Plumbing Manufacturers International will be heading to the Lone Star State for the 2013 Spring Conference. PMI is taking the Spring Meeting to the Barton Creek Resort in Austin, Texas, April 7–10. PMI is excited to announce that it will participate in a Habitat for Humanity build project on Saturday, April 6. If you wish to participate, PMI asks that you arrange to arrive in Austin no later than April 5, as it will get an early start on Saturday, April 6. Space is limited for this volunteer opportunity. For more information or to reserve your spot, please contact Dawn Robinson at 847-217- 6848 or drobinson@pmihome.org.
Barton Creek Resort is located in Texas Hill Country and is just minutes from downtown Austin. This beautifully appointed hotel features recently renovated guest rooms that include top-of-the-line amenities, including hardwood entryways, enhanced lighting, luxe linens and 42” flat-screen televisions.
The Spring Conference will open with a keynote presentation by Dr. Lowell Catlett, a Regent’s Professor/Dean and Chief Administrative Officer at New Mexico State University’s College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. An exciting futurist, his knowledge of technologies and their implications on the way we will live and work is addressed in his varied and upbeat presentations. Don’t miss out on Dr. Catlett’s keynote address!
The Conference will once again feature the Dual Track format, but with a twist. Readers will remember that the format was adopted two years ago at the request of members who felt that there were topics uniquely targeted to each of our two core groups: marketing and technical.
Over time, the lines and interests of the two groups have blurred and some of the 2012 Fall Conference attendees asked that the format be changed. As a result, we are evolving the dual track format based on this input, to keep the two groups effective.
The Outreach and Advocacy Track will run for three hours with an action-packed agenda as set during the planning meeting held at PMI headquarters in January. The focus will be strictly on marketing/communications- type issues. The fourth hour will combine the groups for a discussion of communications issues of interest to the technical group as well, such as the development of white papers and press releases to promote PMI and our initiatives.
Conversely, the first two hours of the Technical Track will be structured into two specific topics, with the third hour reserved for some strategic brainstorming. PMI Technical Director Len Swatkowski will present the newly-released “Get the Lead Out” presentation developed by the industry consortium. Then Russ Chaney, Executive Director, International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), will provide an update on the implications of the acquisition of American Society of Sanitary Engineers by IAPMO. Finally, PMI will use a facilitator to spearhead a lively discussion of emerging issues and how PMI and the industry can proactively prepare for them. The last hour will see the groups combined as noted above.
Invited speakers include Joe Dorn, Partner, King & Spaulding, with an update on the industry anti-dumping case; updates from Up North, Across the Pond and Down Under from Ralph Suppa, President and General Manager, Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating; Glen Turbett, Director of Global Business-Plumbing, Construction, Lighting and Wiring, Canadian Standards Association; Tim Fisher, President, Plumbing Products Industry Group; and Yvonne Orgill, Chief Executive, Bathroom Manufacturers Association.
Registration and hotel information will be available at www.pmihome.org. Please note, the registration deadline for both the hotel and the conference is March 15. Remember space is limited for the Habitat for Humanity volunteer opportunity.
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