Our AME Home Team was recently in St. Louis scouting the perfect experiences for our upcoming AME St. Louis 2025 International Conference, and I must say — this city has so much to offer our enterprise excellence community!
AME’s 41st annual international conference is a practitioner-to-practitioner learning experience where a diverse crowd of continuous improvement professionals share, learn and grow together. This year’s conference will feature over 30 sessions organized around four key themes:
- Gateway to empowering people and culture
- Shaping the futurist lean organization and operation
- Building operational excellence foundation for the future
- Innovating for tomorrow: AI, technology and social responsibility
Last week, I shared that Jon Colby is returning as the conference emcee for his sixth consecutive year. Colby is known for his engaging, interactive approach. He combines his background with practical knowledge to create meaningful learning experiences. He simply provides a lot of fun while teaching valuable skills.
Beyond the unique combination of inspiring keynote speakers, interactive sessions and local facility tours that allow attendees to see excellence in action — what makes AME conferences so special is the connection our attendees experience among peers, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors and other professionals passionate about continuously improving themselves and their organizations.
This year’s location — the Gateway to the West — is the perfect spot for the AME community to form new relationships through networking and team-building opportunities and witness excellence in the industry. St. Louis is a testament to American manufacturing, from its historic role in aerospace innovation to its current position as a hub for advanced manufacturing and technology. Imagine discussing best practices with colleagues while enjoying views of the iconic Gateway Arch or sharing continuous improvement insights while sampling some of the country’s best barbecues! The city’s vibrant downtown area, with its mix of historic architecture and modern amenities, provides the perfect backdrop.
AME Home Team at the St. Louis Arch
Did you know that the Gateway Arch is perfectly balanced at exactly 630 feet tall and 630 feet wide? Its two legs were built separately, and the margin for error was incredibly small — less than 1/64th of an inch. If the measurements had been off by even that minuscule amount, the legs wouldn’t have joined at the top.
A morbid but interesting fact I learned during our week in St. Louis was that the insurance company predicted 13 workers would die during construction, given the dangerous heights and lack of safety nets. Amazingly, not a single worker died during the building process.
The monument serves a deeper purpose, too — it was created to honor America’s westward expansion and stands as the official “Gateway to the West.”
St. Louis's strong manufacturing presence means we'll have opportunities for Gemba walks at impressive local facilities. These first-hand tours of operational excellence in action are always conference highlights. Some of the confirmed tour locations include Cambridge Air Solutions' Chesterfield facility — focusing on "Empowering people and streamlining processes" and Wentzville facility — showcasing "Building operational excellence for the future."
AME Home Team visiting Cambridge Air Solutions' Chesterfield facility
Thank you, Meg Brown and Becca Jenkins, for your hospitality.
Other participating companies include:
- Commercial Electronics, demonstrating their “Empowering lean” journey
- Duke Manufacturing Co, highlighting “CI meets NPD & CX”
- Essex Industries, offering an insightful “Manufacturing tour”
- John Henry Foster, sharing their “Journey to business excellence”
- Seyer Industries, Inc., presenting “25 years of lean journey”
- The Gund Company, featuring “Cultural breakthrough: Combining people first and continuous improvement”
Mark your calendars and join us for what promises to be the best AME conference ever! For more information, visit our website: AME St. Louis 2025 International Conference.
We’re looking forward to seeing you at Gateway to the West! As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
