Speakers
LBM Expo 2025 Speakers
AI, Market Forces & Long-Term Thinking: How Lumber Dealers Are Winning Today with Zach Williams of Venveo (Breakfast Session)
Zach Williams
Founder of Venveo
Zach Williams, CEO and founder of Venveo, located in Blacksburg. Williams graduated from Virginia Tech with a BS in Marketing-Management and a BA in Visual Communications. Before graduating, he built Venveo from his dorm room and after graduating, turned it into the global company that it is today.
Workforce Development and Industry Recruitment: A Panel Discussion
Doug Ford
NRLA Chair, Curtis Lumber Company
Jeremy Baker
VRLDA President, r.k. Miles, Inc.
Brent McCartney
Education Consultant, Connecticut Technical Education and Career System
A panel discussion of workforce development and industry recruitment.
Economic Forecast with Elliott Eisenberg, Ph.D. (Breakfast Session)
Elliott Eisenberg, Ph.D.
Often called the “Stand-up Economist,” Elliot Eisenberg uniquely specializes in making the arcana and minutiae of economics entertaining and relevant. With expertise and consultation sought-out by federal, state, and local governments and legislators, hedge funds and investment advisory groups, Dr. Eisenberg is an established authority on the national and global economy and its impact on various industries. Eisenberg is an acclaimed economic expert and former senior economist at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
Marketing Mastery: Best Practices for Promoting Yourself, Your Company, and Your Products in the LBM Industry with Kristen Pucci
Kristen Pucci
Founder & CEO, KRAE - Creative and Talent Services
Schedule-at-a-glance
Schedule-At-A-Glance
Wednesday,
December 11
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 12
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