51st Annual Meeting Presentations
51st Annual Meeting
The Hilton Uptown Hotel
Charlotte, NC
October 4-6, 2022
Our 51st Annual Meeting was another RECORD BREAKING attendance with a final count of 205 participants which was an increase of 18% over the previous record of 174 participants set in 2021. We also had a record participation by 24 first-timer and non-member registrants.
This year is all about dealing with the effects of the pandemic like labor, driver, trucking, equipment and supply chain shortages and also rising costs, rampant inflation and changing cosumer lifestyles.
Presentation RecordingsBelow is a copy of the program schedule for the Charlotte meeting with links to PDF copies of available presentation decks and audio recordings of each session. Click on the links to download a copy of the files.
51st MSC Annual Meeting
Program Schedule
Tuesday, October 4
| 1:30p-2:30pm* | MSC Certification Committee Meeting— Members in good standing are welcomed to participate in the committee meeting as observers. |
| 2:45p-3:45p* | Standards Committee Meeting— Members in good standing are welcomed to participate in the committee meeting as observers. |
| 4:00p-5:00p* | Transportation Committee Meeting— Members in good standing are welcomed to participate in the committee meeting as observers. |
| * Committees and meeting times may vary on site. | |
| 5:00p-6:30p | MEET THE MSC BOARD of DIRECTORS — Join the MSC Board of Directors for informal talks over cocktails as they share information on the programs and activities of the Council and the industry. Sponsored by: nVenia |
6:30p | Dinner On Your Own |
Wednesday, October 5
| 8:00a-12:00p | Board of Directors Meeting — Members in good standing are welcomed to participate in the Board meeting as observers. |
| 1:00p-1:30p | Official Opening and Welcome — Hear from MSC President Jim Weber, Program Chair Joe Ertel, Legal Counsel John Hazard and Executive Director Robert LaGasse as we invite you to join us for the start of the 51st MSC Annual Meeting. Download Audio of MSC 51st Annual Meeting Welcome Download PDF of MSC 51st Annual Meeting Welcome Program |
| 1:30p-2:30p | Crow Political Report — With only a month before the critically important mid-term elections, join us as MSC Legislative Representative DAVID CROW presents our annual update on the state of politics and his state and national election predictions. Speaker: David Crow, D.C. Legislative & Regulatory Services Download Audio of THE CROW REPORT |
| 2:30p-3:00p | Snack Break – Sponsored By: Komptech Americas |
| 3:00p-4:30p | 51st MSC Annual Membership Meeting — Hear reports from MSC leadership and committees, elect Council directors and discuss MSC programs and activities as they may impact your business and the industry. Moderator: Robert LaGasse, MSC Executive Director. Download Audio of MSC 51st Annual Membership MeetingDownload PDF of MSC 51st Annual Membership Meeting |
4:30p - 7:00p | Opening Reception & Affiliate Member Displays — Join us to meet with old friends and new members over cocktails and hors d'oeuvres while visiting with the industry's leading suppliers and vendors. Sponsored By: Vermeer |
Thursday, October 6
| 8:30a-9:00a | Morning Coffee — Sponsored By Chromascape, LLC |
| 9:00a-10:00a | Women in Our Industry: Hear from a panel of women from MSC member companies on topics
like recruitment, hiring and retention of a relatively untapped pool of candidates in our industry. In today’s tight labor market, reaching a new demographic can help lead to more applicants for your open positions. Moderator: Joe Ertel, Annual Meeting Program Chair; Panelists: Katie Blaylock, New Earth Compost; Briana Gray, The Scotts Company; Tonya Berg Kitzmiller, Grant County Mulch. |
| 10:00a-10:30a | Break — Sponsored by Loadscan, LTD |
| 10:30a-11:30a | New Ways To Recruit & Retain the Next Generations - Finding and keeping good employees is certainly top of mind. Low unemployment and record-high quit rates makes this labor market unlike any we have seen. With employers struggling to add to their workforce, there is temptation to focus solely on hiring and let retention efforts slip. It is time to revamp the approach! Paula will introduce new methods for recruiting to gain the attention of the Millennial and Gen Y generations, share innovative ideas for hiring and inspire you to think differently on strategies to retain good employees. Speaker: Dr. Cabot Jaffee, AlignMark/strong> |
| 11:30p-2:00p | Current Challenges and Opportunities in the Growing Media Industry The growing media industry — both retail and professional — is facing unprecedented demand, growth, popularity, and significance both domestically and globally. As the global demand for soilless substrates is projected to increase over 400% in the coming decades, coupled with transportation and supply chain uncertainties, future peat supply instability, sustainability concerns, and new growing markets for substrates, we find ourselves facing many unique challenges and opportunities, many of which will be highlighted in this presentation. Speaker: Dr. Brian Jackson, Professor & Director, Horticultural Substrates Lab at North Carolina State University Download Audio of Keynote: Current Changes & Opportunities in the Growing Media IndustryDownload PDF of Keynote: Current Changes & Opportunities in the Growing Media Industry |
| 2:00p-3:00p | Taking Charge of your Business Insurance Program & Costs – This session is all about looking at your facility from an underwriters standpoint and making it more insurable (basically tips from an underwriter): Making the underwriter comfortable so you will receive more credits thus a lower rate. Speaker: Kevin Mershimer, The Horton Group Download Audio of Taking Charge of your Business Insurance Program & Costs PresentationDownload PDF of Taking Charge of your Business Insurance Program & Costs Presentation |
| 3:00p-3:30p | Break — Sponsored By: ProAmpac |
| 3:30p-4:30p | Fire Safety: Solving Today’s Double Threat — Losing buildings or equipment is bad enough, but not having replacements due to supply chain issues can make fire a double loss for production time and equipment. Combining proven tech with new protection systems can save valuable assets and minimize downtime. Speaker: Rick Saar, AKE Safety Equipment Download Audio of Fire Safety PresentationDownload PDF of Fire Safety Presentation |
4:30p-6:00p | President's Reception – Join us for our closing event as the President’s Reception gives participants the opportunity to recap the bounty of information presented at the meeting and say goodbye to old and new friends before returning home reenergized. Sponsored By: Social Marks Media |
| 6:00p | Meeting Ends |
Annual Meeting Program Presentations
2024 - San Antonio, TX
2023 - Savannah, GA
2022 - Charlotte, NC
2021 - Memphis, TN
2019 - San Antonio, TX
2018 - Charleston, SC
2017 - Nashville, TN
2016 - New Orleans, LA
2015 - Orlando, FL
2014 - San Antonio, TX
2013 - New Orleans, LA
2012 - Atlanta, GA
2011 - Chicago, IL
2010 - Dallas, TX
Document Archive
Newsletter Archive
Advisory Bulletins
Current Issues
Legislative Monitoring
BCAP
Cypress Mulch
Weights & Measures
Password Edit
Forgot Password