Mark your calendar for the 2024 NFBA Expo!

By Anna Lockhart.  

The latest MetalCast™ episode highlights the exciting speakers and exhibitors coming to this spring’s event!  

In an episode of the MetalCast™ podcast, host Karen Edwards sat down with notable members of the National Frame Building Association (NFBA) to discuss the upcoming 2024 Expo and what attendees can expect from the event! NFBA Executive Director Megan Pope, Assocation President Robyn Ommen of Sherwin-Williams along with NFBA executive board members, Mark Billstrom, president of Lester Building Systems, Joe Shimp, president of Conestoga Buildings and Josh Nowlin, business development manager of Burrow’s Supply, gathered together for this exciting episode detailing what’s in store for the new year.  

The 56th Annual NFBA Building Expo will take place in Des Moines, Iowa, at the Iowa Events Center from March 6-8, 2024. Attendees are invited to book reservations at the nearby Hilton Des Moines Downtown Hotel, where they are offering an NFBA group rate.  

The episode guests shared that this year’s event will be special, as they plan to showcase different initiatives and communities within the post-frame community. “One of the things that we'll be really focusing on at the current expo coming up in 2024 is women in post frame,” Robyn shared. She elaborated that for women attending the event, there will be unique networking and education opportunities. This initiative, created in an effort to expand the audience of the NFBA, is one that the association hopes to continue to expand in coming years.  

Another initiative the NFBA plans to enact in the upcoming year is tackling the workforce challenges that construction professionals are currently facing. Josh shared that, while many trade schools focus on carpentry and metal working, few teach about post-frame construction. This lack of educational opportunities made them consider how they can make a difference. 

“We made it our mission to develop a curriculum, and we partnered up with the University of Missouri to do so,” Josh explained. “And what we're planning is to get that [curriculum] into trade schools, to complement their current programs and just make post frame more recognized within the industry. And then twofold, also for our association members to be able to have access to a real, true curriculum to help train their employees.”  

Change happens one step at a time, and the work that the NFBA team are doing is exceptional. With each new initiative, both on the tradeshow floor and through educational resources, the NFBA is making strides to bring in new voices and interest to the post-frame industry.  

Read the transcription or Listen to the episode to learn more about the NFBA’s plans for 2024 and the upcoming expo!