Business Seminars
Events that Inform & Inspire
Annual Business Seminar
7:30 – 8:00
Registration, Coffee, and Networking
8:00 – 8:10
Welcome & Seminar Announcements
Moderator: Marvin Bauman, Wallenstein ON
8:10 – 8:50
The Kingdom of God at Work
Ryan Horst, Wingham ON
8:50 – 9:30
Branding & Marketing that Builds a Bridge
Howard Horst, Myerstown PA
9:30 – 10:00
10:00 – 10:45
Balancing Family and Business
Leon Wengerd, Dalton OH
10:55 – 11:45
Increasing Capacity
Edward Hershberger, Apple Creek OH
11:50 – 1:10
1:10 – 1:55
Empowering Your Leadership Team
Leon Wengerd, Dalton OH
1:55 – 2:35
Everyone Championing the Brand
Howard Horst, Myerstown PA
2:35 – 3:05
Break Time
3:05 – 3:20
Business Update
Paul Horst, ABA Board Chairman
3:20 – 4:20
Q&A Period
Moderator: Ryan Martin
Panelists: Leon Wengerd, Edward Hershberger, Howard Horst
Seminar Venue
This event will be held at
Stratford Rotary Complex
353 McCarthy Rd, Statford ON, N5A 7S7
Event Speakers
Ryan Horst
Ryan Horst and his wife Amanda live in Wingham, Ontario, with their four young children. They attend Light of Truth Mennonite Church, where he also serves as a minister. Ryan spends most of his time working for Christian Aid Ministries as manager for the Reapers of Hope vegetable dehydration facility. Prior to working for CAM, he spent 10 years in the classroom; first on the foreign field in Grenada, and then locally as a high school teacher at Maranatha Christian School in Drayton. This unique blend of life’s experiences has helped to produce a passion for theology, missions, and Christian education.
Topic — The Kingdom of God at Work
What place does the Kingdom of God fill in your work day? Could it better be described as the locomotive providing the momentum or the caboose, trailing along behind? The clear call of Jesus was to “seek first the Kingdom of God.” What does this mean? And how might it look in the life of someone who takes this directive seriously? Join me as I muse aloud about my own journey of seeking answers to these questions, and as I introduce you to a cast of characters from across history, whose lives have something to teach us in this regard.
Howard Horst
After grade school, Howard pursued training in pictorial art at Jay McVeh Art School. That early interest in pictorial art morphed into a lifelong business in signage and visual communication. At age 18, he founded Horst Signs and is currently in a partnership with his son and a son-in-law. The company currently employs around 40 people and operates out of two high-visibility locations. Over the past 45 years, his work has largely focused on helping businesses communicate clearly and professionally through visual media.
He currently resides in Myerstown Pa. with his wife Colletta. They are empty nesters and have 6 married children. He is Senior Pastor at Elm St. Mennonite Church and has served on various boards and committees over the years. When he is not busy with sign and logo design, marketing instructing, counseling or preaching, you may find him tinkering on one of his original shop trucks or an antique engine, or camping.
Topic — Branding & Marketing that Builds a Bridge
There is a gap between our product or service and our potential customers that must be crossed to stay in business. How do we bridge that gap? Can we attract the right kind of customer for the level of product or service we offer? Why do some businesses seem to attract an ideal clientele while others face endless price wars? Do we know our market focus? Do we understand the needs and wants of our ideal client? How can a logo play into brand building and customer impressions? This session will help us evaluate marketing techniques.
Topic — Everyone Championing the Brand
Does a good brand, or good marketing, guarantee success? What does carrying a brand into everyday life look like? What responsibility does an employer have in inspiring a holistic approach to brand building in his company. Do employees have any responsibility in building the company brand? How might we destroy a good brand visually or verbally? Can personal perspectives and personalities interfere with brand building? This session will help us evaluate how to carry our company brand into public display in a unified way.
Leon Wengerd
Leon Wengerd and his wife Rhoda live in Wayne County, Ohio, with their family of eight children. He currently serves as CEO at Green Field Farms™, a local farmer cooperative that distributes organic produce and makes custom soil amendments. Leon is in partnership with his brothers in Pioneer, LLC, which is made up of various businesses and brands owned and managed by the Wengerd family. Their family enjoys haying, making maple syrup, and timber management on their 50-acre homestead.
Topic — Empowering Your Leadership Team
Leadership teams shape the culture of our organizations. Getting the “right people in the right seats” is critical, though often challenging. Empowering leaders requires meetings that encourage interaction and strategic decision-making, where leaders openly share their thoughts instead of becoming “yes” men.
Topic — Balancing Family and Business
Serving our customers and employees with passion requires energy and sacrifice. Yet being a faithful husband and father for our family is our highest calling. How do we ensure that our customers, employees, and businesses are properly cared for without neglecting our responsibility for bringing up our children for the Lord?
Edward Hershberger
Edward Hershberger serves as the Steward Education Administrator and Business Advising Manager at Anabaptist Financial. He was a part of a family business for 34 years, and still serves in a minority ownership role. Edward and his wife, Ruby, are part of the Holmes County, Ohio, Old Order Amish community. They have six children and enjoy spending time with their four young granddaughters.
Topic — Increasing Capacity
Is growth and increasing capacity a good thing? In business, as in serving in the Kingdom of God, increasing capacity can require sacrifices and deserves careful consideration.