Schedule

Keynote Session: The Tahoe Blue Lifestyle – How we can all Keep Tahoe Blue

Lake Tahoe is a national treasure with a unique combination of unmatched natural beauty, diverse outdoor recreation, world-class entertainment and close proximity to urban centers and international airports. In recent years, Tahoe has seen well over 15 million annual visitors leading to the very real possibility of “loving Lake Tahoe to death”. With no single authority or set of rules to protect Tahoe (i.e. not a National Park) it is up to each and every person who visits or resides at the Lake to do their part to Keep Tahoe Blue. Since 1957 the League to Save Lake Tahoe (a.k.a. Keep Tahoe Blue) has been advocating for protections for the Tahoe Basin that find a balance between environmental conservation and enjoyment of this special place. Find out how everyone can live the Tahoe Blue Lifestyle and ensure we Keep Tahoe Blue now and for future generations to come.

Speaker:

Jesse Patterson, Chief Strategy Officer, League to Save Lake Tahoe

Session 1: Air

Chair: Joan Giuliani, Molson Coors
Co-Chair: Jasmine Sodemann, Gannett Fleming

Engage with food & beverage processors to hear about current air quality issues related to permitting and regulatory compliance. Reductions in major source thresholds in nonattainment areas can drive new requirements for even small or moderately sized facilities. Regulatory compliance changes, like new reasonably available control technology (RACT) rules, may drive the need for chemical replacements or new emission control systems. Regulatory agencies may shift emphasis in the their inspections to include risk management plan (RMP) compliance, regulated refrigerants (ozone depleting substances), or other topics often incorporated into general conditions of a permit. Case studies will provide food & beverage industry experience and results.

Speakers:

Odor Abatement Technologies – An Overview of Applications in Pet Food Manufacturing – Erika Godwin-Saad, Regional Environmental Manager, Mars Petcare US, Inc.

Session 2: Compliance Trends

Chair: Wesley McGhee, Campbells
Co-Chair: Stephanie Richardson, Dontech Industries

Explore what many companies are facing as ever-changing and shifting regulations, and how to comply.  More than simply complying, how are companies becoming aware of forecasted changes, and some of the challenges faced to meet the new criteria.  As climate change and environmental justice become more and more prevalent, expect to see more enforcement and focus on environmental legislation.

Speakers:

Trudi Hughes, CEO and President, California Food Producers

Adam Regele, Senior Policy Advocate, California Chamber of Commerce

Greg Hurner, President, Hurner Government Relations and Advocacy

Ad-hoc Session: Wastewater

Chair: Keith Bailey, Smithfield

Co-Chair: Brian Arntsen, Veolia Water Technologies

Speakers:

Kyle Newton, Environmental Coordinator, Smithfield Foods

Ad-hoc: Sustainability/ESG

Chair: Tom Raymond, Hormel Foods

Co-Chair: Charlie Quann, The Antea Group

Pressure is mounting on companies up and down the value chain to take decisive action to combat climate change. Join us to learn about new greenhouse gas regulations and get your questions answered as we discuss proposed GHG regulations, adoption of science-based targets, and how these factors impact operations at the facility level. A substantial portion of this ad-hoc will be reserved for audience questions and answers from the panel.

Speakers:

Kevin Rotsching, Senior Director, Environmental Management, Treehouse Foods

Tom Raymond, Director of Environmental Sustainability, Hormel Foods

Charlie Quann, Climate Change Advisory Lead and Senior Project Manager, Antea Group

Dinner and Session 4: Enforcement Horror Stories

Chair: Josh Milleson, Land O’Lakes
Co-Chairs: Jeff VanVoorhis, Symbiont

As dinner entertainment on the first night, food industry professionals share their experiences dealing with the good, bad, and often ugly aspects of environmental compliance. Stories of spills, EPA raids, misappropriation of resources and construction nightmares have all surfaced in the past. Always relatable, rarely anticipated; it’s a fun night!

Speakers

The Never Ending Story – Patrick Tieg, Senior Project Engineer, Johnsonville Sausage

Laboratory Horror Stories – Gary Yakub, Senior Quality Assurance Chemist Environmental Standards, Inc.

Session 5: Food Waste

Chair: Alyssa Hamill, Smithfield Foods
Co-Chair: Houston Flippin, Brown and Caldwell

Organic Waste Diversion: Challenges and Opportunities – Wesley McGhee, Corporate Environmental Engineer, Campbell’s and Dan Moccia-Field, National Recycling Director, Northstar Recycling

Scaling Organics Recycling Technology to Address Climate Change – James Osborne, VP of Operations, The Coastal Companies – A Sysco Group and Shawn Kreloff, Founder, CEO, Bioenergy Devco

Food waste recycling & renewable energy production – a proven sustainable solution – Dan Hagen, WM Organic Recycling, Director of Business Development, Food Waste Solutions and HelloFresh

Session 6: Sustainability

Chair: Katelyn Gonzalez, Idahoan Foods

Co-Chair: Katie Jeziorski, Trinity Consultants

Session 7: Water Conservation

Chair: Dennis Leikam, Idahoan
Co-Chair: Stephanie Richardson, Dontech Industries

Join us for a discussion of the hottest topics on water conservation.  Learn about the latest in efforts on direct potable reuse (DPR), tools for the correct pricing of water so you can get the capital dollars needed to conserve water, and some practical floor level advice.

Speakers:

Chobani Addresses Water Supply Limitations through Conservation, Innovative Treatment and Reuse– Beau Lewis, Senior Utilities and Facility Manager, Chobani

Ad Hoc: Establishing enterprise-wide environmental compliance and sustainability standards

Chair: Ian Toevs, Lamb Weston, Inc.

Co-Chair: Ann Marie Gathright, Environmental Standards 

Speaker:

Kevin Sobnosky, Sr. Global EHS Director – Environmental, PepsiCo

Ad-hoc Session: Stormwater

Chair: Robert Zimmerman, Campbell Soup Company

Co-Chair: Bill Kohl, Hyperion Water Technology

Anticipating changing stormwater management requirements and options for addressing treatment costs and liabilities.

Session 8: Renewable Natural Gas

Chair: Mark Ritsema, JBS Foods 

Co-Chair: Bernie Sheff, Montrose Environmental Group

Speakers:

Mike Land, Managing Partner, Virentis Advisors

Jody Anderson, Executive VP, Operations, NLC Energy

Session 9: Refrigeration

Chair: Matt Gabris, 2023 FBEC Conference Chair

Explore what food and beverage companies are doing to effectively manage their ammonia refrigeration system(s) from a mechanical, administrative, emergency preparedness and efficiency perspective.  Yes, a lot in one session for the most efficient and eco-friendly refrigerant on earth!

Session 10: Wastewater

Chair: Mark Colstrom, Hormel

Co-Chair: Justin Olson, World Water Works

Session 11: Hazardous & Regulated Waste

Co-Chair: Brian Kardos, Gannet Fleming

Session 12 USEPA WRAP Action 5.7

Chair: Paul Bowen, Chair Emeritus – Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (A technical coalition of leading global beverage companies working together to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector)

Co-Chair: Peter Capponi, GHD Services Inc.

Water Reuse in the Beverage Industry represents significant sustainability opportunities and risk mitigation.  In addition to meeting Sustainability and ESG Goals in a water intensive business there is also opportunity for cost savings. Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP) Action 5.7  was created to Identify Water Reuse Opportunities in the Beverage Industry. This Action is part of the USEPA Water Reuse Program whose mission is expand water reuse knowledge and incorporate water reuse as apart of a national resilient water strategy and the linked National WRAP that enables multistakeholder collaborations, technology development and tools and resources. The goals of WRAP Action 5.7 are to develop a white paper and associated action plan to further reuse. To complete these goals a series of meetings of food and beverage manufactures, water non-profits, regulatory bodies, technology companies and other stakeholders will be held to evaluate the opportunities and barriers to water reuse. Detailed evaluations of Regulatory, Treatment/Technology and Stakeholder issues are on-going as critical inputs to the white paper, including inputs from USEPA, Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Water Environment Foundation (WEF), WateReuse and others. This session represents and opportunity for attendees to provide input and then feedback on each of these primary topical areas and to be directly part of the white paper and the findings.