More 2025 Industry Executive Conference speaker announcements!

The Non-Ferrous Founders' Society (NFFS) 2025 NFFS Industry Executive Conference (IEC) will be held from February 21-23, 2025, at the Westin New Orleans, located at 100 Iberville Street, New Orleans, LA 70130. This premier event is designed to bring together leaders and innovators from the non-ferrous foundry industry for three days of networking, education, and professional development.

The sessions listed below are just two of the many different speakers scheduled over the three-day conference. Don’t miss this opportunity to stay ahead of industry trends, expand your professional network, and contribute to the future success of our industry. We look forward to seeing you in New Orleans for an unforgettable conference experience! Registration opens soon! 

Manufacturing Money: Grants to Support Your Company's Growth

Presenter: Micki Vandeloo, Lakeview Consulting Inc.

You have likely never heard this session before, and you will not want to miss this presentation on how to find and leverage grants to improve your foundry operations! This session will inform participants of the why, what and how of manufacturing grants. Micki Vandeloo, President of Lakeview Consulting, Inc, the only manufacturing focused grant consultancy in the country, will discuss what manufacturing grants are, why manufacturers should pursue grant funding, and how manufacturers can access these grants. Micki will provide examples of companies who have received grants to fund their success and will highlight grant opportunities conference participants can pursue upon return to their offices to help support their growth. 

Micki is the President of Lakeview Consulting, Inc., a team of five experienced grant professionals who have collectively obtained over $150 million in grant funding for clients in the manufacturing and trade association communities.  The Lakeview team provides research, writing and consulting services to help their clients fund their success.  Micki has over 15 years’ experience performing grant consulting services for clients in the manufacturing community, including for-profit companies, manufacturers and trade associations.  Her engineering and business degrees, as well as over 25 years’ experience in manufacturing, provide a sound technical foundation for her grant writing services.  Micki published the book, “THE For-Profit Grant Writing Guide”, in 2014 and has been honored by the Grant Professionals Association and the St. Louis Small Business Journal for her work.  She is a sought after speaker on the subject of manufacturing grants, has been a mentor and coach, has contributed content for several manufacturing related publications, has been interviewed for various podcasts, and volunteers at local nonprofits and at her church.  

Sales ≠ Marketing

Presenter: Alexandria Trusov, Alpha Resources LLC

Marketing and Sales are not the same functions. The two business fields vary enough to require different knowledge and skill sets for success. Combining them is like combining Accounting and Customer Service – it doesn’t make sense. However, in manufacturing we sometimes must embrace the resources we have. If your sales leadership is currently heading up strategy for your company’s marketing, join this session presented by Alexandria Trusov, Global Marketing Director for Alpha Resources LLC, for insights and tips into ways to make your marketing strategy an investment that pays long-term dividends for your foundry.

Alexandria Trusov is a marketing expert with a deep understanding of the manufacturing industry. Currently she is the CMO of MITO® Material Solutions and the Global Marketing Director at Alpha Resources LLC as well as a B2B marketing consultant to manufacturers and other B2B companies. With over 100+ published articles in leading industry publications, she helps manufacturing SMBs develop marketing strategies that drive sales and recognition. Her prior industrial experience includes long term marketing roles at B&L Information Systems and Elkhart Brass Manufacturing Company Inc.