Mike Scott, consultant and president of Mike Scott and Associates, will keynote the conference, showing attendees how to harness accountability in order to increase productivity and grow their businesses. Scott’s 90-minute presentation will include training on how to create an organizational culture of accountability as well as communication techniques that help to decrease errors, mistakes and rework. It will also help attendees to step up as leaders and ask the right questions when someone in their organization is not accountable.
 
Attendees will also hear from Linda Massman, president and CEO of Clearwater Paper Corp., who will share her leadership philosophy. Later, Ryan MacFarlane of the Federal Bureau of Investigations will show attendees how to safeguard their organizations from cyber security threats. Other speakers include Donna Harman, president and CEO of the American Forest & Paper Association; Jeff Rosensweig, economist and professor at Emory University; and Tom Oris, director of procurement at Wyandot Snacks.
 
“I’m thrilled with the roster of speakers for Fall Meeting,” said Ben Markens, PPC president. “By presenting a broad range of pertinent topics—from accountability to ever-evolving cyber security threats—the meeting content should help attendees to be informed and dynamic leaders.”
 
The conference will not only help industry leaders grow, it will also celebrate the outstanding work the industry has carried out over the past year—much of which was entered into the 2017
North American Paperboard Packaging Competition. During a formal banquet and awards ceremony, each of the 130 entries will be showcased, and the top award winners will be revealed. Some of these include Folding Carton of the Year, Rigid Box of the year and the highest honor, Paperboard Package of the Year.
 
The following morning, the conference will close with a special panel discussion featuring some of the manufacturers and designers of the winning packages. In this collaborative learning session, the winners will address the ways in which they approached their customers’ objectives as well as the manufacturing challenges they overcame. An open dialogue between the panelists and audience will help the industry as a whole to reflect upon and overcome collective challenges in design and manufacturing.
 
“At the heart of PPC is community, and our conferences allow that community to come together in person to address wins, challenges and shared experiences,” said Markens. “I’m looking forward to seeing the association truly come to life this fall in Scottsdale.”
 
The three-day conference will take place at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa. For more information, visit paperbox.org/fall.