2026 Marketing & Sales Conference

Tuesday, October 27, 2026
DAY 1 – SALES INTELLIGENCE, MARKET DATA & INTERPRETATION
8 – 8:45 a.m.
REGISTRATION
8:45 – 9:15 a.m.
WELCOME & CONFERENCE OVERVIEW: CONNECTING MARKETING TO BUSINESS IMPACT

Missy Gruwell
Global Product Marketing and Communications Manager
Simpson Technologies

Focus:

  • Why foundries struggle with sales visibility and marketing planning
  • The role of data in improving sales outcomes
  • How this conference helps you build a practical marketing plan
9:15 – 11:15 a.m.
INDUSTRY TRENDS & MARKET SIGNALS ACROSS KEY SECTORS

TBA
Amsted Rail

Irene Henderson
Global Commodity Manager
Fairbanks Morse Defense 

Focus:

  • Current market trends across automotive, agriculture, aerospace, construction, heavy truck 
  • Understanding sales cycles by industry 
  • What triggers customers to evaluate new foundry suppliers 
11:15 – 11:30 a.m.
BREAK
11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
HOW FOUNDRY CUSTOMERS BUY TODAY

Robert Muller
Supplier Quality Manager
Komatsu

Focus:

  • Real buying behaviors and decision drivers 
    • Examples of buying triggers
  • Common early-stage customer questions 
    • Examples of sales cycle behaviors
  • How messaging gaps impact sales success
    • Website and forward-facing platforms up to scale?
    • Customer segmentation and how they purchase
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
NETWORKING LUNCH
1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
TURNING SALES INSIGHT INTO MARKET INTELLIGENCE

Jill Trider
Consultant

Focus:

  • Using sales activity as a source of market data
  • Capturing insights from key accounts and opportunities
  • Identifying patterns in customer questions and needs
     
2:30 – 3 p.m.
BREAK
3 – 4 p.m.
TOOLS FOR CAPTURING & ORGANIZING SALES AND MARKET DATA

Moderator: 

Alexandria Trusov
Marketing Principla & Owner
TruInsights Consulting LLC

Panel:

Andrew Halonen
President
Amatrium, Inc.

Denise Korbol
Director, Sales Operations
Waupaca

Jamie Bolton
Sr. Manager Business Development
Kohler

Focus:

  • Simple tools (CRM, spreadsheets, AI-assisted summaries)
  • How to track buying signals and customer interactions
  • Organizing data for visibility and repeat use
  • Understanding your lead generation pipeline
4 – 5:15 p.m.
INTERPRETING THE DATA AND MAKING A MARKETING PLAN

Sara Timm
Fractional Marketing Leader & Strategic Advisor
Timmco

Focus:

  • Identifying trends vs. noise
  • Connecting data to sales opportunities
  • Prioritizing markets, industries, and accounts
  • Translating insights into messaging and positioning 
Evening
NETWORKING RECEPTION
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
DAY 2 – BUILDING A PRACTICAL MARKETING PLAN
8:30 – 9 a.m.
COFFEE & NETWORKING
9 – 10 a.m.
MARKETING FUNDAMENTALS FOR FOUNDRIES

Towanda Long
Director of Marketing
Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company

Focus:

  • What marketing actually means in a foundry environment
  • Core elements: positioning, messaging, visibility 
  • What works vs. what doesn’t
     
10 – 10:30 a.m.
BREAK
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
HOW TO BUILD A MARKETING PLAN USING YOUR SALES DATA

Jeff Trattner
Consultant

Focus:

  • Aligning marketing activities to sales priorities
  • Selecting the right channels (email, website, sales tools)
  • Setting realistic goals for small or non-existent teams
  • Identifying target markets and customer triggers
  • Defining key messages and marketing priorities