Register now for a robust slate of Voices from the Industry Conference learning opportunities, live at KBIS 2022 with select sessions on-demand after the show.

By Deborah Mayberry

NKBA’s annual Voices from the Industry Conference returns live at KBIS 2022 with more than 80 sessions, including 1 ½-hour workshops as well as professional development courses. VFTI offers classes in six categories: Grow Your Business, Kitchen & Bath Specialty Training, Design, Management, Customer Service and Building & Remodeling.

In addition to the 1-hour sessions, attendees will have the opportunity to attend any of the six two-hour courses that feature topics based on NKBA Specialty Badges. The topics are focused on Lighting, Sales & Marketing, Universal Design, Sustainable Design, Color and Cabinetry & Remodeling. Each two-hour course is eligible for 0.2 CEUs and 2 NKBA Education Hours for certified members.

  • “Luxury Lighting to Enhance Aging in Place” with Kelly Inglis, owner/consultant of Lighting Education Design, will take a forward-thinking approach to lighting. Inglis will focus on architectural luxury lighting products and how they future proof designs for aging-in-place considerations. Throughout the course, she’ll demonstrate lighting products, options, and how and where to use them.
  • Under Sales & Marketing, join John K. Morgan, CEO, and Emily McCullom, director of marketing & business development, both of Green Forest Cabinetry, for “Getting Intimate on a PERSONA Level.” This interactive course will entertain as well as offer tips on client and self-awareness, and the process of constructing the core persona(s) needed to drive sales and marketing.
  • Universal Design continues to evolve. Paula Kennedy, CMKBD, CLIPP, CACC, and owner of Timeless Kitchen Design, presents, “Design for All Equates to Wellness for All: A Fresh Perspective Towards Universal Design.” Throughout this conversational course, Kennedy will explore integrating themes of universal and wellness design and offer a fresh perspective and renewed sense of responsibility about how designers approach clients and projects.
  • Incorporating sustainable design into projects might be a little easier after joining Kelsey Barrett, a commercial marketing representative for Cambria, for her course, “Practically Optimistic: The Pillars of Sustainable Kitchen and Bath Design.” During this course, Kelsey will explore real-world strategies, identify ways to incorporate sustainable and wellness design practices in creating spaces, and illustrate how simplicity in design plays a supporting role that fits the goals of any sustainably designed project.
  • Working with color can be intimidating but also rewarding. Join Ruthanne Hanlon, national color and design manager for PPG Paints, as she explores color options in “Create Color Schemes with Ease and Confidence.” She will explain why and how colors change from what’s seen on a sample to how they look on a larger scale and in combination with adjacent elements. Understanding those nuances simplifies the selection process and ensures successful color schemes.
  • In “Can I Take Out This Wall? Remodeling Basics for Kitchens and Baths,” Tamara Myers, CR, LEED AP, at Myers Constructs Inc. will help K&B pros in any segment of the industry become more proficient. She’ll provide keys to understanding the anatomy and systems of buildings to be more knowledgeable about the impact of structural changes for any project, and will show attendees how to play a leading role on the remodeling team.

Click here to register for NKBA’s VFTI Conference. For KBIS attendee pricing, click here. Select courses will also be available on-demand after the show.