President's Message: Return Home Better Than You Arrived

August 13, 2026

in Framing Today,

View this article in the digital edition of Framing Today Magazine.

How to Get the Most Out of Attending the Framers Summit & BCMC

EVERY FALL, framers from across the country gather for the Framers Summit at BCMC with different goals. Some are looking for solutions to labor shortages, others want to improve safety or strengthen relationships with suppliers, and many simply want to spend time with people who understand the challenges of running a framing business.

Those are all worthwhile reasons to attend, but after spending the last eight years attending BCMC and the Framers Summit, I've come to believe the greatest value isn't found in the agenda itself. The conference isn't the only thing that improves your company. The conversations you have, the relationships you build, and the ideas you bring home do.

Over time I've realized that the ideas that have had the greatest impact on our company usually started with a conversation over dinner, in a hallway, or while asking one more question in an exhibitor's booth. Those informal discussions have challenged the way I think about leadership, scheduling, customer communication, production, and dozens of other small improvements that, taken together, have made our company better year after year.

The Framers Summit is within the annual BCMC show, so framers have the opportunity to participate there, as well, which allows us to see behind the curtain and learn how some of the best component manufacturers in the country operate. We get a firsthand look at how they approach their biggest challenges, while they gain a better appreciation for the realities we face every day on the jobsite. Those conversations strengthen both sides of the industry.

The people you meet at the Framers Summit often become the people you call months later when you're facing a difficult decision or trying to solve a problem you've never encountered before. Those relationships become trusted resources, sounding boards, and long-term partnerships. That's where the real return on investment comes from.

I've also learned it's important to be intentional with your time. Attend the sessions that address the challenges your business is facing today, but don't spend every minute in a classroom or rushing from booth to booth. Make time to ask questions, listen to how other companies think, and spend time with people whose businesses you admire.

Our team has developed a valuable routine: we travel together, divide up sessions so we can cover more ground, and usually spend an evening with vendors. Then, before we board our flight home, we gather at the airport and compare notes.

We ask simple questions. What stood out? What surprised you? What ideas kept coming up? What are other companies doing that we could learn from?

Rarely do we come home talking about some revolutionary new strategy. More often it's a better way to handle RFIs, improve scheduling, communicate with customers, or lead our crews. Collectively, those small ideas have helped us make steady improvements that continue to pay dividends long after the conference ends.

We've also learned not to make commitments while caught up in the excitement of the event. Everything sounds like a great idea when you're surrounded by successful people. Rather, we collect all the ideas and give ourselves a week at home before deciding which ones make sense for our company.

Same with equipment purchases. BCMC is one of the best places you'll ever find to compare equipment, software, and technology, but it's also easy to get caught up in the excitement of the show floor. Gather information, ask questions, and talk to people who are already using the products you're considering. Then go home and make the decision with a clear head.

As you prepare for this year's Framer Summit at BCMC don't measure your experience by how many education sessions you attended or how many booths you visited. Measure it six months later. What relationship did you build? What process did you improve? What idea did you implement?

The Framers Summit is a catalyst, not the solution. The companies that get the greatest value aren't necessarily the ones that attend the most sessions. They're the ones that return home determined to put what they learned into practice and become better because of it.