2024 Annual Meeting & Product Showcase

The 2024 Annual Meeting & Product Showcase will be held October 29-31 at the Palmer House a Hilton Hotel in Chicago, IL .

2024 Annual Meeting & Product Showcase

The 2024 Annual Meeting & Product Showcase will be held October 29-31 at the Palmer House a Hilton Hotel in Chicago, IL .

Registration

Register Now Printable Registration Form

REGISTRATION FEES

Registration TypeBefore October 2After October 2
First Registrant (Member)$795$850
Additional (2-7) Registrant (Member)$695$750
Non-Member$1,375$1,435
Spouse/University Researcher$215$265
Optional Extras
Spouse/Guest Chicago Tour$45
Visit to The Ledge, Grand Reception$35

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

 

Advance Registration Deadline: Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Registration Cancellation Policy: Registrations cancelled after October 2 will be charged a $100 processing fee plus the cost of meals.

Substitutions: Attendee substitutions may be made at any time prior to the event, provided that the substitute is from the same organization.

Photo/Film Policy: PPI may take photographs or film the trade show and other areas of the event. By participating in the event, you authorize PPI, without limitation, the right to reproduce, copy, exhibit, publish or distribute any such film or photograph, and waive all rights or claims you may have against PPI and/or any of its Affiliates, Subsidiaries, or Assignees.

Data We Collect: By completing the following event registration form, PPI is collecting your name, email, address, company affiliation, personal preferences and payment information so that PPI can facilitate, process and confirm your registration for the meeting.

Registration Questions/Group Registrations:  If you have any questions, please contact Rebecca Soloway at 202-331-2452 or [email protected].

Hotel Information

Palmer House Hilton
17 East Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: (888) 728-3025
Website: Palmer House Hilton

The group rate is $239 per night plus taxes and fees. Check-in time is 3:00 PM and Check-out time is 11:00 AM.

Self-parking is 54.00/day and Valet Parking is $78.00/day, see here for more parking information.

Book your group rate for PPI 2024 Annual Meeting & Product Showcase

The group rate is available until October 7, 2024. PPI recommends you make your room reservations as early as possible to ensure rooms are available.

Schedule at a Glance

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

  • Committee & Board Meetings
  • Product Showcase Set-up
  • Welcome Reception in Product Showcase

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

  • Product Showcase
  • Past Presidents’ Panel
  •  Technical Education Sessions
  • Grand Reception

Thursday, October 31, 2024

  • President’s Breakfast
  • Door Prizes
  • Adjourn by 11:00 am

Schedule of Events

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Registration & Information

9:00 am – 10:30 am
Manufacturing & Technology Committee Meeting

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Agricultural Research Committee Meeting

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Executive Committee Meeting & Luncheon

12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Product Showcase Set Up Time for Exhibitors

2:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Board of Directors Meeting

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Welcome Reception
Product Showcase Exhibit Hall -  Red Lacquer Room, 4th Floor

Product Showcase “Open” Hours

5:30- 7:00 pm (Tuesday) – Welcome Reception
7:30 – 9:00 am (Wednesday) – Continental Breakfast
Noon – 1:30 pm (Wednesday) – PPI Annual Meeting Luncheon with Keynote

 

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Registration

7:30 am – 9:00 am
Breakfast Buffet
Product Showcase Exhibit Hall - Red Lacquer Room, 4th Floor

8:00 am – 9:00 am
Past PPI Presidents’ Panel:
Industry Insights from Pickled Vegetable Industry Veterans

Featuring:
Bill Bryan, Mt. Olive Pickle Co.
Noah Bass, Best Maid Products
Mike Maney, Fermented Foods Holdings
Max Troyer, Sechler’s Pickles

Moderator:
Pat Hunn, PPI President, 2014-15

9:00 am
Presentation Ceremony
Silver Shadow Award
Presented to Bill Bryan, Mt. Olive Pickle Co.

9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Spouse/Special Guest Tour Event
Haunted History Tour of the Windy City, by Weird Chicago 
Tour departs following breakfast
Registration required

Spooky season is upon us! This hop on hop off tour will alter your perspective of the Windy City. Encompassing ghosts, gangsters and ghouls - this tour is based on more than 25 years of research to expose the underbelly of Chicago.

Explore the history of prohibition in the city, when alcohol was illegal in America, but always flowing in Chicago! Experience the most famous mob murder scene in history! Come expecting the unexpected and join us for a morning you’ll never forget!

The tour will last approximately three hours. The bus will pick up all registered guests from the Palmer House.

9:30 am – 12:00 pm
Concurrent Education Sessions (see track details below)

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Keynote Luncheon
Author Maggie Jackson
Award-winning journalist, and author of Distracted (2008) and Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure (2023)

Red Lacquer Room, 4th Floor

Maggie Jackson explores why we should paradoxically seek uncertainty in an age of flux and angst. With unpredictability rising, from the precarity of work to the “uncertainty shock” of the pandemic, the experience of not-knowing has been neglected as a topic of study until recently.

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Future Leaders Committee Meeting

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Pickling Cucumber Improvement Committee Meeting (PCIC)

“Biosurveillance and disease management for cucurbit downy mildew (Pseudoperonospora cubensis)” 
Mariana Prieto and Lina Quesada-Ocampo, North Carolina State University

“Towards Improved Detection and Management of Phytophthora capsici”
Sarah Cochran and Lina Quesada-Ocampo, North Carolina State University

“The Genetic and Molecular Insights into the Biotic and Abiotic Stress Tolerances in a Cucumber Leaf Color Mutant”
Yiqun Weng, USDA-ARS  University of Wisconsin

“2024 Spore Trapping and Fungicide Trial Results for Downy Mildew in Michigan”
John Spafford and Mary Hausbeck, Michigan State University

“Using the Weather to Determine the Days Between Sprays for Downy Mildew”
John Spafford and Mary Hausbeck, Michigan State University

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Supplier Advisory Committee Meeting

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Grand Reception
Willis Tower
233 South Wacker Drive
(13-minute walk from Palmer House Hotel)

Formerly known as the Sears Tower, Willis Tower, has been an iconic part of the Chicago skyline since 1973. The Grand Reception on the 99th floor of the Tower will begin at sunset, featuring a 360° unobstructed view. Guests will watch Chicago transition into a stunning fall evening while enjoying light bites and drinks. Upon arrival all guests must check-in and present a valid government-issued ID.

Step out on the Ledge:

Guests have the option to add a visit to the Willis Tower Skydeck featuring the jaw dropping Ledge for $35.00 each! Skydeck Chicago is the highest observation deck in the United States. View Chicago from an incomparable vantage point atop the Willis Tower. The Ledge is a glass floor balcony perched 4.3 feet outside of the Tower – only 1.5” of glass separates you and the city below.

Track 1: Manufacturing & Technology Education Session

9:30 am – 10:00 am
Leveraging Constraints to Drive ROI
Caroline Sheehy
Brand Manager, Claussen Pickles, Kraft Heinz

In a post-pandemic world, CPG companies have been experiencing inflationary pressures that are forcing Brands to get creative with limited resources. Like many functions, marketing budgets are coming under increased scrutiny. This means marketing teams need to prove their value through increasingly creative and innovative approaches to spend, campaigns and strategy. Knowing this, Claussen Pickles partnered with Spritz Society - an influencer-founded sparkling cocktail brand - to launch a first of its kind Pickle flavored wine spritz. The first drop sold out in under 72 hours and, over 600 million impressions later, the collaboration was so popular that it is now available year-round in a new, bigger can! While inflation adds another layer of complexity to an already fractured marketing environment, it does offer teams two very clear wins: the opportunity to innovate and the opportunity to leverage data to create efficient use of their marketing budgets.

10:00 am – 10:30 am
Unlocking PR’s True Potential: Driving High-Growth Brands with Strategic Earned Engagement
Catherine Merritt
Spool Marketing

Public Relations (PR) is often overshadowed in the marketing mix, but its role in driving brand growth is critical and frequently underestimated. This talk will demystify PR and its profound impact on high-growth brands, highlighting how it can transition upper-funnel awareness into consideration, purchase, and loyalty. Catherine Merritt, founder and CEO of Spool—named "Disruptive Agency of the Year"—will be sharing insights from her 20+ year career in the food and CPG industry and her experience as a limited partner in several consumer-focused VCs.

Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of PR’s strategic importance, learning how to collaborate with PR agencies and teams to work smarter, not harder for maximum impact. It will explore setting the right goals, moving beyond vanity metrics, and leveraging earned media coverage to fuel sustainable growth. Discover actionable strategies for maximizing PR's impact and driving your brand's success.

10:30 am – 11:00 am
How Manufacturers and Retailers are Addressing the Value Seeking Consumer
Richard Bode
CEO & Managing Partner, Cadent Consulting

Richard’s presentation will include consumer, manufacturer and retailer trends on pricing, volume, definitions of value, how retailers and manufacturers are working to grow via tactics such as promotions, bulk sizes and digital media.  Richard Bode has been working in the consumer packaged goods industry for over 20 years.  He began his career in the early 2000’s at Cannondale Associates, now part of Kantar Retail, which primarily focused on helping manufacturer clients partner more effectively with their retail customers in areas such as category management, trade plans and distribution expansion.  Richard then worked at Kraft Foods for six years in various operating roles in the Cheese & Dairy division.  He joined Cadent Consulting Group in 2014 soon after its inception and is now CEO and a Managing Partner.  Similar to Cannondale Associates, Cadent’s key services include retail strategy and growth plans for manufacturer clients.  Richard brings considerable expertise in how consumer and shopper trends impact manufacturers and retailers.  His clients range from challenger brands to large cap, publicly traded manufacturers.

11:00 am – 11:30 am
Tank Yard Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment
Donald W. Schaffner, Ph.D.
Department Chair, Distinguished Professor, Extension Specialist, Department of Food Science, Rutgers University

Cucumbers may be desalted after fermentation and removal from brine storage, before being finished into various products. While these processes have a long history of safe use, concerns have been raised about the potential microbiological risks associated with fermented cucumbers during and after the desalting process. Dr. Schaffner will provide a brief introduction to the topic of quantitative microbial risk assessment for beginners. He will also explain how this technique can be used to assess and manage food safety risks in the tank yard environment.

11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Regulatory Developments Affecting Pickled Vegetable Manufacturers
Martin Hahn, J.D.
PPI Legal Counsel, Hogan Lovells

Hear PPI Legal Counsel Martin Hahn (Hogan Lovells) provide updates on regulatory matters affecting pickled vegetable manufacturers. This presentation will include an update on PPI position papers on common FDA regulatory questions.

Track 2: Agricultural Research and Education Session

9:30 am – 10:00 am
Cucurbit Downy Mildew: Pathogen Surveillance and Disease Management
Lina M. Quesada-Ocampo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Vegetable Pathology Specialist, North Carolina State University

Dr. Lina Quesada was born in Bogota, Colombia. She obtained B. Sc. degrees in Microbiology and Biology at Universidad de Los Andes and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Michigan State University. Dr. Quesada is currently a Professor, University Faculty Scholar, and Extension Specialist in Vegetable Pathology at NC State University. Dr. Quesada integrates genomics and molecular plant pathology into a research and extension program focused on diseases of vegetable crops.

10:00 am – 10:30 am
Specialty Crop Entomology
Ashley Leach, PhD
Assistant Professor, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University

Dr Leach is broadly interested in optimizing agricultural production systems, including understanding the biology and ecology of these systems and the pest management tactics that can improve their efficiency. (In short, I help kill the bugs that eat your food.) Before I started my time in research, I was in the field working with growers to optimize agricultural production. As a scout and consultant, I helped growers create effective integrated pest management programs for their farm. But this isn’t just a professional goal but a personal one. I grew up in a region where tree fruit production had a massive impact on the cultural tapestry of our community. These experiences in agriculture have shaped my current interests and motivations as an applied entomologist specializing in pest management. I am always looking for new collaborations in agricultural research and extension.

10:30 am – 11:00 am
Sustainable Agriculture: From Marketing to Measurable Progress
Kenny Fahey
President & CEO, Leading Harvest

Leading Harvest provides educational programs and independently audited certification standards to improve sustainability outcomes and create transparency in agriculture.

Sustainable agriculture initiatives are often reduced to splashy headlines and telling nice stories about individual farmers. Brands typically lack an understanding of the complexity and diversity of supply chains, and the potential for measurable impact across these entities. This has led to fragmented sustainability reporting structures and an overall lack of progress on the sector's ambitious sustainability goals. A holistic management-system approach to pursuing sustainability can accelerate brands' impact and progress toward more sustainable outcomes.

The nonprofit Leading Harvest offers a single, clear, and consistent farmland management standard that is applicable across every crop and geography, reducing confusion and administrative burdens while harmonizing the crowded landscape of sustainability certifications. With one universally applicable, third-party audited standard, the organization is cultivating trust and alignment across the entire value chain, from farm to retailer, to accelerate global agricultural sustainability. Although a relatively new organization, over 3 million acres are certified to the Leading Harvest Standard. Leading Harvest’s founding supporters include Nestle, John Deere, and Nutrien, while companies like Lamb Weston, Constellation Brands, and UBS have enrolled significant acres in the program.

11:00 am – 11:30 am
Phytophthora on peppers and pickling cucumbers 
Mary K. Hausbeck. Ph.D.
University Distinguished Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University

Dr. Mary K. Hausbeck is a University Distinguished Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University. She has worked at Michigan State University since 1990 and has statewide extension and research responsibilities in plant pathology of vegetables, greenhouse ornamentals, ginseng, and hop.  Her current research emphasis includes downy mildews and Phytophthora spp.  Her overall program goal is to develop novel and integrated disease management strategies for growers and to train graduate students in plant pathology.

11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Blue Book Services – Helping Feed America for over 100 Years
Lacey Scotthennen
Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Success, Blue Book Services

Join Lacey Scotthennen, Blue Book’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Success, to learn how Blue Book Services can help you manage business risks, connect with trusted suppliers and buyers, and grow your pickle business. Discover how Blue Book’s market insights, credit ratings, and industry connections can give you a competitive edge and ensure your success from farm to table in the ever-evolving produce market. Don't miss this opportunity to strengthen your business and take advantage of all that Blue Book Services has to offer!

Lacey Scotthennen serves as Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Success. Lacey has decades of experience in every facet of the sales process including direct sales, sales operations, sales process simplification, sales automation, post sales implementation, financial management, and customer service. Lacey earned her BA in Financial Management from the University of Saint Thomas and her MBA in Finance and Strategic Management from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Keynote Luncheon
Author Maggie Jackson
Award-winning journalist, and author of Distracted (2008) and Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure (2023)

Red Lacquer Room, 4th Floor

Maggie Jackson explores why we should paradoxically seek uncertainty in an age of flux and angst. With unpredictability rising, from the precarity of work to the “uncertainty shock” of the pandemic, the experience of not-knowing has been neglected as a topic of study until recently.

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Future Leaders Committee Meeting

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Pickling Cucumber Improvement Committee Meeting (PCIC)

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Supplier Advisory Committee Meeting

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Grand Reception
Willis Tower
233 South Wacker Drive
(13-minute walk from Palmer House Hotel)

Formerly known as the Sears Tower, Willis Tower, has been an iconic part of the Chicago skyline since 1973. The Grand Reception on the 99th floor of the Tower will begin at sunset, featuring a 360° unobstructed view. Guests will watch Chicago transition into a stunning fall evening while enjoying light bites and drinks. Upon arrival all guests must check-in and present a valid government-issued ID.

Step out on the Ledge:

Guests have the option to add a visit to the Willis Tower Skydeck featuring the jaw dropping Ledge for $35.00 each! Skydeck Chicago is the highest observation deck in the United States. View Chicago from an incomparable vantage point atop the Willis Tower. The Ledge is a glass floor balcony perched 4.3 feet outside of the Tower – only 1.5” of glass separates you and the city below.

Thursday, October 31, 2024

7:00 am – 10:30 am
Registration Open

8:00 am – 10:30 am
President’s Breakfast

Includes Presentation to Outgoing President, Max Troyer (Sechler’s Pickles)
Plated Breakfast

11:00 am
Door Prizes and Adjourn

Things to Do in Louisville

Click below to explore museums, shopping, and more!

Louisville Tourism Website

The 27 Essential Louisville Restaurants (eater.com)

 

Product Showcase

PPI’s Product Showcase highlights our important industry suppliers. The Product Showcase promises great networking opportunities with more than 250 industry professionals. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Product Showcase Operation Times
Tuesday, Oct. 29, Noon – 4:00 pm – Product Showcase Set-Up Time
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm – Product Showcase Pack Up

Product Showcase “Open” Hours 
Tuesday, Oct. 29, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – Welcome Reception
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 7:30 am – 9:00 am – Continental Breakfast
Wednesday, Oct. 30, Noon – 1:30 pm – PPI Annual Meeting Luncheon with Keynote

Ancillary Rooms

The 2024 PPI Annual Meeting & Product Showcase presents the opportunity to purchase ancillary rooms for the first time in meeting history! These rooms are for PPI members who wish to reserve a private space for business meetings during the event. Rooms will be available from Tuesday, October 29 – Wednesday, October 30 from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. There are only five rooms available on a first-come first-served basis, so PPI recommends you act quickly.

Platinum

Gold

Silver

Bronze