Nearly 200 members attend CMA's first-ever national conference

Cabinet Makers Association (CMA) held their first-ever national conference March 1-2 in Denver, Colorado. The conference commemorated the 20th anniversary of the association, and nearly 200 members participated in the event. Over 25% of them were new members of the CMA.

The conference included educational seminars, plant tours, and networking opportunities.  The most impactful part of the event, however, was what happened off the agenda. At 8:15 pm on Thursday, after a long and thought-provoking first day, approximately 50 of the attendees reconvened in the conference room following dinner for an impromptu discussion about bidding and pricing strategies. Then on Friday evening after the conference concluded, everyone who was staying the night in Denver was invited to a local beer garden to relax and recap the event. These kinds of opportunities are what the CMA is all about. One attendee commented, “It was great having conversations with others that are really in the same situation as us,” while an associate member (industry supplier) stated, “The conversations I had were very helpful. It helped me learn about the members of this association and their pain points.”

Although this event was the association’s first-ever conference on a national level, it will most certainly not be the last, given the feedback received from this event.  A new CMA member called the event “very inspiring.” Another attendee succinctly summarized the conference: “We learned and connected. It was fun, entertaining, and enriching.”

In addition to their national conference, the CMA also has “regional” events on their calendar including Pasadena on March 26 prior to the Cabinets & Closets Conference & Expo, Springfield, Missouri on June 22, and Atlanta on August 21 prior to IWF.  The regional events typically involve plant tours, networking, and simply a chance to talk shop and share issues, solutions and even projects.  Although they are dubbed "regional", these events typically draw attendees from across the country as well as Canada. You do not have to be a CMA member to participate in these CMA events. For more information and to register, please visit: www.cabinetmakers.org/events

For additional photos and to learn more about the CMA’s 20th Anniversary Conference, search for #CMA20 on social media channels.