Speakers and Sessions

Transform Your Mindset, Transform Your Results

Your mindset is the most powerful predictor of success. While you may not always control your circumstances, you have control over your mindset—and the way you think determines the course of your life.

Extraordinary success isn’t just about talent or great ideas. It’s about cultivating a growth mindset—one that embraces challenges, learns from failure, and persists against all odds.

In this session Roger will share the strategies, tools, and methods needed to go from where you are to where you want to be—both personally and professionally.

Roger Crawford has been recognized by Sports Illustrated as "one of the most accomplished physically challenged athletes in the world." His exceptional accomplishments on the tennis court earned him the prestigious ITA Achievement Award, presented by the International Tennis Hall of Fame. After thriving as a Division 1 athlete, Roger transitioned from center court to center stage, becoming a globally renowned motivational speaker. His powerful message inspires organizations to eliminate excuses, achieve greater results, and overcome self-imposed barriers.

Fostering Success in Construction

This session will provide insight into the perspective of a Construction Manager / General Contractor as it relates to specifying, bidding, contracting, procuring, and installing sports flooring during construction projects.  The objective of the session is to provide information on what works and what doesn’t work when performing sports flooring scope within a larger education construction project.  Everyone strives for a successful project, and this discussion will help foster that achievable outcome.

Rob Crowe is a Vice President and Principle-in-Charge at The Christman Company. Rob has 21 years of experience in the construction industry and much of that time was spent in the K-12 Education market sector. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and served in the United States Army as an Engineer Officer for eight years. Rob is originally from and currently resides in Lansing, Michigan.

Understanding the Building Envelope: HVAC, Humidity, and Environmental Control

How do the HVAC and environmental control contribute to the success or failure of a floor installation? Warnings and best practices to set expectations with the building owners and GCs on monitoring, metrics, and the importance of the environmental conditions to the condition of their new floor. Covering the most important points to include in your contracts and what conditions to document along the way so each job is a success. Learn how to communicate complex technical environmental measures to everyone on a project, from bidding to post-installation, in a way that's both accurate and easy to understand.

Labor and Employment Law Issues of Importance to MFMA Members

This session will cover labor and employment law topics of particular significance to MFMA members, such as subcontracting issues, the distinction between independent contractors and employees and the consequences for misclassifying employees as independent contractors, and strategies for avoiding other labor and employment liability risks commonly faced by MFMA members.

Kevin counsels clients in a variety of industries on a wide range of labor and employment issues and defends them in various types of litigation. Kevin's practice covers the gamut of labor and employment counseling and litigation, and he is particularly experienced in traditional labor issues, such as union election campaigns, strikes and picketing, and the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements.

He handles labor arbitrations involving a variety of issues, and he regularly counsels companies in the construction, residential management, and other industries on labor-management relations issues, including discipline and discharge of union employees, and interpretation of collective bargaining agreements. 

Safety & Environmental: What you Don’t Know CAN Hurt You

State and federal laws and regulations are often vague and hard to understand. Safety and environmental regulations often lead the way in being confusing. Yet the consequences of failing to both understand and comply with such requirements can be devastating.

Environmental penalties can easily soar to 6- or even 7-figures. Safety violations can lead to penalties but, even worse, can result in injury or death to employees. Not to mention the potential for business interruptions and harm to your reputation as your clients, customers and suppliers learn of enforcement matters (often publicly available). This presentation will help you recognize, understand, and comply with OSHA and environmental requirements.

Greg Narsh is an attorney with Troutman Pepper Locke, a 1,700-lawyer firm with 33 offices in 18 states.  He has practiced OSHA and environmental law for nearly 34 years and has taught environmental law at the University of Detroit School of Law. 

Prior to beginning his practice, Greg was a chemical engineer and for 12 years held OSHA and environmental positions with Monsanto Company.  Greg holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, a Graduate Certificate in Hazardous Waste Management and a Law Degree, all from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.  In addition to safety and environmental law, his practice includes issues relating to transportation of hazardous materials (DOT, FAA, FRA) as well as mining safety (MSHA). 

Dr. Xinfeng Xie (pronounced “Shin-Phone Shey”) is an Associated Professor of Forest Biomaterials at the Michigan Technological University (MTU). He earned his doctoral degree in Forest Science from the University of Maine. His research focuses on unlocking the full potential of wood to create high-value products and innovative applications that support a more sustainable future. 

Dr. Xie’s work encompasses a diverse range of topics, including development of wood-based carbon for electric energy storage and electrically conductive composites, upcycling black liquor for flexible polyurethane foam, converting wood waste for building materials, repurposing low-value hardwood lumber for structural applications, and developing multi-species hardwood cross-laminated timber. 

Dr. Xie serves as Director of the Wood Protection Group at MTU, an ISO 17025 test lab specializing in the evaluation of the longevity and robustness of wood-based construction and building materials. He is a member of the American Wood Protection Association, and also serves on the ANSI/APA PRG 320 committee.