Unconventional Business Network

KC City Connect: Dave Hataj
2026-02-05 11:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Olathe Conference Center, 10401 S Ridgeview Rd, Olathe, KS, 66061, United States
About the Speaker: Dave Hataj | President – Edgerton Gear, Inc.
Dave Hataj, president and co-owner of Edgerton Gear in Wisconsin, has spent over 35 years transforming a second-generation family business through God-centered principles. A journeyman machinist with degrees from UC Irvine, Regent College, and Bakke Graduate University, Dave created Craftsman with Character—a program introducing high school students to the trades while building character and life skills. The U.S. Navy has recently partnered with him to expand this initiative nationwide.
He is also the author of Good Work: How Blue Collar Business Can Change Lives, Communities, and the World (Moody Publishers, 2020). Dave’s journey from wanting to escape the broken machine shop of his youth to embracing God’s call to lead has reshaped his company’s culture, empowering employees and demonstrating how faith can transform workplaces and communities. His story offers encouragement to business leaders and anyone seeking meaning in their work.
Event Details:
Dave’s journey reminds us that our workplaces are not separate from our faith but central to it. His vision, expressed in Good Work and through his Craftsman with Character program, shows how God can redeem even the most ordinary labor to change lives, communities, and the world.
This City Connect it’s an invitation to encounter how God moves in the marketplace, to be encouraged in your own calling, and to share fellowship with believers around the table.
Gather with a community that values both excellence in business and a commitment to values that guide and uplift. Each event combines the chance to share a meal with meaningful discussion and a faith-driven keynote whose talk is designed to build connections and offer practical insights that align with your faith-centered goals.
Craftsman With Character Workshop:
Immediately following our KC City Connect luncheon in Kansas City on Thursday, February 5, 2026, we’re hosting a hands‑on Workshop designed specifically for those in the blue collar sector.
Building on insights from Dave Hataj—president of Edgerton Gear, founder of Craftsman with Character®, and author of Good Work: How Blue Collar Business Can Change Lives, Communities, and the World—this practical session will translate “A Blue‑Collar Theology of Work” into concrete steps you can apply the next day on the floor.
What to Expect:

Faith-Driven Networking: Engage in conversations with other business owners who share your commitment to purpose-driven work.
Inspiring Keynote: Hear from faith-centered business leaders and thought leaders who offer wisdom on navigating the intersection of faith and professional growth.
Takeaway Resources: Leave with ideas and tools to integrate faith principles into your business approach and strengthen your network of like-minded peers.

UBN’s City Connect Luncheon is ideal for business owners, executives, and leaders seeking to deepen their faith connections in the business community. Experience an environment that refreshes your spirit, sharpens your insights, and empowers you to grow your business with purpose.

Faith Incorporated Annual Conference
2026-04-28 18:00 - 2026-04-29 16:00 | Olathe Conference Center, 10401 S Ridgeview Rd, Olathe, KS, 66061, United States
Registration for the event has closed. Please contact events@unconventionalbusiness.org with questions or to request tickets.

KC Networking Event
2026-06-03 08:00 - 09:30 | Maranatha Christian Academy, 7055 Silverheel St, Shawnee, KS, 66226, United States

KC City Connect: Lori Krueger
2026-09-10 11:00 - 13:00 | Olathe Conference Center, 10401 S Ridgeview Rd, Olathe, KS, 66061, United States
About the Speaker: Lori Krueger | Executive Performance Coach, Speaker, Chaplain
Lori Krueger serves as chaplain for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team and the Kansas City Current, walking alongside elite athletes as they navigate the pressures of performance, leadership, and faith. A graduate of the MetaPerformance Institute and associate partner at Novus Global, Lori is part of an elite network of coaches serving Fortune 500 companies, executives, entrepreneurs, creatives, and professional athletes around the world. Her work challenges people to move beyond achievement-driven success and embrace lives of greater impact, stewardship, and Kingdom purpose.
Lori is also a passionate community builder. She founded the Women’s Pro Soccer Chaplains Network across the United States and Canada and has spent years investing in leaders both globally and locally. Her unique perspective comes from helping high-capacity leaders thrive under pressure while staying grounded in what matters most.
In More in Store: Unearthing What Fear Buries, Lori invites leaders to consider where fear has convinced them to bury what God intended to multiply. Drawing from Ephesians 3:20, the Parable of the Talents, and the principle “Fear buries. Stewardship unearths. Faith multiplies,” she explores how Kingdom stewardship transforms every area of life, including our influence, relationships, generosity, creativity, and calling.
Attendees will leave inspired to uncover what fear has buried, steward what God has entrusted to them, and step forward with renewed faith in the truth that the Lord has more in store.

KC Networking Event
2026-10-07 08:00 - 09:30 | Kansas Christian College, 7401 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS, 66204, United States
