By Donna Heiderstadt
With mentoring and empowerment as its founding principles, NKBA | KBIS’s third-annual Women to Women (W2W) conference kicked off on Oct. 1 in San Antonio, Texas. Laura Kohler, Chief Sustainable Living Officer for Kohler Co., will be the keynote speaker on the conference’s second day, addressing an all-female audience invited to discuss vital topics in the kitchen-and-bath industry.
The 118 women, the largest number of W2W attendees to date, gathered Tuesday evening at the Plaza San Antonio Hotel & Spa, Autograph Collection for the opening reception on the hotel’s Oasis Lawn. They hold key positions across a wide spectrum of the kitchen-and-bath industry, from interior designers to sales and marketing executives at major appliance, fixture, cabinetry, and countertop brands.
Among them were representatives from three W2W 2024 corporate sponsors.
• From GE: Mary Putman, CMO and Vice President of Marketing & Brand; Courtnay Greenburg, Senior Brand Manager – Café; and Bridget McCauley, Brand Development Senior Manager
• From Ferguson: Kristen Elder, Vice President – Showrooms, Residential Builder & Digital Commerce at Ferguson Enterprises; and Diana Daniely, Outside Builder Sales at Ferguson
• From Fortune: Amy Switzer – Senior Brand Marketing Manager, Emtek (Fortune Brands Innovations); Emily Martis, Group Product Manager – Fortune Brands Innovations; and Rachel Roberts, Global Vice President, Luxury Marketing – Fortune Brands Innovations
In her welcome remarks, Heather Shannon, Senior Vice President of Strategic Growth for NKBA | KBIS, expressed her excitement and enthusiasm for the conference agenda, noting that it was the first W2W conference for many attendees. She encouraged attendees to talk to fellow attendees over the next two days. “Look at everyone’s name tag, approach people you don’t know — and get to know them,” she said. “This is a great group of women and I know you are going to learn a lot.”
W2W, launched in 2021, serves as a platform for women at all stages of their career to share experiences, discuss professional challenges and opportunities, and foster professional connections. The daytime sessions and roundtable discussions, paired with social gatherings and group leisure activities, are designed to create a collaborative atmosphere, allowing attendees to celebrate their accomplishments together and further develop their leadership skills — all while being inspired by the industry’s most influential women leaders.
Kohler, who for more than 30 years has been committed to driving purposeful change in the workplace and world, will deliver her keynote on Day 2. Having spent nearly two decades as the head of human resources at Kohler, her focus has been on enhancing the workplace experience to foster an environment in which associates could find meaningful work and achieve their full potential — including introducing one of the first flexible workplace programs. She also oversaw the creation and success of Kohler programs that include Innovation for Good®, the I-Prize, Safe Water for All, and the KOHLER WasteLAB as well as the release of the company’s first environmental, social and governance [ESG] report in 2022. Laura was named to her current position in January 2023.
At past W2W conferences, topics discussed included overcoming early career challenges and ways to lift up female co-workers who are blazing their own careers by showing strength, fairness and kindness via mentorship. Leadership panels fostered discussions on the value of leaning in to support women seeking to advance their careers in the industry,while Q&A sessions allowed attendees to share their own personal stories of overcoming setbacks and celebrating achievements.
The host hotel, the Plaza San Antonio, Autograph Collection, is a 253-room historic property that opened in early 2024 after an extensive renovation. Set on 4.5 acres, it is the only Autograph Collection hotel in San Antonio and offers easy access to top local sights, including River Walk and the Alamo.
