2023 Annual Meeting & Product Showcase

Registration

Registration is closed. If you have any questions about registration please contact Tye Thorpe at [email protected].

REGISTRATION FEES

Registration Type	By Oct 2	After Oct 2
First Registrant (Member)	$750	$800
Additional (2-7) Registrant (Member)	$650	$700
8th Registrant and Above (member)	$350	$400
Spouse/University Researcher	$200	$250
Non-member	$1,300	$1,350
Optional Spouse/Guest Austin Tour	$25

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Advance Registration Deadline: Monday October 2, 2023

Registration Cancellation Policy: A processing fee of $100 will apply for registrations cancelled after a registration has been processed. Registrations canceled after October 2 will be charged for 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? Please reach out to Tye Thorpe at (202) 293-5800 or [email protected]

Hotel Information

Austin Marriott Downtown
304 East Cesar Chavez Street,
Austin, TX, 78701
Phone: +1 512 457 1111
Website: http://austinmarriottdowntown.com/

RESERVE YOUR ROOM

Room Rate
The group room rate is $250 per night, plus tax, single/double occupancy.

The group room rate is available until Monday, October 9, based on availability. PPI recommends you make your room reservations as early as possible to ensure rooms are available

Transportation Information
The closest airport is Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), approximately 6.5 miles from the hotel.

https://www.austintexas.gov/airport

Parking at the hotel is valet at a daily rate of $59

Tuesday October 31, 2023

7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Registration Desk Open

7:30 am – 9:00 am
Breakfast Session:
Pickle Industry Community Engagement: Inspiring Examples from PPI Members
Featuring:
Noah Bass, Best Maid Products, Ft. Worth, Texas
Mike Sicinski & Niki Toscani, Fishtown Pickle Project, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Lynn Williams, Mt. Olive Pickle Co., Mt. Olive, North Carolina

Moderator: Matt Lauria, American International Foods Inc.

9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Breakfast and Tour for Spouses & Guests: The Real Austin Tour (Registration required)
Discover the best of the city in just two hours! This fast-paced “bucket list” tour gives visitors a great snapshot of Austin: get dizzy gazing upward at the Capitol’s dome, indulge in a decadent treat from a local Austin eatery, explore cool outdoor art, snap photos at city landmarks, and check out funky neighborhoods only a local would know about. This tour is jam-packed with facts, history, and trivia on everything from Whole Foods to the UT campus.

9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Concurrent Technical Sessions (Attendees may select either/both sessions)

Track 1: Agricultural Research Education Session

9:00 am – 9:30 am
Development of Novel Fruit Quality and Disease Resistance Traits in Pickling Peppers
Kevin Crosby, PhD
Professor, Texas A&M University

Kevin Crosby will discuss efforts to identify and exploit novel trait from diverse pepper germplasm to develop superior cultivars of jalapeno and other hot peppers suitable for pickling. The traits include resistance to new strains of TSWV, improved flavonoids and other antioxidants, more vigorous root systems with resistance to soilborne pathogens and improved drought stress tolerance. This presentation will also address novel insect resistance traits to reduce pesticide applications and improve production in organic systems.

9:30 am – 10:00 am
Cucumbers and Commercial Pesticide Products
Juan R. Anciso, PhD
Professor and Extension Specialist , Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Juan R. Anciso, Ph.D. is an Extension Vegetable Specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and a Professor with the Texas A&M University System. Dr. Anciso’s area of research and extension education is vegetable pest management, vegetable production and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).

10:00 am – 10:30 am
Research Advances in Controlling Downy Mildew
Mary Hausbeck, PhD
Professor, Department of Plant, Soil & Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University

Mary Hausbeck will discuss her current findings on downy mildew and share the latest grower recommendations for limiting its effects. Mary will provide detailed recommendations for protecting your crop from this costly and devastating disease.

10:30 am – 11:00 am
Texas Agriculture: Everything Really is Bigger in Texas
Carter D. Keating
Founder & Executive Director, Texas Agriculture Commission

Texas has more farms and ranches than any other state in the country. The farmers and ranchers that run those operations contribute billions to the national economy and feed millions around the world each year. During this presentation, we'll look at the people, products, and places that make Texas agriculture one of the largest and most diverse agriculture industries in the nation.

Track 2: Manufacturing & Technology Education Session

9:30 am – 10:00 am
Processing Fermented Peppers
Nancy C. Flores, PhD
Extension Food Technology Specialist, College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University

Nancy C. Flores, a NMSU Alumni (Animal Science, 1988), has directed the Extension Food Technology program since 2001. Food producers receive assistance on food regulations and with services such as process review of acidified foods and analysis for nutritional labeling and FDA required certification bilingual trainings to ensure food safety. Food processors receive direct technical assistance for product development, labeling and marketing of new food products.

Dr. Flores is involved in several research projects providing economic opportunity with such novel product as edible films from chile seeds and peels, extruded snacks from cottonseed, preserved Jujube fruit, and consumer food preservation methods. Additionally, Dr. Flores directs a team of undergraduate and graduate students in research food projects and developed educational online digital tools, “GMP food safety training program” posted on NMSU OnDemand.

10:00 am – 10:30 am
Legal & Regulatory Issues Update for Pickle Manufacturers
Martin Hahn, JD, PPI Legal Counsel, Hogan Lovells , Washington, DC

Martin Hahn will highlight current legal and regulatory challenges facing pickle manufacturers.

10:30 am – 11:00 am
Getting Started with Corporate Sustainability
A.J. Miller, Director of Marketing
Silgan Closures, Downers Grove, Illinois

Everyone from investors to consumers is looking for businesses to be good to the environment.  This presentation will highlight areas a company can improve ESG (Environment, Social, Governance).  This is not content for sustainable agriculture or farming.  Rather, it is about Science Based Targets, the difference between scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, and how a company can get started on basic initiatives.

11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Packaging and Design Innovations
Hannah Chapman
Interact Brands, Austin, Texas

Hannah Chapman is a Design Director at Interact Brands, a branding and design firm with a keen focus on the food and beverage industry. Hannah has spent almost a decade working with CPG, D2C & Retail brands across a multitude of industries and has been both brand side and agency side. She has helped build brand foundations, scale operations, and expand creative marketing across multi-channels. Hannah’s worked with freshly seeded startups up to multi-million dollar companies, understanding the different growing pains through a brands life cycle. Her preferred pickle is Bread and Butter, but if we’re really being honest, nothing beats pickled okra.

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Annual Meeting Luncheon
Guest speaker: Michael Easter
Author of The Comfort Zone & Contributing Editor at Men’s Health

Michael Easter is the author of The Comfort Crisis, a contributing editor at Men’s Health magazine, columnist for Outside magazine, and professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). His work has appeared in over sixty countries and can also be found in Men’s Journal, New York, Vice, Scientific American, Esquire, and others. He is the co- founder and co-director of the Public Communications Institute, a think tank at UNLV that conducts science communications research and helps public and private organizations adapt complex messaging for a general audience. He’s spoken to or consulted for various top-tier universities, medical schools, Fortune-500 companies, government agencies, and some of the country’s largest nonprofits. He lives in Las Vegas on the edge of the desert with his wife and two dogs.

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

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Supplier Advisory Committee Meeting

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Grand Reception
Banger’s Sausage House
79 Rainey Street
Come experience Halloween in Austin! (costumes optional)

Wednesday November 1, 2023

7:00 am – 12:00 pm
Registration Desk Open

8:00 am – 10:30 am
President’s Breakfast
PPI President Phil Denlinger, Mt. Olive Pickle Co.

8:30 am
President’s Report
Recognition of PPI President Phil Denlinger, Mt. Olive Pickle Company.

9:00 am – 9:45 am
Using the Power of Digital to Drive Pickle Sales
Ed Zimmerman, Founder
The Food Connector, San Rafael, California

This presentation will review the current state of the industry, discuss consumer trends around pickled vegetables, and explore digital options to cost effectively educate and influence demand.

10:00 am
Door Prizes and Meeting Adjourns