Most manufacturers are missing out on significant financial opportunities—from overlooked grants and incentives to automation‑driven tax credits, strategic tax planning, and operational improvements that unlock profit hiding in plain sight. This panel brings together experts in funding, tax law, R&D incentives, facility design, and performance optimization to show fabricators where money is being left on the table—and how to capture it. Attendees will learn how to secure underutilized funding for capital projects, reduce tax liability through proactive planning, leverage automation and process improvements to qualify for additional incentives, and uncover hidden margin trapped within day‑to‑day operations. Walk away with a roadmap for strengthening cash flow, boosting profitability, and maximizing return on every investment.
Overview
About the Presenters
moderator
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Micki Vandeloo
PresidentLakeview Consulting, Inc.Biography
Micki is the President of Lakeview Consulting, Inc., a team of four experienced grant professionals who have collectively obtained over $245 million in grant funding for its for profit clients. The Lakeview team provides grant/incentive research, readiness, and writing services to help those in the manufacturing and for-profit business communities address financial constraints to growth and success. Micki has over 15 years’ experience performing grant consulting services for clients in the manufacturing community, including trade association foundations, college and university technical/vocational programs, Manufacturing Extension Partnership Centers, and manufacturing companies. Her engineering and business degrees, as well as over 25 years’ experience in manufacturing, provide a sound technical foundation for her grant writing services. She has personally obtained over $75 million in grant funding for her clients. Micki published the book, “THE For-Profit Grant Writing Guide”, in 2014. Micki is the Past Chair of the Grant Professionals Foundation Board and Past President of the St. Louis Grant Professionals Association Chapter. She regularly volunteers for her church, school and a local non-profit providing radio content for sight impaired individuals.
Sessions
speakers
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Alex Bagne
President, ICS Tax, Tyler Bonts, Manager, R&D, ICS TaxBiography
Alex is the President of ICS Tax, LLC (ICS). His expertise includes fixed asset reviews, cost segregation, energy efficiency incentives, accounting methods, research tax credits, and IC-DISC export incentives. His specialized planning ideas has saved his clients millions in tax dollars. He has given Continuing Professional Education on a variety of tax planning ideas throughout the country. Alex earned a BSBA in accounting from The Ohio State University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Minnesota, and a law degree from the Tulane School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana. Alex is a licensed attorney with the U.S. Tax Court as well as a Certified Public Accountant. He is a Certified Cost Segregation Professional and was elected president and is a certified member of the American Society of Cost Segregation Professionals (ASCSP). In his free time, he is a martial arts instructor in Judo and an avid car enthusiast.
Sessions
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Patrick Hanlon
Director,KBKGBiography
Patrick Hanlon is a seasoned economic development and business incentives consultant with more than 20 years of experience in credits and incentives, site selection, economic development, and real estate advisory services. Based in St. Louis, he has advised companies, developers, and government entities nationwide. As a Director at KBKG, he leads the launch of State Incentives and Location Advisory services, advising on multi-state expansions, incentive negotiations, compliance, and site selection.
Sessions
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Tim Van Mieghem
Founding PartnerThe ProAction GroupBiography
Tim Van Mieghem doesn’t just improve businesses; he exposes the profit hiding in plain sight. As a founding partner of The ProAction Group, he works with middle market companies, family-owned businesses, and private equity firms to cut through complexity and unlock measurable, lasting value.
Known for his sharp operational insight and strong bias for action, Tim has built a career helping leaders identify hidden inefficiencies across pricing, inventory, and operations, then turn those insights into clear, executable strategies that drive immediate impact. His work does not live on slide decks. It shows up on the shop floor, in financial performance, and in stronger, more aligned teams.
Tim is a keynote speaker and the author of Shocking Profit, a practical and provocative guide that challenges conventional thinking around margin and growth. As host of the Shocking Profit Podcast, he extends that mission by engaging with operators, executives, and investors who are actively transforming their organizations.
He is also the creator of the proprietary 9 Box Inventory and Pricing Tool, a powerful framework designed to help companies quickly pinpoint where profit is being lost and how to capture it. The tool reflects Tim’s broader approach, which is simple, actionable, and grounded in real world results.
At the core of everything Tim does is a belief that enduring success starts with people. Companies do not scale. Leaders do. By developing leaders at every level, organizations build the capability to sustain performance, adapt to change, and thrive for the long term. For Tim, operational excellence is not an initiative. It is a discipline, and when embraced fully, it becomes a lasting competitive advantage.
Sessions