Sixty years ago, reshaped global manufacturing with a new approach to quality and profitability. Lean changed the game—and created advantages that are still hard to beat.
Today’s mid-market manufacturers face a different wave of disruption: tariffs, margin pressure, labor constraints and accelerating automation. The old playbooks are no longer enough.
At the 2026 Manufacturing Leaders Summit, you’ll see a new and distinctly American model of operational excellence taking shape in St. Louis. Leaders from some of the most respected mid-market manufacturers in the country will come together to compare systems, challenge assumptions and build on each other’s breakthroughs.
The result: new ways to improve margins, strengthen operations and compete globally.
At the Summit, you won’t just hear from these leaders—you’ll go inside their operations. Walk the floors, see their systems in action and leave with frameworks you can deploy immediately:
No matter what you manufacture, you’ll leave practical ideas to strengthen your operation—and a clearer path to the next level.
Step inside operating systems that are winning in today’s environment. Each tour is a guided Gemba walk designed to surface practical ideas you can apply immediately.
Learn how to build an operating system where people are the strategic advantage and innovation does not require massive scale.
See how deep technical expertise, reinvestment and operational rigor combine to create sustainable competitive advantage.
Discover how humanistic leadership and operational discipline work together to elevate quality, ownership and long-term performance.
Learn how to strengthen culture without sacrificing operational excellence and how leadership systems become growth systems.
Experience firsthand how disciplined operating systems and visual management drive precision, consistency and performance in complex manufacturing environments.
Bob Chapman
Chairman and CEO, Barry-Wehmiller; Author of ESJ Bestseller "Everybody Matters" | 2024 SHRM CEO of the Year
Jim McKelvey
Co-founder of Block, formerly Square, Former Chair of the St. Louis Fed, and Professional Glass Artist
Chairman and CEO
Barry-Wehmiller
Co-founder of Block;
Former Chair of the St. Louis Fed
President
Tokai Carbon U.S.
CEO & Founder
Oransi
CEO
The Gund Company
Chairman & CEO
Cambridge Air Solutions
Bob Chapman
Chairman and CEO, Barry-Wehmiller; Author of ESJ Bestseller "Everybody Matters" | 2024 SHRM CEO of the Year
Jim McKelvey
Co-founder of Block, formerly Square, Former Chair of the St. Louis Fed, and Professional Glass Artist
No other manufacturing event takes you this far inside the operations of top-performing mid-market companies. Our exclusive plant tours give you the rare chance to walk the floor with fellow executives—observing frontline problem-solving, learning how teams respond to real constraints, and seeing firsthand how innovation, culture, and discipline come together to drive performance.
Whether it’s a cutting-edge R&D center or a family-run factory powered by continuous improvement, these behind-the-scenes visits reveal practical, replicable ideas you can bring home to your own team. It’s learning you can see, hear, touch—and immediately apply.
President
Tokai Carbon U.S.
Shares the inside story of his 20-month push to turn AI from buzzword to practical day-to-day advantage inside a mid-market industrial operation.
CEO & Founder
Oransi
Shares how Oransi successfully reshored motor manufacturing by rebuilding its supply chain, redesigning products to offset higher U.S. costs and scaling new technology without sacrificing margins.
CEO
The Gund Company
Shows how a 70-year-old industrial manufacturer revived performance and culture into a continuous-improvement engine by embedding humanistic leadership into every corner of the business.
Chairman & CEO
Cambridge Air Solutions
Shares how daily plant-floor huddles, 7,000+ employee-made improvement videos, and a dignity-driven culture helped transform a mid-market manufacturer into an award-winning powerhouse.
Gain exclusive insights from top mid-market manufacturing leaders and strategists.
Learn from peers facing the same challenges in AI, automation, supply chain, labor and growth.
Experience behind-the-scenes tours at high-performing mid-market manufacturing facilities.
Leave with proven ideas to strengthen your business right away.
Go behind the scenes at high-performing manufacturing facilities to see how leaders are applying automation, data, AI and operational excellence on the shop floor—not in theory, but in practice.
You’ll be in the room with manufacturing CEOs and senior executives from across North America—leaders navigating the same scale, complexity and pressure you are.
Every session is designed to help you run a stronger business in today's manufacturing environment. From AI that improves throughput and margin, to working capital and sourcing discipline, pricing strategy and operational execution, you’ll leave with practical ideas you can apply right away.
Tariffs, policy shifts and ongoing volatility are changing the rules faster than any companies can adapt. This is your chance to step back, see where the industry is headed and learn how leading manufacturers are preparing to stay competitive in 2026 and beyond.
Add-on event
If you’re considering a sale, acquisition, partnership, or recapitalization—or simply want to understand how value is being created in manufacturing today—start your experience with the Manufacturing M&A Dealmakers Forum.
This one-day program gives CEOs and CFOs a candid look at valuations, deal flow, financing trends and strategic growth options.
Topics include:
Add the M&A Dealmakers Forum to your Summit registration for a complete leadership and growth strategy experience.
This is a great way to get out of your comfort zone and share & hear unique business practices. Very thought provoking. So much experience in this organization.
Wonderful opportunity to network, build relationships, share ideas and offer advice. Speakers covered very diverse topics; discussing current trends, conflicts and skills to apply/adapt in business today.
Who Should Attend
Many leaders attend both for a complete strategy view.
registration options
Recommended
Manufacturing Leaders 2026 Event Bundle
$2,595
Rate through Apr. 3
RECOMMENDED
Manufacturing Leaders Summit
$2,295
Rate through Apr. 3
RECOMMENDED
Manufacturing M&A Dealmakers Forum
$895
Rate through Apr. 3
Attendees can take advantage of a room block for a discounted rate of $309/night through April 10, 2026 at the Ritz Carlton. Reserve your room online or call 1-800-960-7056 and mention the code CEG.
Stay in the Loop
We’re continuing to announce new speakers and sessions—let us know a bit about your role and we’ll make sure you’re among the first to get agenda updates, along with highlights most relevant to your business.
Lead Partner
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
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General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
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General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.