Rockford, Ill. ─ The Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl. (FMA), will sponsor Metal Matters 2008: The Metal Fabricator’s Management Summit, March 12-14 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

The third annual conference will feature keynotes by John Ratzenberger, host of The Travel Channel’s “Made in America,” author of We’ve Got it Made in America: A Common Man’s Salute to an Uncommon Country, and also known for his role as Cliff Clavin on sit-com “Cheers”; Susan Annunzio of the Center for High Performance; Danny Forster of The Discovery Channel’s “Build it Bigger” (formerly “Extreme Engineering”); and Tom Waddle, former wide receiver for the Chicago Bears.

Metal Matters will also offer roundtable discussions for peer-to-peer problem solving; an analysis of industry trends by Chris Kuehl, FMA’s economist and managing director of Armada Corporate Intelligence; and a breakfast panel on work force development.

Networking opportunities will include golf at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course and browsing tabletop exhibits by industry suppliers. Plus, join in the celebration and meet the recipients of The FABRICATOR®’s Industry Award 2008, presented by FMA, and TPJ – The Tube & Pipe Journal®’s Industry Award 2008, presented by TPA.

Afternoon sessions will break out into two technology tracks, The FABRICATOR®’s Sheet Metal & Plate Forum, sponsored by FMA’s official publication, The FABRICATOR®; and the TPJ Symposium, sponsored by FMA’s technology affiliate, the Tube & Pipe Association, Intl. (TPA), and its flagship magazine, TPJ – The Tube & Pipe Journal®.

FMA/TPA member fee is $695; general fee is $845. Details and registration are available at www.fmanet.org or 888-394-4362. For event sponsorship and tabletop exhibit opportunities, contact Jennifer Christian at 815-227-8207 or jen@fmanet.org.

About FMA

The Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl., is the leading educational association serving the metal forming and fabricating industry. FMA offers technical conferences, workshops, and in-plant training; its official publication,  The FABRICATOR®; industry surveys; networking opportunities; the industry’s most extensive research library; and a foundation scholarship program. FMA co-sponsors FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show, North America’s largest annual tradeshow for metal forming and fabricating professionals. Visit FMA on the Web at www.fmanet.org. FABRICATORS & MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, INTL., 833 Featherstone Road, Rockford, Illinois 61107; Phone 815-399-8775; Fax 815-484-7701.