KBIS Voices From the Industry On-Demand Sessions
The Voices from the Industry on-demand sessions below will be available to you 24-7 through June 2021.
Sponsored By
How we Cook Now: A Chef’s Guide to Residential Appliances
Speakers: Andrew Forlines, Culinary Director & Executive Chef, Chef A.F. LLC
It’s no secret that the home kitchen has more appliance options than ever before. Come learn all about the most up-to-date and complex cooking appliances, how consumers are using them, and how you can best understand them as Chef Andrew Forlines explores the ways modern homeowners use the newest and most advanced residential appliances. ***Must purchase a Voices from the Industry Conference pass to attend. This session qualifies for NKBA, NAHB and NARI CEUs
Technology Workshop: Must-Have Apps for Design
Speakers: Vanessa DeKoekkoek, Global Training Manager, 2020
Are you overwhelmed by the thought of keeping up with technology? Would you like to improve your design process with easy-to-use tools? If you answered “yes”, bring your smart phone or tablet to this workshop and discover apps which will enhance your design business. By leveraging the design process and cloud technology, we will demystify and help you work toward mastering the tools that can help with site analysis, conceptual planning, technical documentation, and communication. Technology should not be overwhelming, it should be your doorway into a world where you stand out among your competition. It should give you a way to display your ideas and design solutions with confidence. Let us help you do that! ***Must purchase a Voices from the Industry Conference pass to attend. This session qualifies for NKBA, NAHB and NARI CEUs
TandemLEDTM, New Lighting Technology for Designers
Speakers: Greg Price, Product Development, Task Lighting
Introduces and explain the newest lighting technology and how it affects a space, and those in the space. Explain how to talk about it with customers, how and where it is best used along with sales tips. I will also discuss how designers can use this new TandemLED Lighting technology to boost profits and give customers what they are asking for. Never again will someone wonder what LED light color to select. Finally I will discuss the built in WAV technology and how it integrates with smart home systems right out of the box without the need for a hub, or special app, we will then do a workshop with hands on demonstrations of how easy it is to install and setup. ***Must purchase a Voices from the Industry Conference pass to attend. This session qualifies for NKBA, NAHB and NARI CEUs
Your Website: The Front Door to Your Business
Speakers: Megan Jansky McIntyre, Creative Director & Founder, The Marketing Corner
Marketing is constantly evolving, and more than ever in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses must be agile and adapt. When once having a basic website was enough, it must now serve as the new showroom of your company; showcasing your expertise, services, projects, and more. Today, designers and small businesses have relatively few options for creating (or maintaining) a dynamic website–pay someone to do it, or try a somewhat DIY approach. “Your Website: The Front Door To Your Business” is a crash course workshop in tips and tricks to create a powerful website–making it appear on the top of Google! We’ll touch on everything from domain names and layouts to search engine optimization. Attendees will be armed with the knowledge of creating an industry leading website built for finding new clients and bringing in sales. Understanding the digital space may be overwhelming for some, but this innovative workshop will help take the guesswork out of creating a powerful website built for lead generation. Attendees will learn the basics tools they need to start creating their own website and having it published online. Additionally, we’ll touch on how to keep website content current, updated and relevant! Second, attendees will learn how to have their business found by search engines, to bring in the clients they really want! We’ll share everything from keywords to tags- everything it takes to be found in their local search engines! Finally, attendees will be armed with the knowledge of how to change their websites, showcasing their amazing work without even having to hire a website guru! ***Must purchase a Voices from the Industry Conference pass to attend. This session qualifies for NKBA, NAHB and NARI CEUs
Marketing at a Much Higher Level
Speakers: Larry Heuvelman, Owner, The Owner Consultant
This presentation is for the company that is doing 3+ million per year or is going to. The question is, what does a good marketing plan look like, and how does it get measured? Larry Heuvelman will teach you how to be creative, have a lot more fun, partner with some very key people, and make a lot more money by eliminating your competition. ***Must purchase a Voices from the Industry Conference pass to attend. This session qualifies for NKBA, NAHB and NARI CEUs
Your Website is Not Your Marketing Plan
Speakers: Stephanie Bullwinkel, CBD and CFO/COO of Imperial Kitchens and Baths Inc.
With Search Engine Optimization (SEO) companies constantly calling to promise better internet search results, it can be hard to look beyond the web to build an effective and complete marketing campaign. Considering minimal budgets and time constraints, small remodeling businesses don’t have the resources to test every advertising avenue with a “Wait and See” attitude. With her background in television and public relations, Stephanie Bullwinkel, CBD and CFO/COO of Imperial Kitchens and Baths Inc., offers opportunities that we may not immediately consider when looking at advertising and marketing projects we can easily do in-house. This workshop serves as a spring-board to get a marketing plan conceptualized and organized on paper. ***Must purchase a Voices from the Indsutry Conference pass to attend. This session qualifies for NKBA, NAHB and NARI CEUs
Five Functions of a Successful Kitchen and Bath Business
Speakers: Fred Reikowsky, Principal, Legacy Business Leaders LLC
Every business consists of five foundational building blocks: Purpose, Leadership, Financials, Organization and People. When functioning in sync, these fundamental elements of business work together to galvanize priorities and produce excellent profit as a result of providing exceptional customer experience. ***Must purchase a Voices from the Industry Conference pass to attend. This session qualifies for NKBA, NAHB and NARI CEUs
Selling to Design by NOT Designing to Sell
Speakers: Jan Neiges, CMKBD, President/Owner, Jan Neiges CKD LLC
The average designer spends up to 8 hours on a Prospect before that Prospect becomes a Client. Learn how to reduce that down to two hours. ***Must purchase a Voices from the Industry Conference pass to attend. This session qualifies for NKBA, NAHB and NARI CEUs. Handouts for this session are linked below:
Accessible Luxury Throughout a Lifetime
Speakers: Louie Delaware, Lisa Wood, Ebony Stephenson, Ryan Herd, Dani Polidor
Luxury is in the pinnacle of individual style in interiors. Exceptional quality in design is timeless. A passionate and enthusiastic round table workshop will be presented in a positive, collaborative and supportive style. Discover how everyday luxuries can be…
Color Splash, a Colorful Approach to Designing Your Next Kitchen or Bath
Speakers: Allie Mann, Senior Designer, Case Design
Need help designing something other than a white kitchen? Curious about color but unsure how to use it? Does using color feel overwhelming to you? Now more than even our clients need color in their world! Join Allie Mann as she shares several ways she designs kitchens and bathrooms with color, its importance, and how she empowers her clients to make bold color selections and design choices. ***Must purchase a Voices from the Industry Conference pass to attend. This session qualifies for NKBA, NAHB and NARI CEUs.
“But David Hates Yellow!”: Practical Methods for Discovering Clients’ Style
Speakers: Leslie Hart-Davidson, Owner & Lead designer, HDD Studios
After experiencing this VFTI session, attendees will be able to better identify the route of the Struggle Bus their clients are traveling by visiting three different destinations: Dunno Town, Clashville and Apathy Lane. Each destination will feature a visitor’s guide for helping clients discover and communicate a preferred personal design style for their project.
20 Practical Ideas to Improve Small and Large Kitchens
Speakers: Mark Rosenhaus, President, Mark Rosenhaus Design
We have all heard the new customer lament:” I have a small kitchen remodel to do, but nothing can be done with it.” Galley kitchens may be small but not necessarily featureless. Some have height or length to exploit. The goal is to magically increase the perceived size of the room and improve the total ergonomics both physically and psychologically.
2021 Color and Design Forecast
Speakers: Ruthanne Hanlon, National Color & Design Manager, PPG
The 2021 forecast focuses on our quest for comfort and wellbeing, the trend stories provide pathways to get there and reflect how consumers are feeling and the spaces they’re craving.
A Deep Dive Into Outdoor Kitchen Design & Planning
Speakers: Russ Faulk, Chief Designer, Head of Product, Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet
The 2021 forecast focuses on our quest for comfort and wellbeing, the trend stories provide pathways to get there and reflect how consumers are feeling and the spaces they’re craving.
Aesthetics and Functionality Utilizing Universal Design in Kitchens
Speakers: Jeremy McClain, EdD, Marketing Director, Osborne Wood Products
The presentation intends to review relevant research available to inform various stakeholders regarding best practices for utilizing a Universal Design (UD) framework in kitchen installations and remodels which reiterate the aesthetics of the space.
Biophilia and Nature’s Power of Color Promoting Wellbeing in Interiors
Speakers: Kathryn Grube, College Professor, Professional Color Designer, Functional Color Solutions
A journeyed exploration of how organic colors, shapes, and patterns fuse successfully through strategic and functional color design in the interior spaces where we work, live, learn, eat, sleep, and play.
Creating Kitchens With Light, Space and Laughter
Speakers: Keith Myers, Managing & Design Director, The Myers Touch, Ltd.
An inspirational and emotive presentation on the power of designing beyond the conventional. This illustrated talk will expand the way in which you view your kitchen-living spaces and encourage new ways to dialogue regarding the very heart of the home.
Creative Spark: Inspiring the “Feels Right” Kitchen
Speakers: Richard Landon, CMKD, Residential Space Planner, Richard Landon Design
We will also delve into what research now tells us will makes our kitchens more pleasing—visually, functionally and emotionally. Break out of the box and discover your path to a creative spark!
Designing a Healthy Home (and we Don’t Mean Emotionally)
Speakers: Adam Gibson, CMKD, Designer, Consultant, Adam Gibson Design, LLC
This comprehensive presentation will shock many when they realize how to affect indoor air quality by reducing elements that off-gas perpetually—including common household items—and how to make positive changes.
Economical Smart Home Lighting Design
Speakers: Kelly Inglis, Lighting Consultant, Lighting Education Design
Learn how to select the right smart home system that will suit your clients’ specific needs, enhance their lifestyle and save them money.
Empathetic Expansion of Universal Design Strategies: Creating Inclusive Environments
Speakers: Sarah Barnard, Principal Designer, Sarah Barnard Design
This session will explore how experiences can impact physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, the intersections of sensory sensitivities and cognitive overload, and how to develop a mindful, inclusive approach to creating public and private spaces.
Kosher Kitchens – Is the Work Triangle Dead?
Speakers: Rachel Groundland, Principal Designer, Groundland Interiors
A well planned kitchen design will help create an incredible experience. Because of these requirements, it is necessary to familiarize designers with the concepts of cooking Kosher, with separate zones for Meat, Dairy and Pareve (contains neither dairy or meat, or their derivatives).
PD Course: Can I Take Out This Wall? Remodeling Basics for Kitchens and Baths
Speakers: Tamara Myers, Principal & Founder, Myers Constructs, Inc.
During Can I Take Out This Wall? you will learn clues to understanding the anatomy and systems of buildings so that you can be more knowledgeable about the impact of structural changes for a project. With this greater remodeling knowledge, you can more effectively engage in your segment of the industry, affect better project outcomes, and even learn to play a leading role on the remodeling team.
PD Course: Color Cues – Color’s Influence in Our Lives
Speakers: Paula Kennedy, CMKBD, CLIPP, CACC, Designer, Timeless Kitchen Design
We are to go beyond Color 101 and delve into how color influences nearly everything in our lives so we can become aware of how to use color to support a sense of wellbeing and joy in our environments. We will take a journey through commercial, product, fashion and digital marketing’s use of color as we begin to understand how color influences our decisions, feelings and choices.
European Kitchen Furniture: The North American Invasion
Speakers: Jeremy Parcels, Senior Designer, Christopher’s Kitchen & Bath
Learn the differences in cabinetry construction, design possibilities, and product offerings between European and domestic cabinetry, and the unique benefits of German, Italian, Scandinavian and other sources to expand your offerings, whether you are designer, showroom manager, installer, or dealer.
Keeping up the Momentum: Guidelines for Keeping Your Clients on Track
Speakers: Duane Becker, Principal, SaPre Training
What happened to my customer? Many designers I consult with ask themselves this question. In this presentation, I will discuss methods you can use to avoid losing track of your customer, moving your transaction forward, and closing more sales.
Innovation and Differentiation in Times of Crisis
Speakers: Andreas Hansen, President, Plum, Inc.
The idea is to walk the audience through a real case study of a new challenger brand that was seemingly stopped in its tracks trough COVID-19, but decided to charge and be more aggressive, turning a crisis into a success story.
Lighting by the Numbers: Breaking Down the Complexities of Calculations
Speakers: Karyn Reilly, CKD, Designer and Educator, Lights My Soul
We often implement a lighting plan that may or may not hit the client’s needs because of our lack of knowledge and time. No one has time to add complicated calculations to their projects.
Lighting, Layout, Layers, & Lumens: A Design Process
Speakers: Margaret Carneal, CKD-CBD, Designer, Margaret Carneal Design
When it comes to mapping your lighting layout, it can get a little tricky. Fundamental lighting strategies need to be combined with our adaptation to evolving technologies and available specification information.
PD Course: Cabinetry “College” – Product Foundations, R&D and Trends
Speakers: Marnie Brenden, CMKBD, Territory Sales Manager, MasterBrand Cabinetry
Understanding the different components of cabinetry, construction, and features will really help us understand budget placement, clients actual wants and needs, and be able to identify and interpret these features to a client or customer with confidence. This part of the class will discuss overlays, recessed/raised panels, door construction, box construction, drawer box options and all related cabinetry components.
PD Course: The Triple Bottom Line of K&B Sustainable Design
Speakers: Kelsey Holtz, Interior Designer
Sustainability is traditionally defined by the Triple Bottom Line, or three key elements: People, Planet and Profit with the notion that a truly sustainable choice will bring a benefit to each of these three areas. In this session, we will dive into the different perspectives and approaches your clients may have on sustainability and make better sense of how to communicate their needs via the triple bottom line approach as it relates to kitchen and bath design.
Specifying Glass Tile With Confidence
Speakers: Vince Moiso, President, Oceanside Glass and Tile
There are many types of glass on the market produced in various ways. We will go over the history of glass tile, quality standards in place to help protect the consumers, manufacturing methods, mounting methods, sustainability, and installation methods.
The Impacts of Lighting and Color For All Ages
Speakers: Maria Stapperfenne, CMKBD, Senior Designer, Tewksbury Kitchens & Baths; Natalia Pierce, AKBD, Owner/Designer, Detail by Design
Understand the evolution of lighting and the benefits to all your clients. Identify and learn what is new and the future of lighting and controls
Benchmarks for Making Big Business Decisions
Speakers: John Lang, VP of Coaching, SEN Design Group
Making critical decisions – like hiring key personnel, expanding operations, or selling your business – are tough to make. Timing is critical. Knowledge even more so. This presentation will reveal the key metrics and milestones that will empower small business owners to pull the trigger on the big ones with confidence.
Common Ground: Finding Synergy Between Designers and Builders
Speakers: Andrew Patterson, Founder and President, Patterson Custom Homes; Ginger Curtis, Owner and Founder, Urbanology Designs; Reisa Elden, Head of Industry Partnerships, Houzz
Join us to learn how designers and custom home builders leverage each other’s expertise when building or renovating a home, the best practices for efficient communications, and how to build a dream team.
Conducting a Virtual Design Consultation: Directing Your Clients with Confidence in this New World
Speakers: Shayna Hall Market Representative, Cambria
Whether you’re working with a homeowner or within the trade, this is a guide to conducting a successful virtual consultation.
How to Build Your Talent Bench for Recovery & Growth
Speakers: Nadia Roberts, President, Interior Talent, Inc.; Kenneth Roberts, Principal, Interior Talent, Inc.
We will discuss how a company can build its bench of talent to maximize recovery and continue strategic growth plans in our altered business world. In addition, we cover how to maximize using technology to connect with clients and manage a remote team while creating increased efficiency in your firm.
Building Your Team to Build Your Brand and Business
Speakers: Diana Mosher, Principal, Diana Mosher Associates LLC; Darla Powell, Interior Designer, Darla Powell Interiors; Nicole Heymer, Owner and Creative Director, Curio Electro; Joan Ravasy, Founder, Joan Ravasy Design, LLC
This highly informative presentation will also reflect on my own journey with personal experience and stories of traveling the road to Building Your Team to Build Your Brand and Business.
Brand Building Fundamentals for Marketers
Speakers: David Bernardino, Chief Client Officer – Head of Research and Planning, Ammunition
When you ask “what is brand marketing”, you tend to get a million different answers, leading to a lot of confusion about what it truly is.
Invigorate Your Business by Elevating Healthy Kitchen & Bath Design
Speakers: Steven Kleber, Founder, Kleber & Associates; Jillian Pritchard Cooke, Founder, Wellness Within Your Walls
In this session, two experts – a design-build industry health and wellness pioneer, and a thought leader with 33 years of experience in marketing and branding – will share how design-build professionals can embrace the movement toward health and wellness in the home, and effectively promote that alignment to differentiate and revitalize their businesses as we move into an uncharted future.
Labor Force Shortages & Skills Gap – What Can Your Business Do?
Speakers: Mischa Fisher, Chief Economic Officer, ANGI Homeservices
An aging skilled workforce is retiring, and young people aren’t pursuing careers to take their place. The resulting knowledge gap stands to cripple home improvement and infrastructure for years to come and a shortage of skilled laborers is restricting business operation and growth in the trades.
Make Your Message IRRESISTIBLE!
Speakers: Rafael Mael, Principal, Maelstrom Marketing
Discover a powerful three-step formula to make your message hit home with prospects and customers. Expect a fun, interactive session, real-world examples, and bottom-line action steps to take home and apply immediately.
Marketing & Branding 101: Ready to Stand Out From the Crowd?
Speakers: Rebecca West, Owner, Seriously Happy Homes
In this session Rebecca West of Seriously Happy Homes will show you how to assess your marketing message and determine what it needs to be more focused, unique, and effective. You’ll leave with tools to evaluate and improve your website, your newsletters, your social media posts, and even your one-to-one initial consults and client communication
PD Course: Knowledge is Power: So, What Do You Need to Know to Kick Your Competition’s A**?
Speakers: John Morgan, CEO, Green Forest Cabinetry
Wouldn’t it be awesome to harness the power of the incredible stream of information that gushes at you constantly like water from a firehose? Wouldn’t it be even more awesome to kick your competition’s a** with it?
Secret Weapons of Selling – Earning More with 3 Essential Skills
Speakers: Liz Walton, CKDO, Owner, Walton’s Design Solutions
Are you struggling to keep your business afloat during this economic crisis? Now more than ever, it is imperative to have the right skill sets to not only land new jobs but also strengthen relationships that create repeat business.
How Smart Technology Helps Individuals Live In Place
Speakers: Ryan Herd, CEO, Caregiver Smart Solutions; Toni Sabatino, AKBD, President, Toni Sabatino Style
Smart Technology is not Big Brother – It’s Your New Best Friend! Most homes already have some level of technology and in the future, all homes will be very connected.
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Video Marketing: Capture Your Project THEN Dominate Search
Speakers: Brian Javeline, President, MyOnlineToolbox
People read while hearing their own voice, yet video brings the message to your customers exactly how you want them to hear it. Professional videos are obviously the best choice but videos by smartphone can be quality driven too
What Every Kitchen & Bath Builder/Remodeler Needs to Know about Lawsuit Protection, Tax Reduction, and Estate Planning
Speakers: Larry Oxenham, Author, Senior Advisor, American Society for Asset Protection
By the end of the presentation, you will know how to avoid the most common asset protection mistakes made by kitchen & bath builders & remodelers and their advisors. How kitchen & bath builders & remodelers can protect 100% of their professional and personal assets from lawsuits.
A Winning Sales Process
Speakers: Dan Luck, Senior Vice President, Kitchen and Bath Business Institute
New technologies must be embraced to scale up operations or risk losing significant market share to more progressive competitors who do. But to leverage these technologies, a business must first adopt a proven, successful sales process that all team designers follow.
“Don’t Fake It When You Make It”: Reasons to Choose Natural Materials
Speakers: Jon Namba, President, Namba Services; Dacia Woodworth, Architect & Design Community Liason, Natural Stone Institute; Anna Gibson, AKBD, Chief Designer/Owner, AKG Design Studio LLC; Roy Marcus Brand Ambassador, Artistic Tile; Emily Morrow Finkell, CEO, Emily Morrow Home and EF Floors & Design
Join us as we celebrate the benefits of choosing natural materials and dispel the myths surrounding two natural building products that will re-energize your project’s connection to nature.
The 5 Best Practices No Successful Remodeler Can Live Without
Speakers: Steve Wheeler, Director of Business Development, Remodeler’s Advantage Inc.
In all industries, the most successful business owners follow certain Best Practices. Through our vast interaction with Remodelers and Builders, we have identified the Five Fundamental best practices that deliver consistent, high-level results.
Lighting that Works: Kitchen & Bath Lighting in Theory & Practice
Speakers: Doug Walter, AKBD, AIA, Architect, Doug Walter Architects
So, you think you know lighting? Well, it’s all changed. There has been more innovation in lighting in the past 5 years than in the past 5 decades. Incandescent light is dead, fluorescent lighting is on life support, and halogen lighting is coming down with something the same! Good lighting first and foremost needs to support health, safety and welfare, particularly for the senior demographic. But good lighting has positive benefits for everyone, young or old. Bring an open mind and get ready to participate if you want in simple class demonstrations and actual kitchen and bath lighting layout exercises. This two-hour workshop affords enough time to explore this important topic in more depth than a one-hour class. It’s time to come back to “school”!
Social Media: How to Grow and Humanize Your Brand with Video
Speakers: Shaun Ayala (Award Winning Digital Storyteller), Marketing Manager, Best Buy
In this session, Shaun Ayala (Award Winning Digital Storyteller) will share with you tips and actionable to-do’s to help you grow and humanize your Brand using video. You’ll learn how to gain confidence when recording, learn about tools you can utilize, and get a better idea of what content ideas to create that will build your brand, your business and ultimately gain leads for growth. When this session is over, you’ll be ready to create video, go LIVE and be remembered as the go-to person in your field.