Inaugural Women in Finishing Forum Features Outstanding Professional Development Sessions

Powered by the Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI) Women in Finishing will host its first Forum to be held at the Embassy Suites South Bend at Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, from May 9-11.

CCAI began its Women in Finishing (WiF) initiative with networking receptions at FABTECH 2017 and 2018. Input from reception participants was used to develop the WiF Forum program which will feature a variety of professional and personal development sessions geared toward women, as well as networking and team building activities.

Program highlights include:

• Building a Championship Mindset: Dr. Amber Selking, Founder, Selking Performance Group. From the manufacturing floor to the football field, delivering consistent performance excellence is critical to team success. Through her experiences working in manufacturing for Lippert Components and as the mental performance consultant for the University of Notre Dame football team, Dr. Amber Selking will share insights from the field of human performance psychology that will help you deliver your best on a more consistent basis.
• My Journey to Leadership: Julia Murray, Global Marketing Communications Director, Chemetall; Vicki Gelling, Fellow, Valspar. In this moderated panel discussion, women in a variety of leadership roles within the finishing industry share their career journeys. Learn about the challenges they faced, how they overcame them, as well as tips you may be able to apply to your own career pursuits.
• Opportunities in Advanced Manufacturing: Steven Schmid, University of Notre Dame, National Science Foundation. The transformation of the manufacturing sector into a high-tech endeavor has been accelerated by programs such as Manufacturing USA, where industry, academe and government partner to develop vibrant industrial ecosystems that support entire supply chains. Dr. Schmid will describe the Manufacturing USA program that he helped design, as well as the opportunities that exist in the advanced manufacturing sector.
• Power: What it is, How to get it, How to use it: Marty Sawyer, CEO, Trimac Industrial Systems. Power is not reserved for men anymore. Women are assuming mantles of power at an ever-growing rate. Learn how to find more power in yourself and how to better use it in your work and life.
• Trends for Women in Finishing: Speaker to be announced. We are all aware of the shortage of skilled employees in the finishing industry, and manufacturing in general. But exactly what opportunities are out there in industrial finishing, how do you find them, and how do you best position yourself to land one of them? This presentation will take steps to answer these questions as well as provide information, statistics and trends on the state of women in manufacturing.
• The Impact Wellness Has on Success: Dr. Amber Selking, Selking Performance Group; Kari Oliver, University of Notre Dame; Roxie Sweikar, Physicians HolisticHealth Alliance. As demands on our time increase, personal wellness can easily be put on the back burner. But, what kind of impact does this have on achieving your professional and personal goals? Our trio of presenters for this session are wellness experts with strong ties to the Notre Dame football team. They will share how wellness techniques are components of the team’s regiment and how they impact success on all levels from the football field to your finishing career.
• Navigating Conflict Effectively. Lee Ann Schwope-Cochran, Vice President Sales & Marketing, PRADCO. We all deal with conflict, and for many it occurs on a daily basis. Because conflict is often perceived as negative, people avoid having difficult conversations or aren’t having the right conversations to effectively navigate those conflicts. However, having healthy conflict is important whether it is at work or at home. It creates opportunity for diversity of thought, allowing new ideas to emerge and ultimately improves results.

For full program details and to register, visit www.womeninfinishing.org/forum.