The Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) presented by the Structural Building Components Association (SBCA) was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the Baird Center, October 7-11, 2024. BCMC is the trusted venue for structural building component manufacturers and framers to learn about the latest trends, cutting-edge technologies, and ideas that are transforming their industries. This annual trade show and conference includes a dynamic exhibit floor with live machinery demonstrations, education sessions, and networking opportunities. BCMC 2024, with over 65,000 square feet of exhibitor show floor space, 120+ exhibitors, and over 1,800 attendees, was a major success. The exhibit hall provided a bright and open atmosphere for attendees and exhibitors alike, creating a fantastic space for networking, learning, and engaging with those in the industry.
To officially kick off the event, The People’s Shark, Daymond John, provided an inspiring keynote address where he shared his life story with over 700 attendees. Shortly after this energizing presentation, the attendees rushed to the show floor entrance for the ribbon cutting ceremony and the opening of the exhibit hall. Attendees bustled about as they wandered around the hall, speaking with exhibitors about their products, services, equipment, technology, and advancements of the industry. Impactful and meaningful conversations filled the hall – the excitement was palpable.
The show floor featured 127 unique exhibitors, which included suppliers, machinery, equipment, tools, technology and software, and more. BCMC is a rare opportunity to see all the innovation occurring in the industry in one place, giving attendees countless ideas from peers, suppliers, and industry experts. Of the 1,857 attendees, 1,068 of them were component manufacturers, framers, or other (builder/architect, etc.). Of those 1,068, more than half were key decision-makers, making BCMC a place to not only see what is out in the industry but to network and get business done.
Beyond the show floor, there were many activities available, ranging from a golf tournament, a 5K run/walk, a bike ride, and a welcome social event to a Women in Construction breakfast, roundtables, education sessions, and plant tours. These additional activities give attendees a chance to go beyond the booth and connect in different and fun ways to build relationships with component manufacturers, suppliers, and framers across the country and beyond.
The Industry, Framer, and IT Roundtables are always a big hit – the discussions were vibrant amongst the participants, as they shared their own stories, challenges, and successes on the variety of topics covered. Topics ranged from operational efficiencies, IT, and risk mitigation to automation and mechanization, safety, and labor challenges. SBCA and its show, BCMC, continue to provide opportunities for its attendees to interact with others from all over, which they normally wouldn’t be able to do in their own regions. BCMC brings people from across the country, and beyond, from the United States to Canada to Finland – having the ability to converse with fellow peers and learn about how they are dealing with challenges or how they’ve accomplished their successes is an invaluable part of the Structural Building Components Association (SBCA) and the Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC).
BCMC trade show. 
BCMC trade show. 
BCMC trade show. 
BCMC trade show.
SBCA believes that the educational aspect of the BCMC show is an important value proposition for its attendees. The peer-led sessions provide an opportunity for its attendees to learn from industry counterparts from across the nation and beyond. Learning is a lifetime effort and SBCA provides a variety of opportunities at BCMC for people to expand upon their knowledge, gain insights into best and different practices across markets, and collaborate on ideas and solutions on shared and individual challenges. Each day was filled with valuable opportunities for attendees to gain knowledge and insights into the industry. The show week consisted of supplier-led education sessions on Tuesday, October 8th, and two days of peer-led education sessions throughout Wednesday, October 9th-Thursday, October 10th; there were a variety of enriching sessions with content for component manufacturers, framers, and professionals. Popular sessions included Preventing Injuries with the Truss & Component Warning Tag and Warning Sheet, Get Off Your A$$ and Sell Something, Navigating Efficiencies of Automation and Mechanization, and Artificial Intelligence Potential & Challenges for Wood Truss Design – there was something for everyone.
The second day of the show kicked off with a thoughtful outlook on the industry by Zonda’s Todd Tomalak – his presentation gave over 600 attendees a fresh perspective on the year ahead, which made for another lively day at BCMC. The hustle and bustle of the attendees about the convention center and the show floor demonstrated the excitement and energy within the structural building components industry; people are hungry for knowledge and connections, and want to make their business the best, enhance their processes, and ensure that they can provide great products and services to their customers, while advocating for and promoting the use of structural building components, such as roof trusses, floor trusses, and wall panels.
Another event from the week was the SBCA Foundation Dinner, which took place on October 8th at Discovery World in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Over 200 people gathered for an evening of delicious food, good company, fundraising activities, and fun. The event consisted of various fundraising efforts for the SBCA Foundation, with games of Heads and Tails and a live auction, where over $131,000 was raised for the SBCA Foundation’s charitable causes. A great accomplishment!
Also during the event, the annual SBCA Industry Awards were presented: Gene Frogale, SBCA Past-President and President of Blue Ocean Development, received the Dwight Hikel Humanitarian Award and was also inducted into the SBCA Hall of Fame; BJ Louws, SBCA Secretary and President of Louws Truss, received the SBCA Industry Leadership Award; Michael Schwitter, 2024 BCMC Committee Co-Chair and Director of Sales with Alpine, an ITW Company, received the Dick Bowman Industry Enthusiast Award; and Norm McKenna, an SBCA Foundation Trustee and recent retiree of the industry, received the SBCA Chapter Service Award. The evening was a huge success filled with joy and passion for this industry and its people.
BCMC concluded with its annual Industry Celebration, with tasty Wisconsin fare and games of pickleball, bean bag toss, and a Pinewood Derby tournament, in addition to raffles, giveaways, and the announcement of the SBCA Innovation Grant People’s Choice Solution for 2024. (Winners of the 2024 SBCA Innovation Grant can be found at www.sbcacomponents.com.)
Attendees left BCMC filled with excitement for the future, new knowledge, ideas, and practices to bring home to their own operations.
BCMC 2025 is already ramping up and information on registrations will be announced soon. Updates and details for BCMC 2025 in Omaha, Nebraska, September 29-October 3, 2025, will appear on www.bcmcshow.com. FBN
