Dan Sauder bio:
Dan Sauder is part of the 3
rd generation at Sauder Woodworking, which was founded by his grandfather 88 years ago. He currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Engineering & New Markets at Sauder Woodworking Co. Dan oversees much of the processes for new product development, for innovation and for their machine design and build departments. In addition, he also works at finding new markets for Sauder and is now over the new Building Products division. In previous roles, he served as the Director of Manufacturing Engineering, a Production Manager, and a Manufacturing Engineer. Before working at Sauder, Dan was the Plant Engineer for the Georgia Pacific Particleboard plant in Russellville, S.C. Dan has a degree in Industrial Engineering from Clemson University in South Carolina.
Patrick Sauder bio:
Patrick Sauder (right name, wrong branch of the tree), is an Archbold High School grad but spent most of his professional career in Nashville, Tennessee, starting out in the audit department of PwC and then taking on progressive financial roles in various public and nonpublic companies including Central Parking, iPayment, Uniguest, and Cicayda. Pat returned “home” to Sauder in April 2017 to serve as their CFO. He has a degree in accounting from Goshen College and, in a previous lifetime, even passed the CPA exam.
Learning objectives for the topic “New Market Development Methodologies”
- Criteria to judge new market ideas
- Key steps to consider when entering a new market
- Pitfalls to avoid when diversifying your business
Company Profile
Sauder Woodworking Co. is North America’s leading producer of ready-to-assemble (RTA) furniture and one of the top ten residential furniture manufacturers in the United States. A significant portion of the furniture is manufactured in Archbold, Ohio — right where we were founded in 1934. Although the town is small (pop. 4,300), our facility is expansive. With some of the most technologically advanced equipment in the world, the facility features nearly 4 million square feet of space, employs about 2,000 workers and houses a wide variety of local and imported materials. Sauder also sources furniture from a network of quality global partners. In addition to RTA furniture, Sauder has also been pursuing new markets to expand its business and diversify. The most significant addition has been the formation of the business division called Sauder Building Products that has a successful line of kitchen cabinets and closets sold into the builder’s channel.
Sauder is a privately held, third-generation, family run business. Subsidiaries include: Progressive Furniture Inc., a designer and importer of wood bedroom, dining and accent furniture; and Sauder Manufacturing Company, a leader in church, educational and healthcare seating. With its 2,400 employees, the Sauder family of companies generates sales of over $700 million annually.