NEPIRC Event to Address AI, Medical Marijuana, and Talent Retention

Will AI replace employees? How will medical marijuana impact the safety of a workforce? How do you attract and retain the most skilled and talented people at an organization?  These are just a few of the questions that area manufacturing leaders will find the answers to at the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center’s (NEPIRC) 2024 Manufacturing Day Best Practices Summit & Expo this year.

The event takes place on Friday, Oct. 4 at Mohegan Pennsylvania Convention Center, Wilkes-Barre Twp. from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  

“Manufacturing Day is an opportunity for all area manufacturers, businesses that provide services to manufacturers and individuals who want to learn more about northeastern Pennsylvania’s growing manufacturing sector to gather together under one roof at the region’s most impactful manufacturing networking event,” said Chelsey Coslett-Traver, NEPIRC’s manager of marketing & stakeholder engagement. “We look forward to this year’s event being the largest in its history, both with the number of exhibitors and the number of attendees. We are very excited about all that we have planned for this year’s Manufacturing Day!”

While this event is geared toward manufacturers and advocates of manufacturing, educators, students and curious community members are welcome to attend as there will be a great deal of valuable information shared. 

Registration, breakfast and networking take place from 7:30 to 8:50 a.m., followed by welcoming remarks Eric Joseph Esoda, NEPIRC president & CEO, and Chelsey Coslett Traver.  

Morning break-out sessions that take place from 9:30-10:15 a.m. include:

• “Refueling the Talent Pipeline: Sparking Careers in Manufacturing,” a
  panel discussion featuring ambassadors from NEPIRC’s Manufacturing Ambassador Dream Team
• “Effectively Using the Power of AI in Manufacturing,” with Mark Morgis, NEPIRC continuous improvement specialist
• “Medical Marijuana and the Workplace: Navigating Safety Concerns and Policies,” with Brian Matyjevich, NEPIRC OSHA-authorized outreach trainer; Marni Sherrill, SHRM-CP, senior human resources business partner, Volumetric Building Companies
• “Navigating Environmental and Energy Excellence: An Overview of ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 in Manufacturing,” with Ray Kryeski, NEPIRC manufacturing and industrial engineering specialist, and
• “Unlocking Leadership Potential with Emotional Intelligence Coaching,” with
  Leo Gilroy, NEPIRC director of leadership and organizational development.

After a break for networking, a panel discussion and breakout session will take place on:

• “Building High Performance Compensation Systems: How to Get Your Team Rowing in the Same Direction,” with Mike Pickreign, Tech 42, breakout session sponsor, and
• “Cybersecurity & CMMC Panel Discussion,” with moderator: Kara Smith, NEPA Alliance APEX Accelerator, panel discussion sponsor; and panelists: Marc Gonzalez, Site 2 and Zane Patalive, Real IT Care.

Lunch will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. and feature keynote speaker Chris Czarnik, author of Winning the War for Talent. He will share knowledge from his 20 years of experience learning what attracts people to organizations and why they leave. Czarnik is an author, coach, trainer, and subject matter expert on talent recruiting, engagement and retention in today’s environment. His career includes experience as a former military officer, human resource manager, career services manager and job search advisor.

After the lunch keynote, event attendees can continue connecting with other manufacturing professionals and visit the nearly 100 manufacturers and businesses that will have exhibit booths and product demonstrations

Afternoon speakers Katie Desiderio, Ph.D. and Michael Frino, Ph.D. will present “Becoming a Be Keeper” at 2:10 p.m. The Wall Street Journal bestselling co-authors will discuss resiliency, grit, and determination in the workplace among constant change.  Closing remarks Eric and Chelsey will follow.

Tickets start at only $50 and can be purchased at www.NEPIRCMFGDAY.com. Tickets provide access to two morning breakout sessions of ticket holder’s choosing, the exhibitor hall, keynote presentation, afternoon breakout session and all meals and refreshments.

NEPIRC would like to acknowledge top-level sponsors of this year’s event that include Gold Sponsor: Tech42, APEX Accelerator Sponsor: APEX Accelerator at NEPA Alliance,

Student/Faculty Sponsor: Lackawanna College Continuing Education, Welcome Reception Sponsor: Scranton Printing Co., and Silver Sponsors: Ashley Machine & Tool, Mitsubishi Chemical Group and SIMONA. 

For a complete list of sponsors and partners, visit www.NEPIRCMFGDAY.com.

For more information or to purchase tickets, email Chelsey Coslett-Traver, NEPIRC’s manager of marketing & stakeholder engagement, at Chelsey@NEPIRC.com or visit NEPIRC’s Manufacturing Day webpage at www.NEPIRCMFGDAY.com.