Pictured: NKBA CEO Bill Darcy

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), the authority on all things residential kitchen and bath, will present its annual state of the association address and state of the industry panel discussion on Feb. 20 at 8:45 a.m. at the 2019 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS). The three-day expo runs Feb. 19 to 21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

This yearly event is one of the most sought-after events at KBIS. The address offers insights from the research conducted by the NKBA on behalf of its members and the industry as a whole, and the panel discussion provides vision from accomplished CEOs and C-suite businesspeople. The panel will again be moderated by Fox News/Fox Business anchor Melissa Francis.

“The State of the Association address is our opportunity to share with the membership all the ways NKBA has been working to help them with business, professional development and networking opportunities,” said NKBA CEO Bill Darcy. “We are proud to report on the substantive strides we’ve made, the new initiatives and the enhanced programs, other important developments of the past year and what’s ahead in 2019.”

Darcy will update the membership on the growth and performance of the association and a host of other topics including:

• Website development
• The launch of a jobs career opportunity matching portal
• Advances in social media engagement
• The launch of NKBA Global Connect initiative
• A government relations update
• Market research initiatives
• Updates in professional development, including affiliated schools, certifications and a new specialty badge designation program
• A skilled labor initiative, including the NKBA’s NextUp program and a collaboration with This Old House’s Generation Next and the Skilled Labor Fund

“We have assembled a wonderful panel for our State of the Industry discussion, featuring thought leaders from various segments of the business: Dr. Markus Miele of Miele Group; Kevin Murphy of Ferguson; Nicholas Fink of Fortune Brands’ Global Plumbing Group; and Mark Stoever, CEO of 2020," added Darcy. "The panel will again be moderated by Fox anchor Melissa Francis, and is sure to shed light on the most pressing matters of critical interest to our membership.”