Education Sessions

Thursday, March 13, 10:15 AM - 11:45 AM

Get ready for an inspiring and transformative session with TIGNUM, the global leader in Sustainable Human Performance.

Join us as we dive deep into the essential elements of building Personal Readiness and mastering your impact in today’s demanding world. Discover the keys to cultivating authentic self-belief, harnessing your energy, and designing a performance mindset that propels you to success.

Through engaging discussions and practical strategies, you’ll learn to overcome mindset killers, optimize your critical moments, and develop a personal system that ensures you end each day with clarity and purpose. This is more than just a session—it’s an opportunity to embark on a journey toward inner excellence.

Jeff Case is a Performance Specialist for TIGNUM. He is responsible for delivering and supporting TIGNUM programs. His role includes coaching top senior executives, as well as delivering TIGNUM programs around the globe. Jeff's professional background includes 35 years in the Fire Service with over 18 years at the Executive Chief Officer level, providing strategic level leadership and advancement of the Fire Service as a national presenter and innovator. 

Navigating Fastener Compliance Regulations

Carmen Vertullo, Carver Labs
Darlene Collis, LindFast Solutions Group

Thursday, March 13, 1:30 - 2:45 PM

*This session is free to all registered conference or tabletop show attendees.

You have likely been dealing with compliance regulations as such as DFAR, RoHS, and REACH for a while, but how about EPA, TSCA, PFAS, POP, or CBAM?

In this session, Carmen Vertullo and Darlene Collis will help you sort out how to know if your products and processes are in compliance, how to ask your vendors for compliance, and how to stop wasting time on compliance issues that don’t matter.

We will cover the most common compliance requirements, some of the odd ones, and some of the new ones. You will also learn how your Quality Management System (QMS) can be the most powerful tool in your compliance strategy.

If you have a compliance problem or question, submit in advance to [email protected].

Carmen Vertullo is NOT a compliance professional or an attorney, but he has been assisting fastener industry clients with compliance request processing for over 20 years. He established fastener testing laboratories and fastener test methods and sits on fastener technical committees at ASTM, ASME, ISO, and RCSC. He has trained our nation’s defense professionals at naval nuclear reactors, the US Army Helicopter Engine Aviation Engineering Directorate, the Pantex plant (the primary United States nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility), as well as countless OEMs, fastener suppliers, fastener manufacturers, and secondary processors. 

Darlene Collis, the Vice President of Quality for Lindfast Solutions Group has over 25 years in the fastener industry working both in quality and sales development. She is a Certified Fastener Specialist and is involved in standards development through membership in the ASTM F16 Fastener Committee, ASTM B08 Metallic & Inorganic Coatings Committee, ASME B18 Committee, and is Vice Chair of the US TAG to ISO/TC 2SC 14 Surface Coatings Committee. Darlene is also involved in Carmen Vertullo's Fastener Experts Group.

Economic Outlook for 2025

Dr. Chris Thornberg, Beacon Economics
Friday, March 14, 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Dr. Christopher Thornberg, a renowned economist and founder of Beacon Economics, presents his highly anticipated data-rich outlook for 2025. Attendees will gain insight into key economic indicators, such as commercial and residential real estate markets, employment trends, labor costs, consumer spending, international trade, policy implications, and population decline. The presentation will also focus on the leading risks facing the economy including ideologically driven political dysfunction that occurs when pervasive narratives diverge from economic realities.

Christopher Thornberg has been called many things throughout his career, but his favorite thing to be called is correct. A renowned economist with deep expertise in economic and revenue forecasting, regional economics, economic policy, and labor and real estate markets, Dr. Thornberg has consulted globally for private industry, cities, counties, and public agencies.