PMI 2007 Fall Meeting: Safeguarding Our Resources
For Immediate Release
October 31, 2007
Contact: Barbara C. Higgens, Executive Director (847) 481-5500
Rolling Meadows, IL – The importance of safeguarding our precious resources formed the foundation for the Fall 2007 PMI Meeting which was held October 7-10 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Washington, DC. PMI President Ken Martin, Director, Commercial of Delta Faucet Company welcomed 68 attendees, four spouses, 21 speakers, 12 guests and four trade press to this year’s meeting. Following the Board of Directors’ meeting on Sunday, October 7, a "First Time Attendee and New Members" reception gave special attention to these individuals. Mr. Martin acknowledged them at the General Membership meeting on Sunday evening. He recognized Tom White of Haws Corporation and Pete DeMarco of American Standard for their service as members of the PMI Board of Directors. The General Membership meeting concluded with a preview of the following days’ events.
Monday, October 8 was comprised of PMI Issue, Standing and Product committee meetings and included special presentations by Gary Klein of the California Energy Commission (CEC), Steve Halsey of Gibbs & Soell and David Audrain of Messe Frankfurt, USA. On Tuesday, October 9, in addition to the various issue committee meetings that convened, a series of speakers gave presentations on recycling, enforcement of labeling regulations, social media and the efficient use of water with representation from the US, the UK, Canada and Australia. The featured speakers included, Caroline Hermann of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fern Abrams of IPC, The Association Connecting Electronics Industries, Pat Cleary of Fleishman-Hillard, Jason Bourque of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH), Erin Shaffer, of the Green Building Initiative, Stephanie Tanner of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Yvonne Orgill of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA), Tim Fisher of the Plumbing Products Industry Group (PPIG) and Chris Philpot of Waterwise.
The luncheon keynote speaker was Dan Esty, who is the author of eight books and numerous articles on environmental policy issues and the relationships between environment and corporate strategy, competitiveness, trade, security, performance measurement (data-driven decision making), governance and development. His most recent book, Green To Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value and Build Competitive Advantage, explains what every executive must know to manage and profit from the environmental challenges facing society and the business world.
Tuesday evening’s dinner keynote speaker was Gary Langer, Director of Polling for ABC News who provided an analysis of the current political scene. Mr. Langer illuminates public opinion and behavior across a range of social, political and economic issues.
The conference’s grand finale was a Wednesday, October 10 morning session devoted to the expanding role of Nanotechnology throughout Industry with presentations by Vincent Caprio and Sean Murdock of the New York NanoBusiness Alliance, Dr. Cynthia Kuper of Versilant Nanotechnologies, Dr. Robert Shull of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Phil Reynolds of BYK-Chemi USA and Dr. Alan Rae of NanoDynamics. The session concluded at 12:30 p.m.
PMI will hold its 2008 Spring Meeting March 30- April 2 at the Balboa Bay Club and Resort, Newport Beach, CA.
PMI Mission Statement
- To Promote the water efficiency, health, safety and quality of plumbing products while maximizing consumer choice and value in a fair and open marketplace.
- To provide a forum for the exchange of information and industry education.
- To represent the members' interests in the regulatory/legislative processes.
- To enhance the plumbing industry's growth and expansion.
The Plumbing Manufacturers Institute is the voluntary, not-for-profit national trade association of
manufacturers of plumbing products serving as the Voice of the Plumbing Industry. Member companies of PMI
produce a substantial quantity of the nation’s plumbing products. For more information on PMI or its
semi-annual meetings, contact the Institute at 1921 Rohlwing Road, Unit G, Rolling Meadows, Ill., 60008; or
via phone (847) 481-5500, facsimile (847) 481-5501, or website www.pmihome.org.
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