FEATURE

By Karen Parker, editor-in-chief, ASI

Top executives in the adhesive and sealant industry will gather in South Carolina to network with peers and learn new ways to navigate current challenges.

The adhesive and sealant industry’s top executives will gather at the Wild Dunes Resort, Sweetgrass Inn, Isle of Palms, South Carolina, October 21–23, to network with peers and hear from thought provoking speakers. The event’s theme, "Navigating Through Change, Driving Success," promises presentations that will help industry executives successfully lead their organizations through changes faced by the adhesives and sealants industry.

In discussing the theme of this year’s conference, Bill Allmond, president of the ASC, explained, "The theme this year is 'Navigating Through Change, Driving Success.' It speaks to the uncertain times we still live in and the tools members need to navigate their companies through them to drive success. The purpose of our annual executive leadership conference is to address challenges our industry faces, discuss them as industry leaders, and come out of it better prepared for 2025 and beyond."

The conference will include a meeting of the ASC Board of Directors on Monday afternoon, followed by an opening reception and dinner that evening from 7:00 to 9:30. A meet-and-greet event for spouses and guests will also take place on Monday from 6:30 to 7:00.

Tuesday promises a full day of presentations and activities. Cassi Chandler, motivational leadership expert and the FBI's first African American female special agent assistant director, will give the keynote address. Chandler’s presentation, titled "Building the Human for Tomorrow," will discuss strategies leaders can implement to address the challenges posed by technological advances. She will offer ways to address those challenges as companies move toward the future of work.

Following Chandler’s address, Dr. Yves Gorat Stommel, head of IT Data & Analytics, F-IT-DA, Evonik Industries AG, will give a presentation titled "Artificial Intelligence in the Chemical Industry — What, Why, and How?" He will demystify concepts of data science, machine learning, deep learning, artificial intelligence, and generative AI and will explore their relevance for the chemical industry. The presentation will help attendees understand how to fully harness these technologies. The final presentation on Tuesday morning will be given by Andy Hinz, managing director at Grace Matthews, who will talk about mergers and acquisitions in the adhesives and sealants industry. Hinz will share examples of how mergers and acquisitions strategies have evolved and will discuss what the future may hold for the industry.

The afternoon session on Tuesday will begin with a presentation by Diane Thielfoldt, learning strategist and co-founder of The Learning Café. Thielfoldt’s presentation will explore the strides made to foster collaboration between generations. It will also outline generational distinctions that continue to influence workstyles and preferences and the differences in perspectives on leadership within the various generations. Following Thielfoldt, Kasey Correnti and David Wylie, vice presidents at Newry Corp., will speak on leveraging generative AI to help increase growth and innovation. The presentation will highlight how large-language models can help to drive innovation and efficiency, speeding up the execution of ideas. They will present a case study on using large-language models to enhance decision making. Newry is sponsoring a team building and networking cornhole tournament, which will take place from 3:30 to 5:30 in the afternoon.

The evening will feature the Chair’s Reception and Dinner, which will include the annual presentation of the newest inductees into the ASC’s Hall of Fame. Attendees and guests are invited to attend the reception and dinner.

Wednesday will include presentations from Pernille Lind Olsen, president, Henkel North America; Dr. Kevin Swift, managing director at Swift Economics LLC; and Lisa Anderson, president of LMA Consulting Group, Inc. Swift will discuss the performance of the U.S. economy and the global economy, as well as what to expect in the future. He will look at prospects for building and construction, automotive, and other OEM and consumer markets. Anderson will discuss supply chain megatrends and explain what these megatrends will mean for the future.

Activities offered during the conference include morning yoga classes from 6:15 to 7:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday, a carriage tour of downtown Charleston on Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for spouses and guests, a guided walking tour of the historic streets of Charleston by a licensed city guide on Wednesday afternoon, and golf at the Harbor Course at Wild Dunes, also on Wednesday afternoon.