LBM Expo 2025 Speakers
Zach Williams
Founder of Venveo
Zach Williams is the founder of Venveo, a digital marketing agency focused on building material manufacturers and is the host of the Smarter Building Materials marketing podcast. Williams is known for his expertise in digital marketing for building material manufacturers to increase sales. Williams has received numerous Webby Awards and has been recognized in the Wall Street Journal.
Grant Farnsworth
The FARNSWORTH GROUP
The Farnsworth Group conducts custom research exclusively for the building products and home improvement industry by providing strategic insights that help organizations better understand their customer, product, brand, and overall market. For over 20 years, Grant has consulted on qualitative and quantitative research for a variety of manufacturers, retailers and associations ranging from Fortune 100 firms to startups. Grant continues to gain industry knowledge through efforts with organizations like Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing and the Home Improvement Research Institute. As a longtime drummer, Grant still practices music. His creativity is an often-utilized resource in the company and with clients.
Noah Humberston
APA -THE ENGINEERED WOOD ASSOCIATION
Noah is an Engineered Wood Specialist based in the Philadelphia area and serves the Northeast Region on behalf of APA – The Engineered Wood Association. He works to provide construction and design direction for the use of APA member company products. Prior to joining APA, Noah gained four years of structural design experience, working on a wide range of wood-framed projects with national and custom home builders throughout the country. Noah is a graduate of the University of Delaware with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Pennsylvania.
Schedule-At-A-Glance
Wednesday,
December 10
Pick-up your pre-registered badge or register onsite for LBM Expo badges.
Location: Expo Gateway
Discover how lumber dealers are using AI to outpace the competition and build long-term market dominance. This engaging session will show you how to harness AI-powered systems to drive smarter decisions, streamline marketing and sales, and create sustainable growth.
You’ll learn how to plug into a simple yet powerful two-step loop—data in, AI-driven action out—to gain more control, attract more customers, and turn your yard into a market leader. Walk away with actionable strategies to turn today’s digital trends into tomorrow’s competitive edge.
Location: Earth Ballroom A
Experience all that the 2025 LBM Expo has to offer by exploring hundreds of exhibits and getting hands-on, interactive experiences with in-booth demos and featured products.
Location: Earth Expo Center
Join Noah Humberston, PE of the APA – The Engineered Wood Association where he will identify the basic types of engineered wood products (EWP) and their properties. Review the material characteristics, and proper design and specification of WSP, SCL, CLT, and glulam beams.
Location: TBD
NRLA has partnered with Spreo Capital to bring NRLA members a powerful financing program to help you better serve your builder customers—without any financial risk to your business.
In this session, Spreo Capital will walk you through how the program works and how it can strengthen both your customer relationships and your bottom line.
What you’ll learn:
- How builders can secure up to 85% loan-to-value financing, enjoy faster access to funds, and even finance interest for added flexibility.
- How dealers can gain a new revenue stream and a competitive edge by offering financing solutions that build loyalty and profitability.
With more than $1 billion funded since inception, Spreo Capital has built a proven track record of financing solutions that move real estate projects forward.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to turn financing into a strategic advantage for your business.
Location: NRLA Booth #335
Continue to network, but over a free plate of lunch with everyone at LBM Expo – attendees and exhibitors!
Location: Earth Expo Center
In a competitive market, your showroom is more than a display space—it’s a key driver of sales, customer engagement, and brand differentiation. Whether you aim to boost revenue, educate buyers, or stand out from big-box stores, a well-designed showroom gives your business an edge.
In this session, architects Chris Kennedy and Kristina Hebert of MA+KE Architects, along with Bruce Boisen of Prism Collaborative, will share insights from 75+ real-world projects. They’ll explore how to overcome renovation challenges, use design to influence customer behavior and staff performance, and balance physical products with technology.
Attendees will gain practical strategies to improve their showroom—whether through a full remodel or small updates—unlocking opportunities for upselling, stronger customer loyalty, and long-term growth.
Learning Objectives:
Identify common barriers to showroom improvements and how to overcome them.
Understand how design influences sales, customer engagement, and branding.
Learn to integrate product displays with technology for a seamless experience.
Discover design tactics that drive upselling and empower staff.
Location: Education Zone
See what the younger generation of LBM experts has in store for the future, hear about their achievements over the past year, and congratulate the old officers while watching the installation of the new. *Open to anyone.
Location: Earth Expo Center, Education Zone
Join us for an evening under the stars at Vista Lounge where we will celebrate the installation of Genn Howley from GNH Lumber as NRLA Chair.
Location: Vista Lounge
Thursday,
December 13
Pick-up your pre-registered badge or register onsite for LBM Expo badges.
Location: Expo Gateway
In this session, The Farnsworth Group will share fundamentals that are impacting contractor and homeowner behaviors toward project activities and product purchases. Understanding customer attitudes enables your business to better respond to concerns that may be an opportunity or hurdle for sales. In this session, you will:
- Explore industry supply and demand fundamentals
- Examine homeowner project intent, project challenges, and primary concerns
- Consider contractor business challenges and business expectations
- Examine forecasts for Home Improvement and New Construction
Location: Earth Ballroom A
Experience all that the 2025 LBM Expo has to offer by exploring hundreds of exhibits and getting hands-on, interactive experiences with in-booth demos and featured products.
Location: Earth Expo Center
Noah E. Humberston, PE of the APA – The Engineered Wood Association will review features and benefits, significant characteristics, and appropriate applications of EWP. I-joist topics will include vertical load transfer, joist hanger connections, double joist assemblies, allowable holes/notches, and web stiffeners. Content is largely based on APA’s Form Z725: Performance Rated I-Joists (PRI) Design and Construction Guide.
Location: TBD
NRLA has partnered with Spreo Capital to bring NRLA members a powerful financing program to help you better serve your builder customers—without any financial risk to your business.
In this session, Spreo Capital will walk you through how the program works and how it can strengthen both your customer relationships and your bottom line.
What you’ll learn:
- How builders can secure up to 85% loan-to-value financing, enjoy faster access to funds, and even finance interest for added flexibility.
- How dealers can gain a new revenue stream and a competitive edge by offering financing solutions that build loyalty and profitability.
With more than $1 billion funded since inception, Spreo Capital has built a proven track record of financing solutions that move real estate projects forward.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to turn financing into a strategic advantage for your business.
Location: NRLA Booth #335
Continue to network, but over a free plate of lunch with everyone at LBM Expo – attendees and exhibitors!
Location: Earth Expo Center
Discover how strengthening culture, operational KPI focus, and succession readiness combine for long-term success.
Location: Education Zone