Ronald Graves
Speaker at SOUTHEAST: Ronald Graves, President, Poiema Corporation
Speaker at SOUTHEAST: Ronald Graves, President, Poiema Corporation
SOUTHEAST Session: Every manufacturing leader wants better results—higher productivity, stronger margins, improved retention. But results don’t just happen. They are outcomes, driven by a chain of causes. If you want to change what your organization is producing, you must first understand—and influence—what’s producing it. In manufacturing, we obsess over KPIs, processes, and performance data. But what if the real leverage point lies deeper? Behind every action is a decision. Behind every decision is a belief. And behind every belief is a mindset. This session takes you beneath the surface of your organization’s performance to uncover the unseen drivers of success: the thinking patterns and belief systems shaping behavior on your shop floor, in your offices, and across your leadership team. Because here's the truth: your organization will never rise above the mindset of its people. If you’re ready to stop reacting to problems and start redesigning outcomes, this session is your roadmap. Learn how to shift beliefs, align behaviors, and build a culture that fuels measurable, sustainable transformation—starting with the end in mind.
Speaker at SOUTHEAST: Sarah DePeri, South Carolina APEX Manager, South Carolina APEX Accelerator
Speaker at SOUTHEAST: Jasmine Kennedy, Procurement Counselor, South Carolina APEX Accelerator
Speaker at SOUTHEAST: Rob Sims, Founder & CTO, Alchemi Data Management, Inc.
SOUTHEAST Session: Understand the essential steps for achieving CMMC compliance in this essential session. Colin Gilchrist will provide a comprehensive guide for organizations looking to bridge the gap between cybersecurity requirements and business growth, ensuring a strong compliance foundation.
Speaker at SOUTHEAST: Susan Carlock, Co-Owner & Executive Vice President, Mursix Corporation & Murray Mentor, Inc.
Speaker at SOUTHEAST: Robert Jacobs, Digital Growth Director, CliftonLarsonAllen
SOUTHEAST Session: "The Manufacturing Leader's Playbook for Surviving Tariffs, Taxes, and Tech Turm," explores strategies for mitigating the effects of taxes and tariffs on manufacturing businesses through the use of modern business software. It covers key financial and operational factors such as OBBA, tariffs, and technology, highlighting how these elements impact R&D credits, clean energy credits, bonus depreciation, and potential savings. The presentation also delves into the benefits of ERP software, emphasizing the need for high-quality data ingestion, cost accounting, supplier diversification, customer prioritization, and predictive analytics to enhance profitability and market share. Additionally, it provides an example of a modern ERP platform and discusses the integration of Acumatica Manufacturing ERP, which combines financials, planning, and scheduling to support diverse manufacturing strategies and deliver real-time insights.
SOUTHEAST Session: In today's highly competitive manufacturing landscape, operational efficiency is more critical than ever. Yet, excessive energy consumption and unplanned downtime remain major challenges, significantly impacting productivity and costs. Traditional maintenance strategies often fail to address the root causes of inefficiencies, leading to unnecessary energy waste and unexpected failures. This session explores Energy-Centered Maintenance (ECM)—a data-driven, AI-powered approach that goes beyond conventional reliability-centered maintenance by integrating energy efficiency as a key decision-making factor. By leveraging advanced IoT sensors, AI-driven analytics, and real-time machine health monitoring, manufacturers can proactively detect faults, minimize energy loss, and extend asset life. Through real-world case studies and industry insights, attendees will learn how ECM enables manufacturers to reduce operational expenses, prevent unplanned downtime, and achieve sustainability goals—all without compromising productivity. The session will also highlight how machine learning and AI-driven predictive analytics help manufacturers make smarter maintenance decisions, optimizing energy use while ensuring equipment reliability. Whether you're looking to cut energy costs, enhance machine uptime, or align with Industry 4.0 and sustainability initiatives, this session will provide practical takeaways to help you transform your maintenance strategy. Learning Objectives Understand the limitations of traditional maintenance strategies and how excessive energy waste and unexpected downtime impact manufacturing costs and efficiency. Explore the principles of Energy-Centered Maintenance (ECM) and how AI-driven predictive analytics can optimize machine performance, reduce energy waste, and prevent costly breakdowns.