By Shaunica Jayson, ABMA
Ratcheting up its next-generation focus even further, the American Boiler Manufacturers Association (ABMA) has scheduled its first Emerging Leaders Forum for April 8-9 in Columbus OH. It will mark the first event in the new Boiler Industry Leaders of Tomorrow (BILT) initiative, a new program designed specifically to nurture young professionals at ABMA member companies.
"We want to offer these up-and-comers a resource to enhance their knowledge and to expand their network," explains ABMA President & CEO Scott Lynch. In fact, the original idea for BILT stems from member feedback, where many firms expressed interest in doing more to develop their own young talent.
"They come to the boiler industry from various backgrounds, and all have a variety of roles within their companies," notes Jordan Croson, ABMA's new Education Coordinator who heads the committte planning the event. Made up of emerging leaders, themselves, the diverse planning committee includes Samantha Jarrell, of Valley Boiler; Ryan Poznanczyk, of Applied Heat Recovery; Alex Taylor, of WARE Inc.; and Clayton Viskup, of Victory Energy.
To fine-tune its program, ABMA met with several related industry groups to see how they have fostered their own respective pipelines of young leaders. "We said, 'tell us about your program, what works, what doesn't work,'" recalls Croson. Feedback was consistent – offer participants many diverse opportunities to engage and facilitate both networking and learning.
Based on that insightful input, ABMA will be incorporating peer-to-peer presentations, CEO Q&As, group networking and education sessions into its April program. Of note, renowned relationships expert Dr. Rick Marks will conduct a workshop on emotional intelligence in the business setting, incorporating interactive elements.
"It's really great to have someone at the apex of a prominent career come in to talk," says Croson. "It's really relatable and nice to have a peer explain some things that everyone is experiencing."
With the event taking place in Columbus, ABMA will also be partnering with locally based National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors (NBBI). "This location was specifically chosen so our attendees can visit NBBI. Attendees will see their boiler room, boiler testing facility and pressure relief lab," notes Croson.
The event will also focus on personal branding.
In that regard, Croson emphasizes the importance of teaching employees how to present themselves professionally while representing their companies effectively.
"In the beginning of the event, our networking is going to be a little bit more facilitated, where we will have some interactive activities," Croson said. "And then hopefully, towards the end, we've provided you with enough content to go up to someone you’ve engaged with before, remember something about them, or spark some type of connection or engagement."
Looking ahead, Croson emphasizes the program's long-term vision.
"Taking an active role in your future is really important," she adds. "We expect this program to spark engagement that leads to many more interactions with this cohort in the months and years to come."
For more details on BILT and the Emerging Leaders Forum, contact Croson at [email protected] or visit the ABMA website at www.abma.com.