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The Manufacturing Excellence Summit brings together manufacturing leaders focused on operational performance, innovation, modernization, and long-term resilience.
Designed for executives and decision-makers across manufacturing, this event delivers practical strategies, peer insights, and meaningful conversations around the challenges shaping modern operations.
Why Manufacturing Leaders Are Attending
Manufacturers today face rising pressure to improve visibility, reduce operational risk, modernize systems, and drive growth in challenging and uncertain conditions.
The Manufacturing Excellence Summit brings together industry experts and manufacturing peers to discuss what is working right now across:
- ERP modernization
- AI and automation
- Workforce challenges
- Cybersecurity
- Compliance and tax strategy
- Operational resilience
You will leave with practical ideas, peer insights, and strategies you can apply immediately.
✔ Gain practical strategies you can implement immediately.
✔ Learn from manufacturing leaders tackling today's biggest challenges.
✔ Connect with peers facing similar operational, workforce, and technology decisions.
✔ Build relationships with industry experts and trusted partners.
✔ Continue the conversation during our Executive Networking Reception.
Who Should Attend
Designed for manufacturing decision-makers responsible for:
- Operations and plant performance
- ERP and IT strategy
- Finance and profitability
- Supply chain and production
- Workforce and compliance
- Continuous improvement and modernization initiatives
Ideal for Presidents and Owners, COOs and Operational Leaders, CFOs and Finance Teams, IT and ERP Leaders, Manufacturing Engineers, and Plant Managers.

Event
Pricing
General Registration
What's Included
- Continental Breakfast
- Keynote and Sessions
- Lunch and Refreshments
- Networking Reception
MEET THE EXPERTS YOU WILL CONNECT WITH
Meet the leaders shaping modern growth. From AI innovation to executive strategy, this lineup brings clear, practical insights you can apply immediately. Expect fresh perspectives, sharp analysis, and ideas designed to improve how you operate every day, well beyond the event itself.
Mayor Cyril Jefferson is a husband, father, and man of faith who believes leadership starts with service. An award-winning social innovator and change agent, he has helped create thousands of jobs and raised millions of dollars to expand opportunity—investing in entrepreneurship, tackling homelessness, and strengthening neighborhoods through public-private collaboration. He is currently a candidate for the United States Congress (NC-06), seeking to bring that same results-driven, people-centered leadership to the national stage.
Before entering public office, Cyril served as an educator and participated in policy and leadership programs focused on expanding educational and economic opportunity. He was first elected to High Point City Council by the residents of Ward One, and later ran a historic campaign to become the youngest Mayor elected in the city’s history. Under his leadership, violent crime hit record lows, housing investment surged, and High Point earned national recognition as an “All-America City” for fighting hunger and supporting small businesses.
Cyril previously served as Principal Consultant at Change Often, a social innovation firm built to solve social and economic challenges through collaborative strategy and capacity-building—always prioritizing lives improved over dollars made. He now serves as Industry Practice Director for Higher Education at Stratagon, helping colleges and universities strengthen recruitment, enrollment, and engagement through strategy, messaging, and digital transformation, while bringing a facilitative, values-driven operating approach into a larger platform to scale impact.
Through it all, Cyril keeps sight of what matters most: faith, family, and a future built on fairness and hard work. He and his wife, Raven, teach their two sons the wisdom of Winston Churchill: “To improve is to change. To perfect is to change often.”
Dynamic and results-driven sales executive with over 15 years of progressive leadership at Epicor, culminating in my current role as Regional Vice President of Sales. Proven track record of delivering double-digit revenue growth in net new SaaS business, while leading a high-performing team managing a customer portfolio with recurring revenue of $60M+, achieving consistent double-digit growth YoY.
Recognized for driving organizational transformation through scalable sales methodologies, cross-functional collaboration, and data-informed decision-making. Adept at aligning sales strategy with product innovation and go-to-market execution to accelerate growth. Known for leading through change, mentoring teams, and contributing to strategic initiatives, including pricing strategy, pipeline growth, and M&A integration readiness.
Featured Agenda
Summit sessions are designed for how modern manufacturers operate: focused, hands-on, practical, and ready to use. Hear directly from experts on what is working now in strategy, AI, and automation. You will leave with clear ideas and proven approaches you can put into practice immediately.
The Encompass Solutions Charity Golf Classic
Tuesday, Sep 1
Agenda
Wednesday, Sep 2
12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
The Encompass Solutions Charity Golf Classic
Benefiting Hands for Hearts (capped at 80 players)
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
Registration, Executive Breakfast, and Exhibitors
8:30 AM - 9:30 PM
Welcome Remarks and Keynote
Mayor Cyril Jefferson -- Who Will Build What's Next: People, Innovation, and the Future of Manufacturing-- Manufacturers are adopting automation, data, and connected systems faster than they are building the workforce those systems require. That gap raises a competitiveness question no technology purchase answers on its own: who will operate, interpret, and improve what we install? Cyril Jefferson, Mayor of High Point, opens in the city known as the Furniture Capital of the World —where manufacturing legacy and reinvention sit side by side — and widens the frame to every sector in the room: automotive, industrial automation, textiles, metals, logistics, and supply chain. Drawing on his experience as an educator, a mayor, and a leader working across economic development and higher education, he makes the case that workforce development belongs in operations and growth conversations, not only in HR. He examines why so many young people never picture themselves in a modern manufacturing career, and what changes when employers, schools, community colleges, workforce organizations, and local government work from the same playbook.
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Modern ERP Strategy for Manufacturers
Rob Cummings, Consultant Manager, Encompass Solutions--- Many small and midsize manufacturers have built successful businesses using processes and systems that served them well for years. But today's market demands greater visibility, faster decision-making, and the ability to adapt quickly to change. This session explores the evolution of manufacturing technology across the industrial revolutions, helping attendees identify where they are on the maturity curve and where opportunities exist for improvement. Whether you're still managing key processes with spreadsheets or looking to accelerate your digital transformation journey, you'll leave with a better understanding of how modern ERP can help support growth, efficiency, and competitiveness in an increasingly connected world.
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
CMMC in Manufacturing
Ian Collins, Principal Consultant, Sigil Defense--- Cyberattacks against defense manufacturers are as persistent as ever, and adversaries continue to target the supply chain as a way in. CMMC exists as the Department of War's answer to this reality, translating that risk into a structured compliance framework for the Defense Industrial Base. We will unpack what that framework demands, the challenges manufacturers face in meeting it, and why a security-first approach is the only way to satisfy it and stay protected for the long haul, including clear guidance on what to budget for and how to plan your path to compliance.
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Practical AI Applications in Manufacturing
Josh Roberts, VP of Sales, Epicor --- Every manufacturer has been told AI will transform their business, but most are still fighting the same problems they had five years ago: schedules that fall apart by Tuesday, quality escapes discovered after the truck leaves, and decades of tribal knowledge retiring out the door. • This session discusses where AI is producing real results on the shop floor today, in delivery-date prediction, demand planning, and anomaly detection across quality and maintenance data, and what has to be true about your data before any of it works. • Attendees will leave with a practical test for deciding which of their own problems are actually AI-shaped, and a short list of questions that will expose whether a vendor's AI claim is real functionality or a marketing label.
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Tax Compliance at Scale: How Manufacturers Stay Audit-Ready
Melissa Mullett, Sr. Strategic Partner Manager, Avalara
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Executive Lunch and Exhibitors
Sponsored by:
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
Are You Aligned with How Your Customers Want to Buy?
Paul Bilodeau, VP of Sales and Marketing, MSH Management --- Rethinking how your organization responds to different customer needs, circumstances, and priorities. Manufacturers often assume what customers value, how ready they are to buy, and what kind of assistance they need. Drawing on Demand-Side Selling and the Jobs-to-Be-Done framework, this session will explore how a customer’s circumstances should shape the organization's response. Attendees will leave with practical questions for identifying the progress customers are trying to make and evaluating whether their teams and processes provide the speed, simplicity, expertise, and confidence customers need to move forward.
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM
Manufacturing Executive Outlooks Panel
Panelists: Tim Turner, Owner & Founder, TCG Consulting; Taylor Andrews, Director of Operations, SonicAire; Mike Smith, VP of Sales, Epicor; and Anny Liao, Certified Professional Coach, Create Transformation Coaching. ---- Manufacturing leaders face constant pressure to improve operations, embrace new technologies, and navigate an ever-changing business landscape. Join our panel of industry executives as they share real-world experiences, lessons learned, and practical strategies for leading through today's manufacturing challenges. This interactive discussion offers valuable insights you can apply within your own organization.
1:45 PM - 2:15 PM
Making Information Flow a Competitive Advantage
Dan Salo, Consultant, Encompass Solutions--- Manufacturers do not create value by exchanging EDI documents. They create value by purchasing materials, producing quality products, shipping accurately, serving customers, and collecting cash efficiently. But when information moves too slowly, arrives inaccurately, or requires repeated manual intervention, it can become a hidden constraint on all of those activities.In this session, we will explore how Electronic Data Interchange can help manufacturers remove information flow as a bottleneck across the enterprise. Through practical examples and real-world perspective, attendees will see how EDI can reduce manual effort, improve accuracy and visibility, strengthen trading-partner relationships, and help information move at the pace of the product. Whether your organization is beginning its EDI journey or looking to improve an existing integration landscape, this session will provide a business-focused view of how connected systems can support more reliable execution and increase operational performance.
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
Employment Law Risks Manufacturers Can't Ignore
Karen McKeithan Schaede, Partner, Revolution Law
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
Automation in America: What’s Growing, What’s Changing, What’s Next
Aaron Prather, Director of Market Intelligence, A3 -- Drawing on the latest A3 market data and industry intelligence, we will examine the changing U.S. automation landscape. From robotics and machine vision to AI and emerging technologies, this session explores where investment is growing, how adoption is expanding beyond automotive, and what manufacturers should watch as automation enters its next phase.
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Executive Networking Reception
Connect with manufacturing leaders, speakers, and sponsors in a relaxed networking environment immediately following the summit.
Premier Sponsors
Exhibiting Sponsors
Supporting Sponsors
Recommended Accommodations
Stay at one of our recommended hotel accommodations in Greensboro, NC.
Greensboro-High Point Marriott Airport
Located in the center of it all, our hotel is moments from Greensboro airport and 10 minutes from downtown Greensboro, Greensboro Coliseum, UNCG, and High Point University.
Hotel Denim
Conveniently located in the heart of Midtown Greensboro at 1517 Westover Terrace, Hotel Denim offers a unique lifestyle experience while visiting the Piedmont-Triad region.
*Receive our corporate rate- when calling mention you are with Encompass Solutions
Proximity Hotel
Experience sustainable luxury at the employee-owned Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina, featuring custom furnishings, commissioned art, and innovative design in our AAA Four Diamond setting.Event FAQ
This is your go-to place for answers. If you have any additional questions, you can send an email to alimbers@encompass-inc.com.
This event is designed for manufacturing decision-makers, including executives, operations managers, engineers, and professionals looking to improve efficiency, implement automation, and manage risk in their businesses.
Yes, the cost to attend is $199 per person, and early bird pricing of $99 ends on July 31st!
Yes! We encourage teams to attend together. Each attendee must complete their own registration to ensure they receive event updates.
If you are unable to attend, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing alimbers@encompass-inc.com so we can offer your spot to another attendee.
We have an incredible lineup of industry experts and thought leaders.
Yes! Breakfast and lunch are included in the ticket cost. Please indicate any dietary restrictions when registering.
Yes, free parking and additional parking information will be provided closer to the event.
Absolutely! We encourage you to share this event with others in your network who would benefit.
Feedback
See what past attendees had to say about the Manufacturing Excellence Summit.
"Quality information from various experts"
"Hearing from the 3-person panel on the challenges they face"
"What was enjoyable was the various speakers"
"The information was useful and timely"
"The diversity of the attendees"
"The panel session in the morning; feedback from 3 different folks. The employee session, Employment Laws, and Tax sessions. Also, the giveaways and the food!"
"I found all the sessions had value I was most interested in the ones related to ERP, Tax software, and Purchasing"
