The 10th Annual
Valley Made Manufacturing Summit
WEDNESDAY, October 29, 2025 | Fresno, CA
The Valley Made Manufacturing Summit is the largest gathering of manufacturers in the region, bringing together over 900 industry leaders, business executives, educators, and policymakers to drive the future of manufacturing in California and beyond. Now in its 10th year, this premier event serves as a catalyst for innovation, workforce development, and industry collaboration, ensuring that manufacturing remains a driving force for economic growth and global competitiveness.
2025 Theme
Forging the Future: Uniting Industry, Education, and Innovation for Manufacturing Excellence
This year’s theme underscores the critical role of manufacturing in securing America’s economic future, strengthening domestic supply chains, and developing a highly skilled workforce pipeline. Through engaging discussions, expert panels, and strategic networking opportunities, the Summit will showcase how industry, education, and policy must align to power the next era of manufacturing excellence.
What to Expect:
Join us as we forge the future of manufacturing together—empowering businesses, elevating the workforce, and driving industry excellence.
Registration & sponsorship opportunities opening soon! Don’t miss your chance to be part of this high-impact event. For more information contact the SJVMA team at connect@sjvma.org.
The “Valley Made” Manufacturing Summit returned for its 9th annual gathering, bringing together the brightest minds and leaders in the manufacturing industry. The 2024 theme – Empowering Excellence, Maximizing Potential – focused on harnessing the true power of human capital to drive innovation and growth for the Valley’s $19.3 billion manufacturing industry.
2024 Keynote Speaker: Matt Poepsel, PHD
The Godfather of Talent Optimization | Author | Speaker | Podcast Host | US Marine | Ironman | Philosopher
Matt Poepsel, PhD is the author of Expand the Circle: Enlightened Leadership for Our New World of Work and host of the Lead the People podcast. He serves as Vice President & Godfather of Talent Optimization at The Predictive Index. He holds a PhD in Psychology, an MBA and a Harvard Business School Certificate of Management Excellence. Matt has more than 25 years of leadership experience as a software executive and consultant. He’s also a US Marine, an Ironman triathlon finisher, and a student of Buddhist philosophy.
His keynote address – titled Optimal Output: Uniting Production, People, and Potential – tackled the fact that the biggest determinant of success lies beyond any manufacturer’s plant, machinery, technology and processes. Human capital is the leading source of competitive advantage. Unfortunately, people are complex, and manufacturers are struggling to hire, deploy and retain them. The needs and expectations of the workforce have evolved. Are you keeping pace? In this inspiring yet pragmatic keynote session, Dr. Matt Poepsel shared the most common reasons manufacturers fail to realize their full potential and the shifts in mindset and execution required to unlock higher levels of value creation. After this energizing talk, participants walked away with fresh ideas and tangible actions to immediately implement.
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