General Information

MSCI 2018 Safety Conference in Conjunction with NSC
Crowne Plaza Houston Near Reliant – Medical
Houston, TX
Wednesday, October 24 – Thursday, October 25

Download this Event to Your Calendar

MSCI Conference APP for iPhones & Androids

If you have an iPhone, MSCI has a convenient Conference App which will provide you with all the details of the conference, speakers, current attendance list, session room locations, property maps and other helpful information.  Go to the App Store and search for MSCI.  If you have an Android phone, go to Google Play to download our app.

What to Wear

What to Wear
Conference attire is business casual.  This includes khaki slacks, polo-style shirts, or sweaters for the gentlemen; slacks, skirts, polo-style shirts, blouses, or sweaters for the ladies. Remember meeting room temperatures and personal comfort zones vary widely. It is recommended that you bring a sweater or jacket to the sessions.

While planning your wardrobe, please remember that Houston’s average high and low temperatures in late October are 79° high and 58° low.

Questions or Assistance

For questions or assistance, contact:

Briana Dee
Senior Membership and Events Coordinator
(847) 485-3021–bdee@msci.org

Bronko Jazvac
Director Health & Safety and Canadian Division
(847) 485-3012 – bjazvac@msci.org

Conference Registration

Your registration fee covers access to the National Safety Council’s Expo either on Tuesday or Wednesday, lunch and dinner on Wednesday and breakfast, lunch and dinner on Thursday and refreshments. You will also receive a link to be allowed access to presentations from the meeting – an invaluable resource.

Member Pricing
Member pricing is for employees of MSCI member companies.

Register on or before September 20: $1,295
Register after September 20: $1,495

Group Discounts
This pricing applies to the third or more professionals from the same company and is only available to MSCI members.

Register on or before September 20: $1,095
Register after September 20: $1,295

Non-Member Pricing
Check your company membership status here. Interested in becoming a member and saving $600 or more? Learn more about membership here.

Registration Fee: $2,295

Schedule

Building a Safer Workplace: The MSCI/NSC Congress & Expo Partnership

MSCI is, once again, proud to partner and collocate the MSCI Safety Conference with the 2018 NSC Congress and Expo. The National Safety Council Congress & Expo is the world’s largest annual safety event bringing together more than 14,000 safety, health and environmental professionals. Make the most of your travel and time by adding safety certification classes to your itinerary— all while attending MSCI’s Safety Conference, the only metals industry specific safety event offered. Arrive early and take advantage of access to 125+ educational technical sessions and one- to four-day professional development seminars.

NSC is offering MSCI a discounted rate of 20% off Full Congress & Expo registration at the time of registration. Full Congress & Expo registration includes Opening Session, Keynotes, Technical Sessions, NSC Learning Lab Sessions and access to the Expo floor for three days. Please note, registration for the 2018 NSC Congress and Expo is separate from MSCI. To receive the discounted rates use the following discount code:  20MSCI55.  Registration for NSC’s Congress and Expo has to be accessed by clicking here.

For complimentary access to ONLY NSC’s Expo on either Tuesday or Wednesday, once registered for MSCI’s Safety Conference, a promo code will be in the e-mail confirmation.

Visit the 2018 NSC Congress & Expo website for complete details and for a listing of safety related education offerings and list of exhibitors, reference the NSC Expo & Congress brochure.

 

Tuesday, October 23

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

9:30 am – 4:00 pm 
NSC Expo  – ONE day access complimentary to MSCI members with an MSCI Safety Conference registration.  Please note, registration to NSC’s Expo ONLY is separate from MSCI’s Safety Conference.  To register for a Tuesday NSC Expo pass, look for the promo code in your MSCI Safety Conference registration confirmation e-mail or contact Briana Dee at 847-485-3021.

 

Wednesday, October 24

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

9:30 am – 1:00 pm
NSC Expo  – ONE day access complimentary to MSCI members with an MSCI Safety Conference registration.  Please note, registration to NSC’s Expo ONLY is separate from MSCI’s Safety Conference.  To register for a Wednesday NSC Expo pass, look for the promo code in your MSCI Safety Conference registration confirmation e-mail or contact Briana Dee at 847-485-3021.  PLEASE NOTE:  MSCI’s Safety Conference begins at 12:00pm starting with lunch.  Please plan appropriately and allow enough time to travel from the NSC Expo to the MSCI Safety Conference.

10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Registration
Grand Ballroom Foyer

12:00 – 1:15 pm
Lunch
Grand Ballroom 1-3

1:15-2:30 pm
Opening Keynote – Building a Safety Culture
Grand Ballroom 1-3

Major General John Batiste, US Army (Retired), Batiste Leadership

General John Batiste will provide the tools to build and protect a values-based culture defined by empowerment and initiative.  Team members will be aligned and focused to achieve a desired end state.  In this culture, the team can be counted on to do the right thing in the absence of supervision.

Key Takeaways:  Intentionally defining your culture and bringing it to life is leader business.  A values-based culture defined by empowerment and initiative will redefine your safety culture, attract a higher quality recruit to your company, and improve your business outcome.

2:30-3:00 pm
Refreshment Break
Grand Ballroom Foyer

3:00-3:45 pm
Secrets of Top Safety Performers: Steps in Safety Management Systems
Grand Ballroom 1-3

Eur. Ing. Namir George MSc. CEng. MIChemE, CFIOSH, RSP, AIEMA
, manager, international consulting services, National Safety Council

The partnership between MSCI and the National Safety Council provides a framework for metals companies to pursue continuous improvement in safety.  This session examines key differences between compliance-based safety and proactive, systematic safety management and details the elements leading to excellence in safety and health performance.   

Key Takeaways:

  • How Improving Safety Improves Business
  • Describing the Key Elements to Safety Success
  • Excellence vs. Compliance – The Differentiators
  • Tools to Help – The MSCI/NSC Safety Excellence Program

3:45-4:15 pm
Refreshment Break
Grand Ballroom Foyer

4:15-5:15 pm
Breakout Session 1A:  Engagement Strategies that Win!
San Jacinto 1-3

Shmuel Cohen
, corporate director of environmental health and safety, Steel Warehouse Company
Bill Holder, president and COO, Optimum Safety Management
Andrea Lankford
, senior safety compliance manager – corporate safety, Reliance Steel & Aluminum
Jenna Williams
, director environmental, health & safety, A.M. Castle & Co.

Developing high-performing safety cultures can be difficult, especially without a strategy.  Come participate in this lively and engaging panel discussion with industry experts on Strategies that Win!   Learn about achieving sustainable compliance and driving continuous improvement to achieve employee engagement and ownership.

Key Takeaways:  In this session you will receive a roadmap that you can put into practice right away.  You will also learn what to expect from each of the Cultural Strategy breakout speakers on Day Two of the Conference and how their topics fit within this winning framework.

Breakout Session 1B:Bionomics-Finally a Solution to Stop Back and Shoulder Injuries
San Jacinto 4-6

Dennis Downing, CEO, Future Industrial Technologies, Inc.
Mark Ferguson, EHS manager – ASHM operations, Ryerson

Back, shoulder, and ergonomic injuries are a leading cause of loss time, high workers’ comp costs, unnecessary paperwork and most importantly tremendous pain for your employees. This session breaks down the exact reasons they have persisted despite countless attempts to prevent them.

Key Takeaways:  This Case Study will expose the ultimate cause of sprain/strains; provide the 3 critical breakthroughs in how you can get your employees to buy-in to want to change their physical behaviors; how to finally build a successful stretching program into your safety culture that employees will want to do; how to get the younger and aging worker to LISTEN; teach you how to get any employee to change their behaviors despite language, conditioning or educational levels. Stopping back and other sprain/strains is EASY once you know how to do it. You will hear from an industry expert on how he changed his safety culture to include significantly reducing sprain/strain claims.

6:00 – 7:00 pm
Reception 
Grand Ballroom Foyer

7:00 – 9:00 pm
Dinner
Grand Ballroom

Thursday, October 25

Thursday, October 25, 2018

7:00 am – 4:00 pm
Registration
Grand Ballroom Foyer

7:30 – 8:00 am
Breakfast Buffet
Grand Ballroom 

8:00 – 9:00 am
CEO Panel Discussion
Grand Ballroom 

Moderator:
Robert Weidner, president & CEO, Metals Service Center Institute
Panelists:
Ron Knopp, executive vice president, chief operating officer, A.M. Castle & Co.
Jenna Williams, director environmental, health & safety, A.M. Castle & Co.
John M. Donnan, executive vice president – legal, compliance and human resources, Kaiser Aluminum Corporation
Mark Eliopulos, director of safety and health, Kaiser Aluminum Corporation

Learn how leading executives and their respective safety professionals strive to achieve and sustain compliance and progress  towards safety excellence by engaging their workforce and evolving a “value based” culture and approach to safety.

9:00-9:30 am
Refreshment Break
Grand Ballroom Foyer

9:30-10:30 am
Breakout Session 2A:  Fighting Behavioral Complacency in the Workplace
San Jacinto 1-3
Andrea Lankford, senior safety compliance manager – corporate safety, Reliance Steel & Aluminum

In this interactive workshop we will complete a photo study of accidents where complacency was determined to be a key factor.  As a group we will discuss how organizational changes can be the result of circumstances (reactive) or planning (proactive) to fight complacency.

Part of the focus will be to address the “mindsets” that play a part of organizational change.  These mindsets are often the result of attaining a level of achievement or accomplishment that can lead to improvement in the culture.  By effectively addressing complacency we take one step closer to being SAFE not just compliant.

Breakout Session 2B:  Critical Response
San Jacinto 4-6
Shmuel Cohen, corporate director of environmental health and safety, Steel Warehouse Company
Jeffrey M. Patow, president, Industrial Safety Programs and Emergency Care Programs

Critical response will be a combination of hands on and instruction on how to respond to critical medical emergencies within a plant.  It will include effective use of first response teams, scene management and witness statement instruction.  Understanding the critical aspects of scene management will allow plants to best respond to injured employee needs as well as manage and limit the liability.

Key Takeaways:  The session will cover, tactical instruction on appropriate response for common scenarios.

10:30-11:00 am
Refreshment Break
Grand Ballroom Foyer

11:00-12:00 pm
Breakout Session 3A:  From Compliance to Engagement:  A Cultural Journey
San Jacinto 1-3
Jenna Williams, director environmental, health & safety

A.M. Castle & Co. will share their journey in successfully reducing workplace injuries by shifting the focus from compliance based only to employee engagement & ownership programs within all levels of the organization. 

Over the past several years, A.M. Castle & Co. recognized that a sustainable Environmental, Health & Safety management system included both foundational regulatory compliance and engagement programs.  Although, in order to move towards a “Best in Class” safety program, employee engagement enhancements and leading indicator programs were a critical step in the journey.

Key Takeaways:  During this session, the attendees will learn about Environmental, Health & Safety programs that assist in incident reduction, and key leading indicator programs that can be implemented across their organization to improve engagement, maintain compliance, and achieve the goal of zero injuries.

Breakout Session 3B:  Driving Your DOT/CSA Score to Positive Results
San Jacinto 4-6
Tyson Hendrickson, regional safety specialist, Pacific Steel & Recycling

Have you been put in a position where results need to change for the better, but you aren’t seeing positive change? Listen  to Pacific Steel & Recycling’s story about the journey they took, including the wrong turns, that successfully changed their culture to achieve positive results with their DOT/CSA score in transportation.  This session is not only built around transportation safety and DOT compliance, but’s it’s more about the fundamental building blocks (i.e. training, employee engagement, communication, accountability, recognition) Pacific used and you can use to drive positive change in your organization.

12:00-1:00 pm
Lunch
Grand Ballroom

1:00-2:00 pm
Breakout Session 4A:  Owning It:  Safety Accountability
San Jacinto 1-3
Shmuel Cohen, corporate director of environmental health and safety, Steel Warehouse Company

How do you drive Safety Accountability?  Through effective open communication.   What drives accountability?  Adopting and evolving safety as a core organizational and individual value is what makes you want to own safety.    Look and understand experiences which drive beliefs, beliefs that drive actions, actions drive outcomes.  If your desired outcome is safety, you need to assure that the foundation aligns with desired outcomes.

Key Takeaways:  Tools that will assist with the following; safety communication strategy, results pyramid and how to get desired outcomes; evolving safety as a core value; methods of safety engagement .

Breakout Session 4B:  Materials Handling & Storage:  Finding Best Practices
San Jacinto 4-6
Joe Galasso, corporate director – health, safety & environment, Samuel Plate Stoney Creek
Steve Yates, CEO, Optimum Safety Management

In response to interactions with members and feedback received from our annual MSCI Safety Conferences, the MSCI safety committee has formed its first working group to address Materials Handling.  The groups’ primary objective is to develop a set of industry specific guidelines comprised of best in class practices, knowledge, training and standards.  Sharing real-world experiences from some of our industry’s largest service centers, mills and manufacturing partners, the working group has initiated this process. 

Come and participate in this workshop, share your knowledge, discuss the issues, listen and learn.  We will also discuss other needs of the industry.  Our proactive approach to these challenges is key in reducing risk and exposures for self and others.

2:00-2:30 pm
Refreshment Break
Grand Ballroom Foyer

2:30-3:30 pm Conference Summary
Grand Ballroom 1-3
What’s Next?  Moving the Industry Toward Safety & Health Excellence
Bronko Jazvac, director Canadian division and health & safety, Metals Service Center Institute
Bill Holder, president and COO, Optimum Safety Management

Good conferences can give you a real boost.  Then what?  Don’t let this be another event that inspired you only to be lost in the day to day urgencies with no lasting return for your investment of time.  Led by MSCI’s Director of Health and Safety and facilitated by an industry leading cultural change expert, the intent of this session is to equip you with an actionable plan for next steps that will make a difference in your performance.  Participants will review their key takeaways from the conference and build an action plan for success within the framework shared earlier in the conference.

3:30-4:30 pm
Closing Keynote
Current and Future Challenges to Achieving Compliance and Safety Excellence
Fred Rine, M.S., CSP
, CEO & founder, FDRsafety

Whether you are a 3, 30, 300 or 3,000 person plant –  compliance in safety is foundational and mandatory. However, to achieve sustainable compliance and eventual safety excellence we need to do more … and adopt a culture of systematic and methodical approaches; engagement, teamwork and ownership by the whole organization.

This presentation will outline the why’s and the how’s in driving sustainable improvement in safety performance.

Topics will include:  Safety as a core value; goal of zero accidents today; why to be safe versus how to be safe; at work and off the job.

5:30 – 8:30 pm
Reception & Dinner
San Jacinto Foyer and Ballroom

Hotel & Travel

About Crowne Plaza Houston - Reliant Park/Medical Center

The Crowne Plaza Houston Hotel near Reliant Park / Medical Center is located in Houston’s Inner Loop and less than 10 miles south of downtown Houston, convenient to US-59 and I-610.

Crowne Plaza Houston – Reliant Park/Medical Center
8686 Kirby Drive
Houston, TX 77054
Website:  http://www.houcp.com/
Phone:  713-748-3221

Online reservations may be made here.
When calling, please mention MSCI to receive the negotiated rate.

Room rates (single/double occupancy, plus taxes)

Run of House Rooms         $149.00

Cut-off date:  Tuesday, October 2

Please note: It is recommended that you make your hotel accommodations early to ascertain availability. These rates are available three days prior and three days after the conference, based upon availability. MSCI cannot guarantee availability or the room rate after Tuesday, October 2 or when the MSCI room block is filled— whichever occurs first.

All reservation requests must be accompanied by a first night room deposit, or guaranteed with a major credit card. Hotel room deposits will be refunded if cancellations are made at least 24 hours prior to scheduled arrival date.

Hotel check-in time is 3:00 pm and check-out time is 11:00 am. While the hotel will attempt to accommodate early check-in and late departures, it cannot be guaranteed depending upon hotel occupancy.

Transportation Information

Crowne Plaza Houston – Reliant Park/Medical Center is located 9 miles from William P. Hobby Airport ($65 taxi fare, one-way) and 22 miles from George Bush Intercontinental Airport ($75 taxi fare, one-way). 

Super Shuttle is also available through both airports.  Super Shuttle can be booked here.

Self-Parking is complimentary.

National Car Rental and Enterprise Rent-A-Car

We are proud to announce that National Car Rental and Enterprise Rent-A-Car along with its subsidiary Enterprise Fleet Management are MSCI member companies!

MSCI suggests that you also support Enterprise and/or National when renting a car during MSCI conferences. MSCI has negotiated discounted rates for your benefit. For faster service and reward options please enroll into Emerald Club. Emerald Club members are recognized at both National and Enterprise so please reference your Emerald Club number and Account Number XZ15W61 when reserving at both National and Enterprise. Counter-by pass is available through National Car Rental. Reservations with Enterprise and National can be made by phone or online at

http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/deeplinkmap.do?bid=028&refId=MSCIW61

NSC Congress and Expo

Building a Safer Workplace: The MSCI/NSC Congress & Expo Partnership

MSCI is, once again, proud to partner and collocate the MSCI Safety Conference with the 2018 NSC Congress and Expo. The National Safety Council Congress & Expo is the world’s largest annual safety event bringing together more than 14,000 safety, health and environmental professionals. Make the most of your travel and time by adding safety certification classes to your itinerary— all while attending MSCI’s Safety Conference, the only metals industry specific safety event offered. Arrive early and take advantage of access to 125+ educational technical sessions and one- to four-day professional development seminars.

NSC is offering MSCI a discounted rate of 20% off Full Congress & Expo registration at the time of registration. Full Congress & Expo registration includes Opening Session, Keynotes, Technical Sessions, NSC Learning Lab Sessions and access to the Expo floor for three days. Please note, registration for the 2018 NSC Congress and Expo is separate from MSCI. To receive the discounted rates use the following discount code:  20MSCI55.  Registration for NSC’s Congress and Expo has to be accessed by clicking here.

For complimentary access to ONLY NSC’s Expo on either Tuesday or Wednesday, once registered for MSCI’s Safety Conference, a promo code will be in the e-mail confirmation.

Visit the 2018 NSC Congress & Expo website for complete details and for a listing of safety related education offerings and list of exhibitors, reference the NSC Expo & Congress brochure.

Sponsorships

Don’t miss the opportunity to generate new leads and raise positive awareness of your company. Be a 2018 Safety Conference sponsor and build on your relationships within the metals supply chain.

There are a number of outstanding sponsorship opportunities. For more information and to secure your sponsorship, speak with Monique Kaiserauer at (847) 485-3004.

Deadline to submit artwork is Thursday, September 13. Limit one sponsor per event, unless otherwise noted.

$7,500 Level 

Includes one complimentary registration*, signage, listing in the conference program and app and display of literature. Meal sponsorships also include a reserved table. Choose from:

  • Wednesday Lunch
  • Wednesday Reception and Dinner
  • Thursday Breakfast
  • Thursday Lunch
  • Thursday Reception and Dinner
  • Bottled Water provided at refreshment breaks and throughout the conference
  • Bound Notebooks SOLD! Sponsored by Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co.
  • Room Drop of company literature or takeaway item Wednesday evening**

*Complimentary registrations are valued at $1,295
**Limit 2 sponsors per evening

$5,000 Level

Includes signage, listing in the conference app, and display of literature. Choose from:

  • Charging Station for mobile phones and tablets
  • Conference App
  • Attendee Name Badges

$3,500 Level 

Includes signage, listing in the conference program and app, and display of literature in the registration foyer. Refreshment break sponsorships also include custom napkins. Choose from:

  • Refreshment Break Wednesday Sold! Sponsored by Samuel, Son & Co. 
  • Refreshment Break Thursday Morning  Sold! Sponsored by Acero Prime
  • Refreshment Break Thursday Afternoon  Sold! Sponsored by Arrowsight
  • General Session WiFi Sold! Sponsored by Optimum
  • Mints Sold! Sponsored by Nucor

$2,000 Level

Includes signage, listing in the conference program and app, and display of literature in the registration foyer. Choose from the following breakout sessions:

  • Engagement Strategies that Win! Sold! Sponsored by O’Neal Industries, Inc.
  • Bionomics-Finally a Solution to Stop Back and Shoulder Injuries
  • Fighting Behavioral Complacency in the Workplace Sold! Sponsored by Plateplus, Inc.
  • Critical Response  Sold! Sponsored by United Performance Metals
  • From Compliance to Engagement:  A Cultural Journey Sold! Sponsored by A.M. Castle & Co.
  • Driving Your DOT/CSA Score to Positive Results
  • Owning It:  Safety Accountability Sold! Sponsored by Kloeckner Metals
  • Materials Handling & Storage:  Finding Best Practices Sold! Sponsored by Kasto

Speakers

Major General John Batiste, US Army (Retired), Batiste Leadership

John Batiste retired from US Army in November 2005 after more than 31 years of active commissioned service.  His final position in the Army was commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division, the “Big Red One”, from August 2002-June 2005.  During this period, the 1st Infantry Division was deployed to Kosovo, Turkey and Iraq.

John graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1974 and was commissioned as an infantry officer.  His major combat and peace enforcement experience includes Operations Desert Shield and Storm from August 1990 to April 1991, Bosnia-Herzegovina during the Implementation Force (IFOR) mission from December 1995 to November 1996, and Operation Iraqi Freedom 2 from January 2004 to February 2005.

John earned a master’s degree in financial management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California (1981).  He graduated from the Army War College (1994), the Command and General Staff College (1986), the Infantry Officer Advanced and Basic Courses (1975 and 1979, respectively), and was a Ranger School honor graduate (1975).

After retirement from the Army, John shifted his attention to the for-profit corporate world and served as president and CEO of Klein Steel Service Inc from 2005 to 2013, and president and CEO of Buffalo Armory LLC from 2013 to the present.  He also partnered with his daughter, Jeanette, to form Batiste Leadership LLC to provide organizations with leader development, team building and strategic planning support.

John is a past member of the executive committee and board of directors of the Metals Service Center Institute and the executive committee of Raffles Insurance Ltd.

John and his wife Michelle live in Brighton, New York and have five children and eight grandchildren.

Shmuel Cohen, corporate director of environmental health and safety, Steel Warehouse Company

Shmuel is currently the Director of Environmental Health and Safety for Steel Warehouse, and holds a Master’s of Science in Occupational Health and Safety.   Shmuel’s primary responsibilities and focus include safety, Environmental Compliance and risk/exposure management.   During his over 15 years associated with Steel Warehouse he has served in various capacities within the company, primarily focused on either Human Resources, Personal Development and EHS, designing programs to promote employee safety awareness while reducing OSHA recordables and Workman’s Compensation foot print.  Shmuel has worked to shift employee mindset from a “Have to” safety mentality to a “Want to” safety focus.    Shmuel is an experienced instructor and speaker on behavior modification and safety development.   For the last 20+ years, he has been a senior EMT & member of Hatzalah Volunteer Ambulance Corp of New York City, the largest Volunteer ambulance company in the world, with a call volume greater than 911 of Chicago.  In this capacity he was a “first responder” to ground zero on the 9/11 attack on the United States of America.  Mr. Cohen is a graduate of Northern Illinois University with a double major in Business Administration and Biology.  Mr. Cohen achieved his Masters and Post Masters while studying in NYC at MTJ-YSI.   While in NYC, Mr. Cohen, met and married his wife of 23 years, they have four children, Zahava, Shoshana, Yona and Menucha, and currently reside in Staten Island, New York.

Dennis Downing, CEO Future Industrial Technologies, Inc.

Dennis Downing has been in the Workers Comp and Injury Prevention field for over 25 years. He is the founder and CEO of one of the largest injury prevention companies in the US – Future Industrial Technologies (FIT).  Mr. Downing co-created the Backsafe® and Sittingsafe® injury prevention programs and a new field within ergonomics called Bionomics™.  Bionomics is a philosophy on how to get employees to change their physical behavior for their own personal benefit. It is an applied ergonomics approach that teaches employees of all job descriptions how to prevent painful back and other sprain/strain injuries, on and off the job.

Under Mr. Downing’s guidance FIT has built its network of trainers to over 1,000 across the US and Canada and has trained over 1 million employees, thus helping organizations to significantly reduce costs and lost work days attributable to sprain/strain and ergonomic injuries. FIT has trained employees in many and varied industries including warehousing, trucking, manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, school districts, city, county, state and federal workers, utility, universities, grocery, food service, food handling, wineries, office workers and more.

Mr. Downing’s passion for teaching, helping others to prevent life altering injuries, and helping organizations to reduce the costs and lost workdays of such injuries has been the driving force behind the Backsafe and Sittingsafe Training programs. He has been a frequent speaker at national conventions and authored numerous articles on the subject of preventing MSDs and sprain/strain injuries.

Mark Eliopulos, director of safety and health, Kaiser Aluminum Corporation

Mark Eliopulos is the Director of Safety and Health at Kaiser Aluminum Corporation.  Mark has 40 years of experience in Safety & Health within the Aluminum Industry and has been a speaker for the last 20 years been a speaker at the Aluminum Association Molten Metal Safety Conference.  Mark serves on American National Standards Institute committees, ANSI Z 244 Control of Hazardous Energy and ANSI Z 117 Confined Space Entry.  Mark is a BS/MS graduate from West Virginia University.

John M. Donnan, executive vice president - legal, compliance and human resources, Kaiser Aluminum Corporation

John M. Donnan is Executive Vice President – Legal, Compliance and Human Resources. He joined the company in 1993 as Associate Corporate Counsel, was named Deputy General Counsel in 2000 and General Counsel in 2007. In May 2012 Mr. Donnan was named to his current position managing the company’s corporate legal, compliance, internal audit, environmental, safety and quality functions. Prior to joining Kaiser, Mr. Donnan was an associate in the Corporate/Securities section of the Houston, Texas, office of Chamberlain Hrdlicka. He holds a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law and Bachelor of Business Administration degrees in finance and accounting from Texas Tech University. He is a member of the Texas and California bars.

Joe Galasso, corporate director – environment, health and safety, Samuel Plate Stoney Creek

Joe Galasso, corporate director, Environment, Health & Safety at Samuel, Son & Co. has been with the company for over 30 years. He started his career on the shop floor and has held several operational leadership roles in both Canada and the United States. Galasso has been a safety advocate throughout his career and in a full-time Health & Safety leadership role since 2000.

Eur. Ing. Namir George MSc. CEng. MIChemE, CFIOSH, RSP, AIEMA, manager, international consulting services, National Safety Council

Namir George is a manager based in the United Kingdom. He has over 35 years’ experience in the field of safety and loss prevention and has worked for leading International manufacturing organizations and worked at various positions for GlaxoSmithKline, Kraft Food International, Honeywell and Dailycer. In addition he worked for several EHS consultancies providing consultancy; training services and undertook several projects for various organizations such as Shell, Total oil Marine, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADCO, Gasco, Takreer, PetroRabigh, Dallah Human Skills, Qatar Petroleum, KPC, Masterfoods, EON, VDO, Florette, etc.

Namir has a wide ranging experience in process safety; developed various OSH training and delivered numerous training courses including IOSH training programs and NEBOSH general certificate and diploma programs; fully implemented EHS management systems ISO14001 and OHSAS 18001.

Namir is a Chartered Chemical Engineer with a post graduate degree in Occupational Health and Safety; he is Chartered Fellow of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)- UK, member of American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and an affiliate member of Institution of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA). In addition, he is a member
of the Birmingham Health, Safety and Environmental Association (BHSEA).

Since joining the NSC in 2006 he has offered OSH consultancy services and delivered several courses in health, safety and environment and NSC Defensive Driving Courses (DDC) in Europe, Middle East, and North America. In 2011, he was awarded the DDC instructor of the year award for International. In addition, Namir is a DDC 8/6, DDC 4 and Alive @ 25 master trainer and is a certified OSHA General Industry and Construction Master Trainer.

Tyson Hendrickson, regional safety specialist, Pacific Steel & Recycling

Tyson Hendrickson has worked for Pacific Steel & Recycling, an employee-owned company with 700+ employees, for 6 years and has been a safety specialist for the last 3.5 years.  During this tenure, he has taken the lead in overseeing DOT compliance and transportation safety, resulting in 15 year lows with their CSA/DOT carrier scores.  Prior to Pacific Steel & Recycling, Tyson served as the Human Resources Director of a regional franchise group in casual dining that employed 800+ people.  Whether it’s restaurants or steel service centers, human resources or safety, Tyson is a firm believer that it’s our expertise in leading people, before anything else, that will best position us to be successful.

Bill Holder, president and COO, Optimum Safety Management

Bill Holder is the President and COO of Optimum Safety Management™ and has led successful cultural change efforts with large for-profit organizations as well as church and ministry organizations. Bill’s experience with improvement initiatives include management systems ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 Certification, behavior based change processes with enhancements in leadership development and executive coaching.

Known as a transformational leader throughout his career, from craftsperson to executive leadership; With leadership expertise, Bill utilizes strengths in analysis and identification of issues within existing systems and combines hands-on field experience to rapidly diagnose problems and deliver improvements. Described by others as thoughtful, focused, and effective, Bill has partnered with Operations and Human Resources, implementing safety change efforts determining and remediating barriers to improvements in operations. Through proficiency in mentoring and coaching teams, strategic plan development and driving employee engagement across functions, Bill assists in building the foundation of a cultural change for high performance throughout all areas.

Bronko J. Jazvac, director of Canadian division and health and safety, MSCI

Bronko J. Jazvac, is the MSCI Director of Canadian Division and Health and Safety. Bronko spent 38 years at Arcelor Mittal Dofasco, a 5 million ton carbon steel plant in Ontario Canada; during which he held several senior leadership positions.  During his last 4 years he was  part of the Executive Team with a dual role of Health and Safety and World Class Continuous Improvement.  Bronko brings extensive manufacturing and executive leadership experience and passion about Health and Safety.

Ronald Knopp, executive vice president, chief operating officer, A.M. Castle & Co.

Ron Knopp is A.M. Castle & Co.’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, with facilities located in Unites States, Canada, Mexico, China, England, France, and Spain.

Ron Knopp began his employment with A.M. Castle & Co. in 2007 when he was appointed to the position of Operations Manager of the Bedford Heights, Ohio Facility.  In 2009, he was appointed Director of Operations for the Western Region and in 2010 served as Director of Operations for Metals and Plate Commercial Units.  In July 2013, Ron Knopp was appointed to the position of Vice President, Operations and in May 2015 was appointed to his current position of Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer.  Prior to joining A.M. Castle & Co., Ron Knopp served as the Plant Manager for Alcoa, Inc. Aerospace Division (global producer of aluminum) from 2003 to 2007.

Andrea Lankford, senior safety compliance manager – corporate safety, Reliance Steel & Aluminum

Andrea Lankford is currently the Sr. Safety Compliance Manager for Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. working out of the Los Angeles, CA headquarters where she has been for the last 5 years.  Prior to her move to corporate Andrea was the Global Director of Safety for Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. subsidiary Continental Alloys & Service in Spring, TX for 5 years managing the safety at all 9 locations domestically and internationally (Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai & Scotland.)  In her years before Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. Andrea found herself working for an oil rig work over company where her passion and love for safety was truly ignited by building and implementing a program from the ground up.  Andrea’s specialty is working with compliant companies to help them take the leap to becoming truly safe companies by creating customized processes and programs that not only encourage compliance but build a culture of peer to peer safety with management involvement.

Jeffrey M. Patow, president, Industrial Safety Programs and Emergency Care Programs

Jeffrey is the President of Industrial Safety Programs and Emergency Care Programs in New York City.  Jeffrey is heavily involved in the education of First Responders and EMT’s who provide services throughout the United States and beyond. His focus is prevention of injuries via awareness campaigns and proper, timely treatment of injuries when they occur.  He is involved in all aspects from hands on teaching and training to administration of programs that train thousands upon thousands of EMT’s and First Responders each year.  He is a Certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Senior EMS Instructor (CIC).   Jeffrey has been involved with EMS since 1989 and has extensive knowledge and experience in the EMS System of NYC.

Fred Rine, M.S., CSP, CEO & founder, FDRsafety

Fred Rine, M.S., CSP, is a nationally recognized leader in workplace safety who designs programs that get results. Fred created an Attitude-Based Safety Culture Training program that has been attended by more than 500,000 people and that has contributed to significant improvements in workplace safety at companies all around the country.

Fred created one of the most well-regarded workplace safety programs in the country during his career at FedEx. The program continued under Fred’s leadership until he departed to join the National Safety Council as vice president. He then launched FDRsafety in 1996.

Fred is a past member of the prestigious National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH), a 12-person committee of workplace safety leaders that advises the Secretaries of Labor and Health and Human Services on occupational safety and health programs. He is also a former board member of both the National Safety Council and the American Society of Safety Engineers Foundation.

Fred holds a B.S. in Business Administration and an M.S. in Safety Management from West Virginia University and is a Certified Safety Professional.

Jenna Williams, director, environmental, health & safety, A.M. Castle & Co.

Jenna Williams is A.M. Castle & Co.’s Director of Environmental, Health & Safety, with facilities located in United States, Canada, Mexico, China, England, France, and Spain.

Jenna began her employment with A.M. Castle & Co. in 2017, and is responsible for the implementation of EHS management systems, regulatory compliance adherence, and employee engagement across the organization.  Her key focus is implementing the foundation for a sustainable EHS manangement system and driving an Environmental, Health & Safety Ownership culture across the organization.

For the past twenty-two years, Jenna has been responsible for Environmental, Health, Safety, Business Continuity, Continuous Improvement, and Risk management roles within Automotive Forging, Electrical Utility, Semiconductor, and Bottling distribution business sectors.

Steve Yates, CEO, Optimum Safety Management

As the founder and CEO of Optimum Safety Management, Steve brings extensive leadership experience as he partners with local, regional, and national firms to design and implement effective, sustainable safety management systems.

With vast experience in manufacturing operations and construction technology, Steve uses his background in mechanical engineering to see the entire picture of safety before helping Optimum Safety Management clients to recognize the true Return on Safety™¸ the significant gains in engagement, productivity and profitability that come with innovative, structured, and sustainable safety management systems.

Important Deadlines and Policies

A full refund will be issued for cancellations received in writing by MSCI by 5:00 pm Friday, September 7, 2018. cancellations received in writing by MSCI by 5:00 pm before Friday, September 21 will receive a refund of 50% of registration fees paid. No shows and cancellations received after that time will not be eligible for refunds. Substitutions may be made at any time. Written cancellations or substitutions will be accepted by contacting Briana Dee.

MSCI Antitrust Policy

MSCI conferences strictly comply with all U.S. antitrust laws.  As a conference attendee and/or presenter, we ask that you review and adhere to the MSCI Antitrust Policy.

Content Policy

The content  (including, but not limited to, slides, charts, video-clips, etc. ) presented at MSCI conferences is proprietary and presented solely for the benefit of conference attendees. The conference content should not be disseminated or re-transmitted in any way (e.g. electronically, via audio tape, etc.) to the public or third parties.

Entertainment Policy

Entertainment and/or company meetings should never be scheduled at the same time as official MSCI business or a social event.  This includes breakfast sessions, business sessions, and evening group functions.  MSCI recommends that company entertainment be planned prior to the opening or following the conclusion of Annual Meeting.  Both Monday and Tuesday nights have been left open for customer entertainment.  Please respect MSCI’s policy in extending and accepting invitations.

Press and Sponsorship Policies

This event is closed to the press. Only event sponsors may distribute products or promotional materials at MSCI venues.  Please contact Monique Kaiserauer at (847) 485-3004 if you are interested in becoming a sponsor.

Registrant/Participant Image and Voice Agreement

Registration for attendance and/or participation at MSCI Conferences and other associated activities constitutes an agreement by the registrant to permit MSCI’s to use and distribute (both now and in the future) the registrant or participant’s image or voice in photographs, videotapes, electronic reproductions, audiotapes or other digital or electronic recordings of such event and activities.

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