John Shegerian, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of ERI, the nation’s leading fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company, has been announced as the keynote speaker for next year’s “Valley Made” Manufacturing Summit in Fresno.
The Summit, produced by the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance (SJVMA) and the Fresno Business Council (FBC), expects more than 1,000 manufacturing industry attendees at the event, to be held on Tuesday, April 21 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Fresno Convention Center Exhibit Hall.
The sixth annual “Valley Made” Manufacturing Summit is designed as a workshop and resource expo that celebrates the San Joaquin Valley region’s history of innovation in manufacturing while providing resources and networking opportunities that continue to build a well-trained, outstanding workforce. At its core, the Summit promotes cross-sector collaboration aimed at creating a globally-competitive environment for the Valley’s manufacturing industry. After five years, the Summit has maintained continual growth yet the focus remains the same – to build a future where Valley manufacturing thrives through innovative collaboration, engagement, and creating a culture that cultivates workers that are higher skilled and better educated.
“The goal of the SJVMA is to provide manufacturers with the needed resources and workforce connections to upscale and train existing employees for today’s automated technologies, and to attract the next generation workforce to grow the industry and region for a brighter future,” said Troy Brandt, Chairman of the Board for the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance and General Manager at Hydratech. “We are proud to feature John Shegerian as our keynote speaker. His address will complement the Summit’s goals by providing attendees invaluable takeaways on how to attract and retain effective employees and clients through good times and bad.”
Shegerian’s talk, titled “C.A.R.E.: Culture Affects Retention & Earnings,” will include anecdotes and shared best practices based on Shegerian’s own experiences as a successful social entrepreneur and team builder. He will also share insights he learned while building ERI, an industry-leading organization headquartered in Fresno.
“I am honored and humbled to have been invited to address the attendees of the forthcoming ‘Valley Made’ Manufacturing Summit,” said Shegerian. “The Convention Center will be filled with the leading lights of the region’s manufacturing industry and many of my fellow local business leaders, so I’m excited to have the opportunity to share useful takeaways regarding positive culture team building and how to balance best employee retention practices and effective operations with growing a profitable enterprise.”
The SJVMA’s membership is made up of nearly 1,000 business leaders, partner groups and manufacturers from all sectors throughout the Valley. The San Joaquin Valley’s manufacturing industry is responsible for nearly $15 billion of the Valley’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs more than 105,000 people. Nationally, the manufacturing industry is responsible for $2.38 trillion in GDP. It is estimated that over the next decade, almost 3.5 million U.S. manufacturing jobs will need to be filled due to baby-boomer retirements.
Registration for the Valley Made Summit is open by visiting www.sjvma.org.
