Monday, April 21, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Environmental Committee Meeting (Open to Members) (Closed to Media) Dogwood Additional registration is required for this event. Please register here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Worker Safety Committee Meeting (Open to Members) (Closed to Media) Dogwood Additional registration is required for this event. Please register here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Joint People Experience and Labor & Employment Meeting (Open to Members) (Closed to Media) Dogwood Additional registration is required for this event. Please register here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM | Meat & Greet: First-Timer Edition Dogwood Welcome to the ELS+ community! Connect with fellow first-timers and Meat Institute's Megan McCullough to discover all the resources and opportunities available to you. This is your chance to forge valuable connections and make the most of your conference experience. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM | Happy Hour Grand Ballroom Foyer |
Tuesday, April 22, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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7:30 AM - 8:30 AM | Breakfast Cypress Room | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM | Welcome and Keynote- Shift Happens: Leading Through Change in a Gen Alpha & AI World ![]() Willow Birch The workplace is evolving faster than ever, shaped by AI advancements, generational shifts, and unpredictable challenges. In this high-energy keynote, we’ll tackle how to navigate change by leading from the inside-out, listening first, and taking coaching cues from unexpected places—including the next generation, emerging technology, and even the natural world. Change isn’t coming—it’s here. Those who thrive will be the ones who adapt boldly, lead authentically, and embrace the wild workplace with curiosity and confidence. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9:30 AM - 9:45 AM | Break Grand Ballroom Foyer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9:45 AM - 10:45 AM | Worker Safety: Ergonomic Best Practices in Return to Work After Injury: Reintegration Strategies for Employers Anand Iyer - JFAssociates, Inc. Samantha Treadman Blaga, CSP - OSI Tim Mikolajewski - Scott Automation - BladeStop ![]() ![]() ![]() Dogwood | Labor & Employment: Navigating Labor and Employment Priorities under the new Trump Administration (Closed to Media) ![]() Willow Birch This session will address the ever-changing impacts of the new administration’s focus in myriad areas involving employee relations and best practices for employers in dealing with the shifting priorities within the enforcement agencies. | Environment: Innovative Practices in Land Application of Residual Wastes from Meat and Poultry Production. ![]() ![]() Poplar Room This session will explore the environmental, economic, and regulatory aspects of land application of residual wastes from meat and poultry production. With experts from both Denali and Pilgrims, the speakers will discuss best practices, challenges, and innovations in managing residual waste generated by these industries, highlighting the importance of partnership. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10:45 AM - 11:15 AM | Break Grand Ballroom Foyer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM | Joint Labor & Employment and Worker Safety Session: Reasonable Accommodations in the Workplace HR and Legal Perspectives ![]() ![]() Willow Birch Join Kimberly Crawford and Cary Farris as they dive into Case Studies highlighting challenges and solutions for providing reasonable accommodations for your employees under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). | Environment: Environmental Legal and Regulatory Updates: What’s important in the new administration? ![]() Poplar Room Join Christopher Dolan from Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP for environmental legal and regulatory updates. Chris will have an open forum session that will discuss topics such as EPA Enforcement Priorities, a PFAS Regulatory Update, WOTUS post-SCOTUS and the future of GHG regulations/enforcement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12:15 PM - 1:30 PM | Lunch Cypress Room | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM | Worker Safety: Trump 1st 90 Days: Impacts On The Legal Landscape for Worker Safety. (Closed to Media) ![]() ![]() Dogwood President Trump has returned to the White House for a second term, and resumed control over the vast Executive Branch bureaucracy, including the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA is coming off the heels of a period of record-setting enforcement and a flurry of new rulemaking under the Biden/Harris Administration. The pendulum has already begun to swing as control at OSHA transitions to the Trump/Vance Administration. We have some clues what that will look like based on historical trends, our experience with the Trump/Pence Administration, signals from the 2024 campaign trail, and the first few months of the second Trump Administration. In this session, we will review the enforcement and rulemaking landscape at OSHA during this period of transition, and peek into the crystal ball to predict what employers can expect from OSHA over the next several years. | Environment: Water Reuse and Alignment ![]() ![]() Poplar Room | Labor and Employment: Navigating Immigration and work authorization under the Trump Administration: Legal and HR Perspectives (Closed to Media) ![]() ![]() ![]() Willow Birch Join Brent Reilly, Counsel at Fragomen, Edward Raleigh, Partner at Fragomen, and Catherine Pangopulos, Senior Director, Talent Acquisition at Smithfield as they review what has happened in the first 90 days of the Trump administration and how to navigate moving forward. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM | Break Grand Ballroom Foyer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Worker Safety Workshop: OSHA Mock Inspection ![]() ![]() Dogwood Join Eric Conn and Aaron Gelb of Conn Maciel Carey, to be an active participant in an OSHA mock inspection. | Environment Workshop: Action and Impact in Manufacturing Sustainability ![]() ![]() ![]() Poplar Room Case studies that focus on 5 key production areas to impact your environmental footprint. This session will be interactive dialogue and breakouts. | Labor & Employment Workshop: Fraud Typologies, Awareness and Detection, and Intersections with the I-9 Process (Closed to Media) ![]() ![]() ![]() Willow Birch Document and identity fraud have become more prevalent due to savvy actors on the street. Counterfeiters and dark web vendors are selling identities and corresponding documentation to individuals who do not have authorization to work in the United States. The I-9 and E-Verify are government tools to ensure the employment of a legal workforce. Unfortunately, they are not enough for hiring teams in 2025. Unauthorized workers, including many underage individuals, are attaining jobs in all industries by subverting E-Verify and under-educated HR teams. This session is intended to quickly bolster attendees’ awareness of document and identity fraud schemes. In a short amount of time, we will cover lots of territory in a practical and concentrated manner. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM | Awards Reception Cypress Room |
Wednesday, April 23, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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7:30 AM - 8:30 AM | Breakfast Cypress Room | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM | Worker Safety: Using AI to Improve Worker Safety: Practical Examples and Learnings On How to Leverage AI to Help Keep Workers Safe ![]() Willow Birch Revel will share examples of how AI can be used to improve worker safety, such as monitoring Lockout/Tagout compliance, PPE compliance monitoring and monitoring potentially dangerous equipment and situations. He will also share practical tips for companies looking to implement AI solutions in these areas, and suggestions on building the business case. | Environment: Sustainable Packaging Panel Discussion Myra Foster - Sealed Air Corporation Keya Peterson - Amcor Sarah Paleg - Amcor Ronald Cotterman - Sealed Air Corporation Apurva Shah - Charter Next Generation ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Poplar Room | Labor and Employment: Changing Landscapes in Labor and Employment (Closed to Media) ![]() ![]() ![]() Dogwood Recent executive actions have impacted corporate strategy and internal programs that involve DEI initiatives. This session will give an overview of the current state of DEI and the impact and implications of these developments for both the private and public sector. It will also touch on practical strategies on reshaping DEI framework and continuing to foster an inclusive culture in the workplace amidst the changing external landscape. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM | Break Grand Ballroom Foyer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Best Practices Blueprint: Labor & Employment (Closed to Media) Kimberly Crawford - Kenosha Beef - Birchwood Foods Emily Moertl - BOB EVANS FOODS Sonja Totland - Agri Beef ![]() ![]() ![]() Dogwood | Best Practices Blueprint: Worker Safety (Closed to Media) ![]() Willow Birch | Best Practices Blueprint: Environment (Closed to Media) Mark Ritsema - JBS Gregory Sindt - Bolton & Menk, Inc. Brittney O'Connor - OSI Group, LLC Kermann Laguerre - JBS ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Poplar Room | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11:30 AM - 12:45 PM | Chew on This: Best Practices Lunch Digest Cypress Room | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12:45 PM - 2:00 PM | Labor and Employment: Enhancing Managerial Effectiveness: Mastering Active Listening and Tactical Questioning ![]() Dogwood In today's dynamic work environment, effective communication is paramount for managerial success. This workshop is tailored to elevate your leadership capabilities. Delve into art of active listening and tactical questioning—essential coaching skills that foster employee development and drive performance | Worker Safety: Line Speed Reports: Implications and Status (Closed to Media) ![]() Willow Birch | Environment: Optimizing Wastewater Treatment: Cost-Effective Equipment Based on System Needs ![]() ![]() Poplar Room Join us for an insightful session on wastewater treatment focusing on selecting the right equipment based on system needs and exploring cost-effective strategies. Industry panel will discuss key considerations for equipment selection, balancing performance with budget constraints, and practical solutions to optimize wastewater treatment. The session will conclude with a Q&A segment, providing an opportunity to address specific challenges and gain expert insights tailored to your facility's needs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2:15 PM - 3:00 PM | Closing General Session: Bringing it Back to the Plant Bryan Burns - Meat Institute Mark Ritsema - JBS Lance Walker - FPL Food, LLC Julie Yeary - OSI Group Sonja Totland - Agri Beef ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Willow Birch |