NKBA expands learning opportunities during KBIS. By Dianne M. Pogoda

 

The National Kitchen & Bath Association has raised the stakes for education at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 21-23.

Building on the success of the two-hour professional development courses offered at KBIS 2019, NKBA will offer three such sessions next January, one each day of the show, as part of its Voices from the Industry Conference. These courses offer 0.2 CEU credits and two Education Hours toward earning or maintaining AKBD, CKBD or CMKBD certification.

All three sessions will be held in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, Room N230, from 8 to 10 a.m. each day.

These sessions are part of the annual VFTI Conference, which consistently draws big crowds of professionals who want to expand their businesses and advance their careers. For 2020, there will be 74 sessions in five categories: Grow Your Business, Kitchen & Bath Specialty Training, Design, Management and Customer Service, scheduled throughout the three days of KBIS. One-day or three-day passes may be purchased at registration or on-site. The conference will feature 25 new speakers as well as many returning favorites. All one-hour sessions offer 0.1 NKBA CEU, and many qualify for other industry CEUs as well.

In addition, the association will host three Specialty Badge review and on-site testing sessions as part of the show. The Specialty Badges, a micro-credentialing program introduced last year, allows badge holders to communicate focused knowledge in a particular aspect of the kitchen and bath industry. It distinguishes the holder as being well-versed and educated in a single competency, and provides extensive networking and marketing opportunities to expand professional growth. Five badges were initially launched — Cabinetry, Floorplans & Specifications, Sales & Marketing, Remodeling and Living in Place — and additional badges will roll out by KBIS. These include Sustainability, Color, Lighting and Smart Home Design.

Members who wish to take a test-prep class, immediately followed by the exam, for the Sustainability, Cabinetry or Remodeling badge at KBIS may do so. One class will be offered each day; a schedule will be available on KBIS.com. Members must purchase the program for the specific badge prior to KBIS.

The first of the two-hour special sessions takes place on Tuesday, Jan. 21, under the “Grow your Business” track. Managing Business Growth for Profitability and Sanity: Taking Care of Yourself, Your Business and Your Bottom Line will be taught by Fred Reikowsky, a professional business coach, leadership trainer and speaker, who is licensed with the Professional Business Coaches Alliance. He founded Legacy Business Leaders LLC, a business coaching and leadership training firm, in 2012 after a 33-year career as a building contractor and five years of non-profit leadership.

In this course, he will discuss some challenges — personal, emotional, financial and more — of managing a growing business in the kitchen, bath and remodeling industry and how to avoid it spiraling out of control. He’ll share sound and proven systems and strategies to regain control, understand fundamental business disciplines and the skills required to implement them and win.

On Wednesday, Jan. 22, Doug Walter, AKBD, AIA, architect, writer, researcher and principal of Doug Walter Architects, will teach Kitchen & Bath Lighting “College”: From Theory to Practice, part of the Design track. This intense lighting course will cover changes in illumination, from widespread adoption of LEDs and technological advances in the quantity, quality and efficiency of lighting in a workshop covering the basics to advanced theory, and demonstrate how to apply that theory to K&B design. Denver-based Walter has specialized in residential remodeling for the past 40 years with a special expertise in lighting, accessibility, historic preservation, and kitchens and baths, and he’ll share this expertise with the class. He’s also currently serving on a national working group for NKBA, charged with rewriting the Kitchen & Bathroom Planning Guidelines, and another, creating the Lighting Specialty Badge.

On Thursday, Jan. 23, Victoria Downing, president and chief inspiration officerfor Remodeler’s Advantage Inc. and a respected authority in the remodeling industry, will conduct It’s All About Delegation, on the Management track. This course will emphasize the importance of delegating tasks and responsibilities to employees, and how this is a key to growth. She’ll share the process for identifying tasks to delegate, choosing the right person to take over certain responsibilities, monitoring progress and coaching for success. For nearly 30 years, Downing has helped owners of remodeling companies build strong, consistently profitable businesses. She has created one of the industry’s largest community of motivated remodelers through Remodelers Advantage University and the Roundtables Peer Group Program, and is cohost of PowerTips Unscripted, a weekly Podcast featuring interviews of thought-leaders from the remodeling and associated industries.

The three professional development courses are included with VFTI conference passes. Badge test-prep and testing sessions will be held in South Hall and must be purchased separately. For more information, visit KBIS.com and click on Education.