Manufacturing Leadership Institute 2026
Event Start Date:
February 5, 2026
Event Start Time:
8:30 AM
Event Location:
Manufacturers Resource Center
A Program Designed For Current and Future Leaders
In 2006, Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC) worked in partnership with Lehigh University to establish a top-line certificate program to educate the region’s current and up-and-coming leaders in all aspects of Strategic Leadership. MRC has graduated over 300 participants through the Manufacturing Leadership Institute (MLI) program since that time. MLI is designed to develop and enhance the skills of our region’s leaders who will strengthen their company’s competitiveness, drive growth, and create sustainable business models into the future.
Your program investment includes professional instructors, materials, facility and meal expenses. The fee is $5,995, unless you register by December 8, 2025 for the early registration rate of $5,495 (a savings of $500). Some grants or scholarships may be available. Call soon to reserve your placement in the Manufacturing Leadership Institute: Call Janelle Rabenold, Director, Leadership Development and Training Strategy, at (484) 695-4981 or email her at janelle.rabenold@mrcpa.org.
Due to the personal and interactive nature of this specially designed leadership certificate program, enrollment is limited to a finite group of participants. Because the information and knowledge build over the sequential sessions, absences are expected to be at a minimum.
Price: $5,995 Early registration discount price $5,495 by December 8, 2025
• 10 days
• All sessions run 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
• Includes course materials, light breakfast,
lunch, snacks, and beverages
• Some grants or scholarships may be
available
• Contact Janelle Rabenold, Director, Leadership Development and Training Strategy for questions
8:30 AM to 4:00 PM each day
February 5: MLI Introductions (AM)
February 5: Thinking Like a Leader (PM)
February 12: Leveraging Human Capital (AM)
February 12: Creativity and Innovation, Part 1 (PM)
February 26: Strategic and Operational Decision Making
March 12: 21st Century Sales Strategies
March 26: Supply Chain Management
April 9: Taking Action (AM)
April 9: Creativity and Innovation, Part 2 (PM)
April 23: Organizational Leadership & Culture
May 7: Strategic Financial Management – Interplay
May 21: CI Culture Transformation
June 4: Company Growth & Planning | Presentations & Graduation
*Dates and Times Subject to change
Thinking Like a Leader | In the opening session, we will cover leadership attitudes and explore growth-oriented thinking, actions, and mindset. We’ll also assess the alignment between MLI’s direction and your company’s goals. Each company will briefly introduce its products and services.
Leveraging Human Capital | This session provides an understanding of the relationship of Human Capital to high morale, customer service and the bottom line. From recruitment of talent, through training and retention, learn how a business culture is created and nurtured.
Supply Chain Management | A high-level view of supply chain design and operations, and what is needed to ensure a culture of continuous improvement. Participants will learn to align competitive strategy with supply chain elements, identify key issues and decisions in supply chain management, understand the impact of supply chain factors on financial performance, and discuss current business trends from a supply chain perspective.
The Role of Leadership in a CI Culture Transformation | Develops you and your organization into high-performers that can deliver sustainable business results. Leadership is the most frequently identified gap in a CI Culture Transformation. This workshop will explore the role of leadership in a culture transformation, facilitate identification of gaps in the current state of you and your team, and then give practical methodologies and processes to address these gaps.
Strategic Financial Management | This course builds a broad understanding of critical factors that influence success or failure in an organization. Working in teams, participants develop strategy and resolve business challenges. The Interplay experiential learning process highlights which decisions and activities create business impact for short and long-term success.
Taking Action | Leaders, by definition, challenge the “status quo.” Explore the foundational function of leadership to translate ideas into action by gaining practical tools to confidently take action in driving company improvement. Emphasizing execution over theory, the session focuses on effective interpersonal communication, presenting ideas powerfully yet respectfully, and fostering constructive dialogue rather than confrontation. Participants will learn how to frame messages for impact, engage others in meaningful discussion, and energize teams to move from conversation to results.
21st Century Sales Strategies | Discover the latest marketing and sales strategies to acquire new customers and boost repeat business. Small and medium-sized businesses have access to numerous resources that enable them to compete with larger companies. However, navigating through the multitude of options can be challenging. Learn how to effectively differentiate your products and solutions in today’s hyper competitive and price-driven market. By developing a cohesive marketing and sales approach, you and your team can secure more business with higher profit margins and less effort.
Organizational Leadership & Culture | Leaders can rely on themselves for answers, or they can motivate and energize their workforce to high performance standards, thus leveraging the strengths and synergy of an entire team and carrying the organization far beyond one person’s individual talents. Values-based leadership is the means to create a high energy, committed workforce for greater results. This class combines practical and theoretical learning, focusing on specific behaviors that strengthen leadership effectiveness and foster a company culture that supports future growth.
Strategy and Operational Decision Making | This session delves into the intricacies of decision making. In the morning, we explore decision science and focus on strategic decision making, including competitive positioning, product and market priorities, and alignment with company or business unit strategy. The afternoon is devoted to building operational decision-making skills by using decision process tools to achieve more effective decision outcomes.
Creativity & Innovation | Based on Shawn Doyle’s bestselling book, this highly engaging and thought-provoking program equips leaders with tools and techniques to enhance creative thinking and ideation within their teams. Participants learn best practices for objectively evaluating creative ideas, as well as strategies for fostering a culture of innovation and productivity.
Company Growth Direction | The MLI program offers opportunities for participants to evaluate their organization and identify areas for improvement. Based on the materials covered, they will develop and present new initiatives for organizational growth. The program concludes with a peer-based presentation and feedback session that allows participants to assume a leadership role, and to articulate a new vision and an action plan to achieve their goals.
Lead by Renowned Industry Leaders
Paul Cherry, President of Performance Based Results, has 20 years of experience working with over 1,200 organizations from start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations. He is a recognized authority on how to ask the right questions to achieve great outcomes. Paul is the author of two best-selling books: Questions That Sell and Questions That Get Results
Michael Wallace is an internationally recognized authority on the leadership from the Board Room to the Shop Floor with 35 years of experience in aerospace process management specializing in knowledge-based engineering, lean manufacturing, sales, team building and information technology. Since retiring from The Boeing Company, Mr. Wallace is a well-respected Consultant with clients in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. He is a frequent lecturer and keynote presenter on process-based management, along with other related topics such as project management, supply chain management, lean manufacturing, leadership, sales, and system analysis.
Michael Hoseus, former Executive & Corporate Leader for Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, is the current Executive Director with the Center for Quality People and Organizations and works with Business, Education and Community Organizations to intentionally design and transform their cultures. Michael is co-author of “The Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way.” He is an adjunct professor with the University of Kentucky’s Center for Manufacturing and the University of Dayton’s Center for Competitive Change, and is a member of the faculty of Lean Enterprise Institute.
Richard Neulight, President of National Management Strategies, a business & management consulting firm, has worked extensively with small and medium-sized companies, as well as professional service providers. He is a respected specialist in the ‘turnaround’ or rescue of deeply troubled companies.
Shawn Doyle, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) is a professional speaker, author, Executive Coach and author of 22 books, several which have been Amazon #1 best sellers. Shawn has worked three decades in the world of personal and professional development and, before starting his own company, was Vice President of Learning and Development at Comcast and was co-founder of Comcast’s Corporate University. Some of Shawn’s clients include Microsoft, Pfizer, Comcast, Zippo, Lockheed Martin, NBC, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Guideposts, ABC, Disney, Kraft, Charter, The Ladders, IBM and the U.S. Marines.
Quinn Spitzer, Jr. is a partner with McHugh Consulting, a management consulting firm specializing in business strategy and complexity management. From 1990 – 1999, Quinn was a regularly scheduled business commentator for CNN. He has worked with the executive leadership of major corporations worldwide including BMW, Corning, Deutsche Bank, British Airways and Hewlett-Packard. His book Heads You Win, How the Best Companies Think received critical acclaim in both Fortune and the Economist and has been published in five foreign language editions. Prior to joining McHugh Consulting, he was Chairman and CEO of Kepner-Tregoe.
Irv Stern, Partner at Advantage Performance Group, has over 30 years of consulting and facilitation experience with clients across a broad range of industries. A seasoned business and financial literacy specialist, he helps organizations improve business results in the areas of strategy execution, sales and sales management, organizational change, and performance management. His global experience includes work in China, India, Australia, Singapore, Brazil, Argentina, and throughout Europe.
Questions?
Contact Janelle Rabenold at (484) 695-4981 or janelle.rabenold@mrcpa.org
Enter Registration Information:
Note: All registration fees must be received in advance of the date of your event. MRC must be notified two weeks in advance of this event if you need to cancel, otherwise we can only grant a credit to another MRC event. Remember, you can also send a substitute.