Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) hosted its Fall Conference, Sept. 18-21, 2011 at the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The meeting kicked off on Mon., Sept. 19, with an Executive Roundtable Event, featuring executives from seven member companies who gathered to discuss the state of the plumbing manufacturing industry, their companies’ responses to the economic downturn, the global trends they see that will impact the industry, and many other topics.

Political pundit and journalist, George Will, moderated the roundtable. The event participants were:
* Keith Allman, president, Delta Faucet Company;
* Don Devine, chief executive officer, American Standard Brands;
* Timothy Jahnke, president and chief executive officer, Elkay Manufacturing Company;
* David Lingafelter, president, Moen Incorporated;
* Tim O’Keeffe, chief executive officer, Symmons Industries;
* William Strang, chairman, TOTO Mexico and senior vice president, TOTO USA;
* Jim Westdorp, group president of kitchen and bath, Kohler Co.

After the conclusion of the roundtable event, Will offered the keynote address to the attendees. He touched on topics, such as the economic climate in the U.S. and Europe, the economic bailout and the current agenda of the federal government.

On Monday afternoon, the dual track format that made its debut at the PMI Spring Conference, returned to great acclaim. Attendees were given a choice to attend either the technical council meeting or the marketing council meeting. “This separate track system has generated a great deal of interest and attracted many new PMI conference attendees,” says PMI Executive Director Barbara C. Higgens.

Tues., Sept. 20, featured a presentation by Dr. Chad Moutray, chief economist with the National Association of Manufacturers. Stephanie Tanner, lead engineer for the Environmental Protection Agency; Brendan Owens, vice president, LEED® technical development for the U.S. Green Building Council, and Christian Taylor-Hamlin, technical director of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association, gave presentations during PMI’s Water Efficiency and Sustainability Issue Committee Meeting.

The Fair Trade portion of the conference saw presentations by Gary Stanley, acting director, office of materials industries, and Salim Bhabrawala, senior international trade specialist, both of whom are with the U.S. Department of Commerce; and by Yvonne Orgill, chief executive of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association.

Jack Krecek, PMI’ spresident and Elkay Manufacturing Company’s vice president and general manager of commercial channels, presented the President’s Awards to Rick Reles, vice president of kitchens, cast iron and corporate accounts worldwide for Kohler Co.; and to Paul Patton, senior product development manager for Delta Faucet Company, in recognition of their efforts to enhance PMI’s value to marketing professionals through the development of PMI’s Marketing Council.

This is the third year that the President’s Award honor has been bestowed; the started in 2009. The award is discretionary and given annually by the PMI President for commitment and contributions to PMI and the industry. Previous winners are: Sally Remedios, manager of product compliance, Delta Faucet Company; Shabbir Rawalpindiwala, manager of codes and standards, Kohler Co.; and Klaus Fromme, retired director of corporate managing services, Bradley Corporation.

Wed., Sept. 20, started with a short tutorial on lobbying visits. PMI Fall Conference attendees then left to meet with their elected officials on Capitol Hill.

PMI extends its thanks to the Fall Conference Sponsors: Chase Brass and Copper Company, International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), International Code Council (ICC), and Dornbracht Americas.

PMI’s 2012 Spring Conference will take place April 1-4 at the Doubletree Sonoma Wine Country Hotel in Rohnert Park, Calif. Watch for details at www.pmihome.org.

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Filed under: ASSOCIATION NEWS, Events, Green Goals, USGBC