PMI 2016 Conference
Date
October 24th, 2016–October 27th, 2016
Location
Rosemont, IL
Recap
Join us at the 2016 PMI Conference as we engage PMI members to Proactively Engage Influencers. Set for October 24–27, we are returning to the Westin O’Hare in Rosemont, Ill., just outside Chicago to take an in-depth look at the issues affecting our industry and work proactively with others to foster change.
Monday, October 24
The 2016 PMI Conference begins on Monday, October 24, with an Invitation Only meeting of the PMI Board of Directors Meeting and Strategic Advisory Council (SAC) followed by an Executive Briefing by noted demographer Ken Gronbach. VIP (Invitation Only) and the All-Member Welcome Reception, round out the day.
Tuesday, October 25
Tuesday will open with a special welcome followed by a guest speaker Ken Gronbach, president of KGC Direct and author of The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Storm. Mr. Gronbach will then moderate the Executive Discussion Panel.
After lunch, the Water Efficiency and Sustainability Issue Committee will host a Green Panel Discussion with panelists: Andrea Cooper, Living Building Challenge Declare manager, International Living Future Institute; Dirk Mason, principal and co-founder, The Compass Group, representative of U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC); and Vicki Worden, executive director, Green Building Initiative (GBI) and Jeff Zeman, principal environmental engineer, Kohler Co., on “LEED v4 and Product Transparency: What You Need to Know.” The afternoon sessions will conclude with the Interactive Workshop: Proactively Engaging Influencers. Top off an information-packed day with an off-campus dinner at the Hofbräuhaus (transportation provided).
Wednesday, October 26
The newly-created Allied Member Committee will meet bright and early, with Chuck Ramani, president, International Accreditation Service (IAS), followed by our Dual Track Session where attendees choose to attend either the meeting of the Technical Committee or that of the Outreach/Communications Committee, to address specific industry concerns. The Technical Track will feature presentations by George Tchobanoglous, Ph.D., professor emeritus, U.C. Davis Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, on “The Impact of Low Flow on the Sanitary Sewer System” and “Direct Potable Reuse.” Mark Rossi, Ph.D., executive director, Clean Production Action, will present “Clean Production Action – Green Chemistry and Plumbing Products.” We also welcome updates from across-the-pond by Christian Taylor-Hamlin, technical director, Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) and Ralph Suppa, president and general manager, Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH). The Outreach/Communications Track will host a special presentation by Luca Ferrari, new business developer, BRG Building Solutions. We’ll also hear from Veronica Blette, chief, WaterSense, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The afternoon will continue with reports from the Dual Track Sessions, as well as special Fair Trade Issue Committee guest speaker Gary Stanley, director, Office of Materials, U.S. Department of Commerce. Yvonne Orgill, chief executive, BMA, will report on the impact of Brexit from the European Union. We’ll get down to association business at the Annual General Membership Meeting where we’ll elect new officers and board members, and honor PMI service and new members. The 2016-17 financials will be up for review; we’ll approve the 2017 dues schedule and host the ceremonial “passing of the gavel” from 2016 PMI Board President, Paul Patton, Delta Faucet Company, to 2017 president, Pete Jahrling, Sloan Valve Company (Note that Mr. Patton will remain as president through the end of 2016 and Mr. Jahrling will take over as president on January 1, 2017.) The day will wrap up with a reception and dinner.
Thursday, October 27
And that’s not all! Don’t rush off too soon and miss out on this exciting final day of the conference! Thursday, October 27, will begin with the Panel Discussion: “Next Steps: What You Can do to Advocate for Water Infrastructure Restoration, Efficiency, Sustainability and Safety” moderated by Scott McDonald, vice president, marketing, Fluidmaster, Inc., with industry experts, Terry McGhee, manager of water operations, American Water Works Association (AWWA); Darren T. Olson, senior water resources project manager, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE); Amy Barrilleaux, public information officer, Madison Water Utility; and Veronica Blette, chief, EPA WaterSense. We will conclude with the Advocacy/Government Affairs Committee meeting and Plant/Hill Visit Tutorial by PMI government affairs consultants Stephanie Salmon (Washington, D.C.) and Jerry Desmond (California).
The conference will conclude by noon to allow plenty of time for attendees to travel home.
