Industry connections, education and more

By Emma Peterson. 

Highlights from the 2025 FEI Group National Conference. 

We are a supply partner and supporter of the Exterior Contractor Alliance, so when their 2025 FEI Group’s National Conference came around at the end of September, we knew one of our crew members had to be there! That crew member ended up being Alex Tolle, The Coffee Shops’ own marketing manager. To learn more about the networking, collaborating and learning that happened at the conference, we caught up with Alex for a quick chat.  

One of the big things that Alex highlighted was the amazing community that was attending the show. She explained, “I was able to connect with many of the ECA contractors as well as many other FEI Group members throughout the different industries they serve. Some of the most inspiring people I talked with were the ECA Trailblazers. These Trailblazers are the next generation of contractors who are paired with seasoned ECA contractors for mentorship. These contractors include Lee Lipniskis (Levello Construction), Ian Bowers (Frontline Exteriors & Construction) and Amanda Veinott (Maven Roofing & Exteriors).” 

In addition to getting to meet friends new and old in the industry, Alex got the chance to attend a variety of academic sessions. She shared, “I was able to attend a couple of ECA Breakout sessions. I also attended the WebRX session led by the director of FEI Group, Steve Kuhel.”

In this session, Steve shared about how a “website is a living, breathing extension of your brand [that] is one of your most powerful business tools.” Some of Alex’s takeaways from the session included “the importance of backlinks and ways to improve the quality of content on your website and social media.” 

Beyond the education sessions, Alex also got to attend some community-building and networking events. She shared, “We helped pack meals for No Child Hungry. We also got to attend an event called ‘Dinner Party on the USS Midway’ that was a lot of fun!” Overall, she described her experience at the 2025 FEI Group’s National Conference as “jam packed with networking, education, trade show exploration and fun.”