SUNDAY, August 9, 2026
Special Evening Event (optional)
7:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Gibson’s Oak Brook
2105 South Spring Road, Oak Brook, IL
Join us for a special evening in The OAKS Room at Gibson’s Oak Brook for a fantastic evening of camaraderie and food! Bourbon tasting and other entertainment - watch this space for more details.
Transportation on your own.
sponsored by
MONDAY, August 10, 2026
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Central Fabricators Association Board of Directors Meeting
2:30 PM – 5:00 PM
GENERAL SESSION: The Future of Fabrication Software
Join us for an exclusive look at the tools and events shaping the structural steel industry.
Trimble will walk us through the latest in their Tekla ecosystem, with a focus on Tekla PowerFab's expanded ERP capabilities — including enhanced production planning, real-time job cost tracking through Viewpoint Vista integration, and a fully connected design-to-fabrication workflow.
ALLPLAN will introduce Steel Genie, a just-launched AI-powered estimating tool that automatically reads structural drawings, detects members, and generates material quantities and estimating-ready 3D models in minutes — with early adopters reporting dramatic gains in throughput and accuracy.
We'll close with Jennifer Traut-Todaro, AISC Director of Workforce Development. She will showcase how partnerships with your local career and technical education (CTE) high schools can help build awareness of rewarding careers in steel fabrication and strengthen your future workforce pipeline. Learn practical ways to engage students through shop tours and industry exposure while exploring American Institute of Steel Construction workforce development resources, including the award-winning Fabricator Education Program, the September Insider Shop Talk on mental health and suicide prevention in the steel industry, and tools to support more effective recruitment and retention strategies. See Student Tour Host information here
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
SPONSOR DINNER & RECEPTION
Lucca Osteria
1415 W 22nd Street
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Transportation is on your own.
Join us for a fantastic Italian Family style dinner. We’ve bought out the place!
Chef Claudio Ulivieri was born in Lucca, Italy and was raised in the town of Altopascio, a small village outside the city of Lucca. He grew up on a farm where he learned the value of hard work. Life on the farm wasn’t always easy, but it laid the foundation for his future. He learned wine making from his father, and helped him harvest the crop every year. He learned cooking traditions passed down over generations from his mother, who was known for never letting a soul go hungry. To this day, 40+ years after emigrating to the United States, Claudio still lives and breathes this tradition. And he’s ready to share it with you.
TUESDAY, August 11, 2026
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Fabricator Round Tables + Breakfast + Large Group Debrief
Contact CFA with any topics you would like to see discussed via j.metsker@centralfabricators.org. The Fabricator Round tables are limited to CFA members only.
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
PEER LEARNING GROUP Session (for committed members only)
There is an additional Annual fee to participate in the Peer Group. Unless you have paid this fee, please do not sign up for this portion of the meeting. Committed participants will receive a separate agenda and communication regarding the Peer Group session. Committed companies can bring up to 2 participants. Lunch will be provided.
Notes and Hotel Rooms:
CFA has arranged for a room block at the hotel. Please make your reservations for the entire event by registering with CFA.
The rate for these rooms is $179 per night (subject to tax).
These RATES are applicable until July 18, 2026 or until the room block is full. Occasionally our room block sells out, so reservations are taken on a first come first served basis.
ALL guests who are attending ANY events MUST be registered in order to attend any portion of the meeting.
IMPORTANT:
When you register using our online system you should receive a registration confirmation within 30 minutes of online registration. If you DO NOT receive a registration confirmation, it likely did not go through.
Please contact Julie Metsker at the office to confirm receipt of your registration if you DO NOT receive an email confirmation of your registration.
