for and produce oil and gas safely, efficiently, and sustainably around the world. His expertise helps to guide SLB’s innovative products and digital technologies to provide enhanced oil and gas production, transportation, and real-time emissions monitoring throughout the lifecycle of a well.

  • Tours at each location will take place at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM.
  • Each tour will last approximately one hour.
  • Maximum number of participants for each tour is 20.

WHY YOUR CI PROGRAM ISN’T WORKING (AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT): James Peterson
President, World Class Transformation, Inc. and CEO, Aspen Earth

Most organizations don't have a Continuous Improvement problem. They have a sustainability problem. In this engaging and practical session, participants will discover why many CI programs stall, plateau, or fail to deliver lasting results and learn what successful organizations do differently. Using real-world examples and The Transformation Model™, attendees will explore the critical crossroads every organization encounters on the journey toward operational excellence and sustainable improvement.

With more than 30 years of experience in engineering, manufacturing, operations, and organizational leadership, James Peterson has helped organizations achieve sustainable improvements in performance, leadership, and culture. Over the past two decades, he has worked alongside outstanding mentors, colleagues, and business leaders to develop and refine The Transformation Model™, a framework built around the critical crossroads every individual, leader, and organization encounters on the journey of continuous improvement. Through this work, he has helped organizations strengthen employee engagement, improve operational performance, and create sustainable transformational change.

PROVEN AND PRACTICAL STRATEGIES TO LEAD, MOTIVATE, AND ENGAGE EMPLOYEES: Hollie Doyle
Owner, LLB Training and Consulting

Throughout her career, Hollie has had the opportunity to manage large projects for companies all over the world. This has provided an in-depth opportunity to peel back the layers of many different organizations to learn what leadership strategies work, how they are applied, and how they can be shared. Because most of us are not naturally born with leadership talents, Hollie develops workshops specifically tailored to teach hands-on, practical leadership skills relevant to the workplace. More than simply talking about theories, Hollie is passionate about providing applicable tools that you can use at work immediately.

DON’T WAIT TO REGISTER!

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
8:00 AM to 3:00 PM

CACHE COUNTY EVENT CENTER
490 S. 500 W., Logan, Utah

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
9 AM and 11 AM

FACTORY TOURS IN CACHE, BOX ELDER, WEBER, MORGAN, & DAVIS COUNTIES

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW

SPONSORSHIP AND VENDOR OPPORTUNITIES

Create awareness about your organization within Utah’s manufacturing community. Select the tier that fits your budget and goals at checkout.

PLATINUM (Exclusive)

$5,000

Includes:

  • Naming rights for the event. “(Your Company) presents the 4th Annual NUME Conference
  • 6 Complimentary registrations
  • Vendor table
  • Name on program
  • Large logo placement on marketing materials and social media
  • Recognition from the podium
  • 8-10 minutes to address the audience about your business

GOLD

$3,500

Includes:

  • 4 Complimentary registrations
  • Vendor table
  • Name on program
  • Large logo placement on marketing materials and social media
  • Recognition from the podium
  • 3 minutes to address the audience about your business

SILVER

$2,500

Includes:

  • 3 Complimentary registrations
  • Vendor table
  • Name on program
  • Medium logo placement on marketing materials and social media
  • Recognition from the podium

BRONZE

$1,500

Includes:

  • 2 Complimentary registrations
  • Vendor table
  • Name on program
  • Small logo placement on marketing materials and social media
  • Recognition from the podium

VENDOR TABLE

$240

Includes:
  • 1 Complimentary registration
  • 8-foot table
REGISTER AS A SPONSOR OR
VENDOR TODAY!