The 2026 MLC Annual Conference has officially wrapped, and while our feet are still finding their land legs, our hearts are full. Before we fully return to regular programming, we wanted to take a moment to do what this community does best: pause, reflect, and give credit where it's so deeply due.
This conference doesn't happen because of one person, or even one team. It happens because dozens of people, board members, sponsors, speakers, volunteers, and every single attendee who walked through the doors of the Muskegon Convention Center, decided to invest their time in something bigger than themselves. So here's our thank you, and our attempt to tell the story of what made this year's conference special.
The Board That Steered the Ship
None of this happens without the MLC Board of Directors, who spend all year charting the course long before an attendee ever checks in. Thank you to:
- Pamela Burgess (Chair)
- Melissa Sherman (Vice Chair/Events)
- Chenoa Reyes (Secretary)
- Dr. Patricia Malone (Treasurer)
- Dr. Debra Levantrosser (Higher Education Programs)
- Josh Smith (Training)
- Kim Ziegler (Membership)
For the vision and the countless behind-the-scenes decisions that shaped this event.
And to the 2026 Annual Conference Committee:
- Pamela Burgess
- Jennie Kahn-Jacques
- Dave Kippen
- Debra Levantrosser
- Chenoa Reyes
- Maggie Rothney
- Heidi Sheffield
- Melissa Sherman
- Josh Smith
- Lauren Ward
- Kim Ziegler
Thank you for the months of planning, logistics, and problem-solving that made four days look effortless. It never is, and we know exactly how much work went into making it look that way.
The Sponsors Who Powered the Journey
Every breakout room, every connection break, every printed program book in an attendee's hands was made possible by our sponsors. Thank you to our Gold sponsors, Brittany Parks Process Consulting, ECPL, and Lean Solutions, for anchoring this conference at the highest level.
To our Silver sponsors, FastSigns and Sebright Products Inc., and our Bronze sponsors, Bareither Group Consulting and the Michigan DNR, your partnership powered this year's journey in every sense of the phrase.
A special thank you also goes to Michigan DNR for hosting two of our three Gemba Walk locations at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park and Muskegon State Park, and to Lean Solutions and Pigeon Hill Brewing Company for opening their doors for our additional Gembas.
A Week of Learning, Led by People Who Showed Up Fully
Our masters of ceremony, Dr. Debra Levantrosser (Captain) and Patrick Adams (First Mate), kept us on course from Welcome Aboard to Closing Remarks with warmth and energy that set the tone for everything that followed.
Wednesday morning, Andy Worshek opened the conference with a keynote on Intent-Based Leadership that landed exactly the way great keynotes should. His message was simple but powerful: great leaders don't give orders, they listen.
Thursday, Elisabeth Swan brought us The Praise Paradox™, reframing recognition as an operational signal rather than a soft skill: a value stream in its own right. One stat from her session stuck with everyone in the room: recognized employees are 78% more productive. It's the kind of number that makes you rethink your own daily habits as a leader.
Between the keynotes, our breakout speakers gave attendees a full toolkit to bring home: from the the structure and psychology of Lean culture to leading Lean work through trust. Chad Bareither, hosted The Navigator's Table, gathering Andy, Elisabeth, Brittany, and Lisa for a panel discussion that let attendees go even deeper with the speakers who'd shaped their week.
To Every Attendee Who Showed Up
Last but never least, THANK YOU to every single attendee who took time out of your week to join us in Muskegon. You're the reason this conference exists at all. You asked the questions, filled the breakout rooms, showed up for Gemba Walks on a Friday morning, and reminded all of us why this community is worth building. Whether this was your first MLC conference or your tenth, you made it what it was.
We'll see you March 19 for the Grand Rapids Lean Summit, and we're already looking ahead to next year's Annual Conference, returning to Traverse City August 3–6, 2027.
Until then, thank you for navigating Lean with us, anchored in connection, every step of the way.
