The agenda
Wednesday, October 13 and Thursday, October 14, 8 AM to 5:30 PM Central. Four rooms: the main stage and one room per track. Pick your sessions and take them to your calendar.
Wed 9:00 to 9:50
Main stage · Hall A
The operating cadence that got us through 3x growth
Dana Okafor, COO, Fieldwork Freight
The weekly, monthly and quarterly rhythm a 240-person company runs on, and the three meetings it cut.
Wed 10:15 to 11:00
Systems · River Room
Writing SOPs people actually open
Tom Haugen, Director of Operations, Kettle River Outfitters
Short, searchable procedures with an owner and a review date. Bring one of yours to rewrite.
Finance · Gold Room
A 13-week cash forecast you'll keep updating
Erik Johansson, Controller, Granite Peak Builders
The model, the weekly 20-minute update and the two inputs that move it most.
People · Arch Room
Hiring your first ten managers
Michelle Grant, Head of People, Alder Street Coffee
Promote or hire in, what to test in interviews, and the first 30 days for a new manager.
Wed 11:20 to 12:05
Systems · River Room
Your first automation audit, in one afternoon
Aisha Bello, Head of Business Systems, Ridgeway Payroll
List every manual handoff, score it on hours and errors, and pick the first three to automate.
Finance · Gold Room
Raising prices without losing your best customers
Nadia Haddad, VP Finance, Brightwater Analytics
How to segment, how much notice to give, and the email that went out to 1,400 accounts.
People · Arch Room
Onboarding that works by week two
Chris Yoon, People Operations Manager, Pinecrest Clinics
A two-week plan with a buddy, a checklist the manager owns and a day-10 check-in.
Wed 13:30 to 14:15
Systems · River Room
Choosing a project tool without a six-month migration
Jonah Weiss, Operations Manager, Harbor Seed Co.
Requirements on one page, a two-week pilot with one team, and when to stop evaluating.
Finance · Gold Room
Month-end close in five days
Kevin O'Brien, Accounting Manager, Hollis Manufacturing
The close calendar, the reconciliations that can move earlier and the ones that can't.
People · Arch Room
Pay bands for a company of 80
Fatima Noor, Total Rewards Lead, Harrow and Finch Legal
Where the market data comes from, how wide to make a band and how to explain it to the team.
Wed 14:35 to 15:20
Systems · River Room
Workshop: map one process end to end
Mei Tanaka, Process Lead, Tamarack Health Partners
Hands-on, 24 seats. Bring a process that annoys you and leave with it drawn and timed.
Finance · Gold Room
Unit economics for service businesses
Simone Clarke, CFO, Fernhill Veterinary Group
Contribution margin by service line, and what it said about which clinics to open next.
People · Arch Room
One-on-ones managers don't dread
Daniel Ruiz, VP People, Lumen Dental Labs
A 30-minute agenda, the questions that surface problems early and how to keep notes.
Wed 15:40 to 16:25
Systems · River Room
The weekly ops review in 30 minutes
Luis Ortega, VP Operations, Prairie Glass Works
Eight numbers, one owner each, and the rule that ends the meeting on time.
Finance · Gold Room
Budgeting with department heads, not at them
Raj Patel, FP&A Director, Ironwood Logistics
A budget calendar, a one-page request template and how to say no with numbers.
People · Arch Room
Remote, hybrid or office: the operations view
Ingrid Halvorsen, COO, Stillwater Design Co.
Costs, collaboration and hiring reach, compared across three of the speaker's own offices.
Wed 16:45 to 17:30
Main stage · Hall A
What I'd automate first, and what I never would
Priya Raman, VP Operations, Copperline Software
Ten years of automating a support and billing operation, and the four things that stayed human.
Thu 9:00 to 9:50
Main stage · Hall A
Forecasting when the plan is wrong by March
Marcus Lindqvist, CFO, Bluestem Foods
Rolling forecasts, a reforecast trigger and how to tell the board early without alarming them.
Thu 10:15 to 11:00
Systems · River Room
Handoffs: where work goes to wait
Hannah Kowalski, COO, Northfield Home Care
Finding the queues between teams, and the two changes that cut intake time from 9 days to 3.
Finance · Gold Room
Board reporting on one page
Laura Becker, CFO, Cedar and Stone Architects
The one-page pack: five numbers, three risks, one ask. Templates for Sheets and Excel.
People · Arch Room
Performance reviews in half the time
Keisha Brown, Director of People, Juniper Grove Senior Living
Two questions, a calibration hour and reviews written from notes kept all year.
Thu 11:20 to 12:05
Systems · River Room
A data stack for a 60-person company
Sam Adeyemi, Ops Analytics Lead, Lakeshore Supply
What to buy, what to skip and the three reports that paid for the whole thing.
Finance · Gold Room
Spend controls that don't slow anyone down
Omar Siddiqui, Finance Operations Lead, Bayfield Insurance Agency
Card limits, approval thresholds and a weekly spend email the team actually reads.
People · Arch Room
Retention: the 90-day check-in
Tyler Morgan, People Partner, Basswood Logistics
Why most people decide to leave in the first quarter, and the 15-minute conversation that helps.
Thu 13:30 to 14:15
Systems · River Room
Vendor contracts: the clauses that cost you later
Grace Lindgren, Director of Procurement, Oakridge Clinics
Auto-renewals, price escalators and exit terms, with a checklist for the next renewal.
Finance · Gold Room
Scenario planning for a bad quarter
Julia Moreno, VP Finance, Kestrel Software
Three scenarios, the cuts decided in advance and the trigger that sets each one off.
People · Arch Room
Handbook and policy basics for growing teams
Rosa Delgado, HR Director, Clearwater Pediatrics
The ten policies worth writing down first, in plain language. Not legal advice.
Thu 14:35 to 15:20
Systems · River Room
Running the business from one dashboard
Ben Nakamura, Head of Operations, Riverbend Labs
One page every leader opens on Monday, and what was taken off it to get there.
Finance · Gold Room
Collections without awkward calls
Derek Lund, Controller, Lakeview Property Group
Reminder timing, payment links and when a call is still the right move.
People · Arch Room
Training managers without a training budget
Ahmed Farouk, Head of Learning, Twin Ports Supply
Peer circles, a monthly case and the manager handbook built from them.
Thu 15:40 to 16:25
Systems · River Room
When to hire your first ops engineer
Carla Mendes, VP Business Operations, Wildflower Learning
The signals that it's time, the job description and the first 90 days of work.
Finance · Gold Room
Reading the P&L, for the ops lead
Anna Sorensen, Fractional CFO, Sorensen Advisory
The lines operations controls, and how to bring finance a change they'll fund.
People · Arch Room
Workforce planning for next year
Sophie Nguyen, Chief of Staff, Quarry Hill Software
Headcount by quarter, tied to the plan, with a hiring order everyone signed.
Thu 16:45 to 17:30
Main stage · Hall A
Managers are the system
Renee Castillo, Chief People Officer, Larkspur Dental Group
How 60 clinic managers became the operating system of a 900-person company.
After hours
Wednesday, 8:00 AM
First-timers' breakfast
Level 2 lounge. Ten tables of eight, each hosted by a returning attendee. Open to all passes.
Wednesday, 5:30 PM
The riverfront walk
A 40-minute walk across the Stone Arch Bridge and back, then drinks on the Hall A terrace.
Wednesday, 7:00 PM
Speaker dinner
VIP passes. Long tables, seats mixed so each has two speakers, three courses, vegetarian by default.
Thursday, 12:05 PM
Roundtable lunch
Twelve-seat tables on set topics, hosted by sponsors and speakers. Pick one in the app.
