NWTFA’s Spring Expo Explores Opportunities for Innovation

This April marked the first Spring Expo presented by the Northwest Truss Fabricators Association (NWTFA), SBCA's chapter representing Washington, Oregon, and north-Idaho. NWTFA’s Spring Expo took place at the Anthology Event Venue in Richland, WA, on April 23, 2024. A happy hour preceded the event the night prior, giving the group the chance to connect with one another. The day of the expo was filled with good conversations and networking, a catered lunch, and back-to-back education sessions, exploring the opportunities for innovation by bringing industry leaders, experts, and innovators together to discover the latest trends and advancements in component manufacturing. The idea for this expo was born after BJ Louws attended a TMAT chapter event, inspiring the NWTFA to do one of their own. With over 70 people in attendance and four speakers, the learning and conversations were robust and abundant amongst the group.  

This event gave NWTFA the chance to produce timely and valuable content for a local and regional audience, allowing them to drive in and gain valuable education and experience. This event and its turnout show just how much hunger there is for knowledge at all levels of the workforce within our membership and the industry. “The NWTFA Spring Expo was a great opportunity to bring a wide range of people from our organization that do not usually have the opportunity to attend the larger association events,” says BJ Louws, President of Louws Truss, and Secretary of SBCA. “The speakers were top notch and provided a high level of value to our employees. I believe that we will be a better company for having attended.”  

The expo featured engineer, Mike Kozlowski, P.E., of Apex Technology; innovator, Jason Hikel of Shelter Systems; AI expert and futurist, Steve Brown of Intel Labs; and economist, Dr. Bill Conerly. The presentations covered the collaborative design process and how component manufacturers (CMs) can participate in that, and streamlining the design process from start to finish; the application of technological solutions to the truss industry to solve problems; how AI can affect and/or disrupt the industry with potential humanoid robotics being explored to use instead of robotic equipment, replacing human functionality versus machine functionality; and the connection between the economy and our businesses, providing insight on how to adapt to changing economic conditions.  

The presentations encouraged collaborative discussions amongst the groups of tables throughout the space, concluding the event with a Q&A session with a panel of the four speakers. “Together, the speakers brought a broad view of our industry in the future, the past, and the present,” says Chad Johnson, President of Truss Components of Washington, and President of NWTFA. “They shared ways we can make the best of it all. Our 70+ guests all left with something they could apply to their own businesses or careers. It was a very successful event!”. 

A big thank you and much appreciation to Chad Johnson, Marion Nielson, and Scott Hudson, who took on the challenge of producing this event and making it a ‘must-attend’ event for the region. It could not have happened without them. With such a successful event as this, it shows what is possible at the chapter and local level across the association, and provides opportunities for more chapters to embrace similar efforts. 

Interested in learning more about SBCA, its chapters, or the Northwest Truss Fabricators Association (NWTFA)? Visit https://www.sbcacomponents.com/locate-a-chapter or contact Talia Zanotelli at tzanotelli@sbcacomponents.com.