American Made Advocacy: PCBs in the National Spotlight
Defense Speak Interpreted: Extreme Financial Disparity in Drones and Missiles
The Right Approach: The End of an Era—DoD Proposes MIL-PRF-31032 Cancellation
Mark Wolfe is a career EMS and electronics expert, whose leadership has helped expand and improve the EMS Leadership Summit at APEX EXPO. Last year’s event received a huge approval rating from attendees: a whopping 96% said they’d be back. Not content to rest on those laurels, Mark and his team have put together a program that preserves the Summit’s strengths while finding ways to improve. In this interview, Mark makes a strong argument why EMS leadership at all levels should take a day to examine the wider picture of our industry.
More information and registration can be found here.
Mark, what is the theme for this year’s EMS Leadership Summit?
Mark Wolfe: Our advertised theme is “Shaping the Future of Electronics Manufacturing.” We are emphasizing how AI can be applied in the EMS world today but in a much more practical sense than we did last year. The presentations will include an emphasis on how AI impacts the future workforce as well as conversations around what is required to be “AI ready.” We also want to continue to expand.
Who should plan to attend the Summit?
Historically, this was an “executive only” event, but several years ago we promoted it as an opportunity to expose the next generation of leaders, especially given ongoing concerns about attracting and developing new talent in the industry. We encourage EMS companies of any size to bring their current and future leaders to this event. Last year, we had 57 industry leaders from 38 companies in attendance. In other words, more companies are bringing multiple leaders.
A whopping 96% of the surveys told us they would definitely attend again and recommend the event to others. Overall, we have grown the attendance by at least 20% each of the last three to four years and the company level “retention rate” has been around 60%, which is outstanding in this busy world. This is one of the main metrics I watch to tell us whether the content is valued. I really hope to see at least the same level of growth and retention this coming March as well.
To continue reading this inteview, which originally appeared in the February 2026 edition of SMT007 Magazine, click here.
