NASF Washington Forum is April 4-6

The National Association for Surface Finishing is hosting its annual Washington Forum from April 4-6 at the Ritz Carlton in Pentagon City, VA.

Amy WalterThe Forum includes presentations and briefings from national and global experts on pertinent policy, technical, regulatory, and management issues impacting the surface finishing industry, including environmental regulatory issues, labor and workplace trends, tax policy, economic outlooks, supply chain challenges, globally regulatory developments, and political and election outlooks.

Recent speakers at the Forum have included the Honorable Tom Ridge, former Republican Governor of Pennsylvania and the first Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush; Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), Corey Lewandowski, former Campaign Manager for President Donald Trump, and Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report.

In addition, Washington Forum Participants also have the option during the event to meet with their own congressional representatives and staff to educate them about the importance and impact of the surface finishing industry, the challenges facing companies, and specific policy priorities of concern.

Visit https://nasf.org/events/washington-forum/ for additional information.

This year’s NASF Washington Forum schedule includes:

Monday, April 4

8:00 – 5:00: NASF Board of Directors Meeting – Ritz Carlton
6:00 – 8:00: NASF Forum Welcome Reception – Ritz Carlton

Tuesday, April 5

8:00 – 8:15: Opening Remarks; Jeff Brassard, Palm International, NASF President, and Rick Delawder, SWD Inc., Chairman of the NASF Government Advisory Committee
8:15 – 8:30: NASF Update: The Industry Agenda; Christian Richter, The Policy Group
8:30 – 9:30: Morning Keynote: The U.S. Congress, White House & Outlook for the 2020 Elections; Jake Sherman, Founder, Punchbowl News
9:30 – 10:15: U.S. Trade Policy and the Manufacturing Supply Chain: Outlook for 2022; Jeff Weiss, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson, LLP
10:30 – 11:15: Automotive & Supply Chain: Emerging Issues in Washington; Catherine Boland, Motor Equipment Manufacturers Association
11:15 – Noon: EPA’s PFAS Effluent Guidelines for Surface Finishing: Rulemaking Status and Update; Dr. Philip Flanders, EPA Office of Water
Noon – 1:30: Keynote Lunch: Washington Outlook: Amy Walter, National Editor of The Cook PoliticalReport
1:45 – 2:30: Labor and Workplace Policy: Recent Actions and Top Trends for Employers; Marc Freedman, Vice President of Employment Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
2:30 – 3:30: Department of Defense: Key Programs and Initiatives Impacting Surface Finishing; Robin Nissan, Program Manager, Strategic Environmental Research and Dev Program; Robert Herron, Director of Corrosion Policy and Oversight; and Michael Chipley, Cyber Security, and Information Systems Information Analysis Center
3:45 – 4:15: Sustainability, Surface Finishing, and Automotive: NASF, EPA, and Automotive Industry Collaboration on Transitioning the Supply Chain (Hexavalent Chromium Initiative); Julia Rege, Automotive Alliance for Innovation (invited)
4:15 – 5:00: U.S. Department of Commerce: Recent Initiatives for U.S. Manufacturing and Competitiveness; Gary Stanley, Director, Office of Materials Industries, Department of Commerce (invited); and Salim Bhabhrwala, Critical Minerals Sector Lead, Department of Commerce (invited)
5:15 – 5:45: Congressional Meetings: Preparing for Meetings for Capitol Hill (Optional)
6:00 – 8:00: NASF Forum Reception at the Ritz Carlton