Agenda

 Pre-conference Workshop I

Strengths Finders

Lorri Kelley, Lorri Kelley Advisors Inc.

Discover Your STRENGTHS!  Introduction to Clifton StrengthsFinder to Maximize Your Potential

Have you ever wondered why some roles make you incredibly happy and fulfilled while others leave you discouraged and wondering if there is more somewhere else? Introducing Clifton StrengthsFinder:  The culmination of the Gallup Organization’s 40+year study determined the common 34 talents every person has.  Most people think they know what they are good at, and they are usually wrong!  And yet, a person can only perform successfully from a position of Strength.  In a world that is relentlessly focused on fixing our weaknesses, Gallup’s research clearly proves that we all have several times more potential for growth when we invest our energy in developing our Strengths.

Prework required: all attendees will read the first 4 chapters of Clifton Strengths Finders and take the online assessment so we can do a deep dive into the results during this group session.

$50 additional fee

 Pre-conference Workshop II

The AI Playground: Come Play With the Future

Bree Cassidy, Howard Elliott

Nora Gomez, Next Generation Growth

Forget everything you think an AI session looks like. No slides about the future. No jargon. No pressure. This is a playground. You’ll get your hands on the tools and actually make things. A product story. A mood board. A room concept. The email you’ve been putting off all week. You’ll experiment, compare results with your table, and laugh at the strange stuff AI comes up with along the way. No experience needed. Bring your phone or laptop and your curiosity. You’ll leave with real skills, real confidence, and at least one creation you’ll want to show off at dinner.

Attendees should bring a laptop or tablet to use in the workshop.

$50 additional fee

Keynote: “The Leader Who Thinks Differently: Creativity as a Daily Practice for People, Performance, and Purpose”

Mary Messner

The best leaders in the room aren’t always the ones with the most experience or the loudest voice. They’re the ones who know how to think differently and who create space for others to do the same. In this keynote, Mary Messner reframes creativity as one of the most practical leadership skills available to every person in the room. Not an exercise. Not a workshop activity. A daily practice that shapes how leaders connect with their people, perform under pressure, and lead with a sense of purpose that others can feel. Mary challenges the default thinking patterns that keep teams stuck; the ones that feel safe and familiar but simultaneously limit what’s possible.

Through stories, honest moments, and interactive experiences woven throughout, she helps you recognize the thinking you’ve inherited and make room for something better. The result is a room full of leaders who leave with more than a fresh perspective. You will leave with shared language, a new way of seeing your own instincts, and the momentum to use it… in the next conversation, the next meeting, and long after the conference ends.

Mary Messner is a keynote speaker, TEDx presenter, author, and strategic advisor known for helping leaders and teams move from conformity to creativity. Through her practical and energizing approach, she equips organizations to take braver, more confident action in today’s fast-moving workplace.

With more than two decades of experience working with organizations, teams, and executives, Mary has built her career at the intersection of curiosity, courage, connection, and creativity. A former healthcare executive, she developed a reputation for breaking through barriers and championing people-centered innovation that actually works in the real world.

Today, Mary is the creator of the Help Me Think Through This™ method and The Highline Framework™— a set of powerful tools that helps leaders cut through noise, unlock clearer thinking, and move stalled conversations forward. Her work focuses on making creativity practical, accessible, and immediately usable inside modern organizations.

Mary brings both strategic depth and relatable energy to every keynote, combining real-world insight with interactive moments that leave audiences thinking differently long after the event ends. She believes the future belongs to leaders who are willing to take thoughtful risks and create space for more honest conversations.

Based in Kansas City, Mary balances life on the road with meaningful client work and family life — though not always in that order.

Mary Helen Rogers, ISPA, Moderator
Amy Finley, Finton Design
Julie Messner, Andmore
Heather Bolick, Manwah

Hear from four powerful women about their experiences in the home industries, and their advice for navigating plateaus, career moves, pitfalls, and pivots.

Clarence Smith, Havertys

Clarence Smith, CEO and Board Chairman of Havertys, has spent his entire career in the furniture industry. As the great-grandson of Havertys Furniture Companies’ founder, he’s uniquely qualified to speak on the benefits and challenges of working in a family business. Today, Clarence shares wisdom and lessons with us from a career spanning 50 years.

Breakout Session 1

The Overwhelm Effect: What Shoppers Are Really Feeling Before They Walk In Your Door

Nicole Bergen, Founder, Elevate Marketing Research

What if your biggest sales barrier isn’t your products or prices – but the buying experience? Based on new national consumer research, this session uncovers what shoppers are really feeling before they ever walk into your store and the moments that shape whether they buy or walk away. You’ll discover why discounting isn’t the motivator many retailers believe it is, how parts of the shopping experience may be creating unnecessary friction, and why Gen X women represent one of the industry’s biggest growth opportunities. Leave with practical, research-backed insights to improve the customer experience and make every marketing dollar work harder.

As Founder of Elevate Marketing Research, Nicole Bergen helps furniture retailers cut through the noise, understand what today’s shoppers actually want, and turn consumer data into real results. Having partnered with dozens of furniture retailers nationwide, she’s known for her consumer-first insights, creative storytelling, and of course her signature red glasses.

Breakout Session 2

The Future of Design – How EQ is Changing our Industry

Tracee Murphy, The Design Biz Therapy
Trade mark Interior Design & The Designer Launch

Tracee Murphy, known as The Design Biz Therapist, is a licensed interior designer and recognized thought leader on the psychology of design. With degrees in both psychology and interior design and more than 25 years leading a multi-million-dollar design firm, Trade Mark Interiors, Tracee bridges the emotional and strategic sides of the business – helping designers, brands, and manufacturers understand how psychology shapes client relationships, buying decisions, and creative fulfillment.

As founder of The Designer Launch, she delivers accredited continuing-education courses, keynotes, and workshops on design psychology, color theory, luxury client communication, conflict management, and other topics. Whether on stage or in the studio, Tracee’s message resonates across every aspect of the design industry: Design impacts emotion – and emotion drives every decision.

Breakout Session 3

Stop Pretending Everything Is Fine: Communicating Through Chaos, Disruption & Uncertainty

Stan Steinreich, President & CEO, Steinreich Communications Group, Inc.

Stan Steinreich began his own consultancy in 2003 after more than 20 years of experience creating and implementing global corporate communications programs for such leading companies as: Deutsche Bank, GE, KPMG, Accenture, Humana, Royal Dutch Shell and United Airlines.

Today, his firm represents more than 50 home furnishing brands, including: Bassett, Banner House, Coaster, Kingsdown, King Koil and Spring Air.

His experience includes strategic counseling and communications strategy development, media relations, senior executive positioning, change management communications, investor relations, crisis communications/issues management, community relations and corporate philanthropy.

Networking cocktail reception

Get Your Shine On at this year’s Conference networking event! Wear your best 70’s, disco-themed, or metallic outfit for a chance to win fun prizes at the costume contest.

T.R.A.c.t.i.o.n.: Methods for Business Mastery

Lorri Kelley, Lorri Kelley Advisors

Lorri Kelley is the CEO and Founder of Lorri Kelley Advisors, Inc, a strategic consulting firm dedicated to providing services and guidance to companies and individuals who are passionate and committed to achieving business excellence. Her company provides the foundation to equip, educate and empower professionals in all industries to achieve their goals and aspirations. She works diligently as a trusted business advisor and strategist for her clients, providing a comprehensive library of consulting and support services in the areas of sales education, executive leadership development, strategic planning, and many more.

Panel Discussion: The Other Glass Ceiling

Nora Gomez, Next Generation Growth – Moderator

Panel:

Laurie Tokarz, Restonic

Tori Evans, Luxxbox

Lucy Gomez, Pierce County YMCA

Jessica Norby, Interlude Home

When the threat comes from inside the house

We’ve spent years naming the glass ceiling above us. This panel names the one we rarely discuss: the internal dynamics — exclusion, informal networks, status protection, and unspoken politics that quietly derail talented women. Moderated by Nora Gomez and featuring leaders across four generations, this conversation gives women the clarity, language, and strategic awareness to recognize these patterns early and navigate them with confidence. Because it takes two kinds of intelligence to lead well: EQ to sense the shift, and strategic clarity to know what to do with it.

Braving Change: Resilient Through Disruption

Velera Wilson, founder of Positive Identity

Change is inevitable — how you navigate it is everything.

In this keynote, Velera helps audiences rethink change so they can face it with courage and a growth mindset. Through practical anecdotes, personal stories, and real-world insights, audiences will walk away with tools to navigate uncertainty, stay focused during the “messy middle,” and move forward with purpose.

Audiences will learn to :
● Spot and address the Four Uncertainties of Change™ that can stall progress and drain productivity
● Reframe and leverage change as a catalyst for courageous leadership and growth
● Apply a four-step resilience method to stay sharp and steady under pressure —without sacrificing wellbeing
● Create a future-focused view that fuels energy and drive even in uncertainty

Velera Wilson is a global speaker, author, and leadership development consultant that helps leaders and teams increase confidence, performance, and navigate change strategically.

Velera doesn’t speak theoretically – her expertise has been proven in the real world. With over twenty years of leadership expertise, she’s launched products, led high-performing global teams, and drove multi-million revenue for industry giants like AT&T and Fiserv.

It’s with this insight that she founded Positive Identity, a company that partners with organizations to develop confident, skilled, high performing talent through development programs and speaking engagements.

From her award-winning book, “You’re Absolutely Worth It”, TEDx talk, research, articles, to interviews with media outlets, Velera delivers transformative messages that help people break through limiting beliefs, embrace change, do “it” scared, and achieve incredible results.