Vinyl360 Speaker Highlights

Vinyl360 is just over a month away! We’re getting excited and hope you’re as pleased with our speaker lineup so far as we are. We’ve gathered some of the best in our industry and think you’ll get some great takeaways from these folks.

In the meantime, if you haven’t already registered, be sure to do so here. And book your hotel room by Oct. 11 to secure our exclusive room rate. As a reminder, Vinyl360 is taking place at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, Florida, from Nov. 5-7. The hotel is conveniently located just about 20 minutes from Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) for those flying into the area.

Leslie Hushka, Senior Sustainability Advisor, ExxonMobil

Following the Vinyl Institute’s (VI) Board of Directors meeting, Leslie Hushka will leave attendees more knowledgeable about the global strategies and priorities impacting the entire plastic industry as she provides an overview of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste.

Leslie has been with ExxonMobil for more than 20 years, and in her current role as Senior Sustainability Advisor, she focuses on their Chemical Fuels & Lubricants Companies. Previously, she held management roles and worked in public and government affairs for a number of upstream and chemical companies, including specialty projects for Exxon’s corporate offices. Prior to these roles, she led programs in the research organization that assessed the impacts of government policies and assisted the company in developing programs and positions on health and environmental issues. She holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology from Purdue University and is board certified by the American Board of Toxicology.

Jim Nowakowski, President, Interline Creative Group/AIM research

At VI’s annual meeting, attendees will learn what specifiers think about vinyl and how that impacts their decisions, as Jim Nowakowski presents on the 2019 Vinyl Institute Specifiers Survey.

Jim has been involved in marketing and marketing communications for over 20 years, having worked in a variety of positions in ad/PR agencies prior to Interline and AIM, including Creative Director, Account Supervisor and Copywriter. His current work for both advertisers and publishers in advertising focuses on understanding communications and purchasing patterns in business-to-business. Besides industrial publications, he has worked for publishers in building construction, automotive and healthcare markets, including developing marketing communications programs, conducting in-depth market research and building customer inquiry database systems.

Rudy Underwood, VP of State Affairs & Political Mobilization, American Chemistry Council

For attendees interested in legislation at the state level, you won’t want to miss Rudy Underwood’s presentation during the general session, where he will provide a strategic overview of how some states are compelling industries to ramp up their recycling efforts.

As Vice President of State Affairs and Political Mobilization, Rudy helps American Chemistry Council (ACC) staff prioritize and define roles and positions on key state and local legislative proposals impacting chemicals and plastics. He also provides guidance for ACC’s political engagement activities and facilitates strong relationships and synergy with independent state chemical industry councils. Prior to joining ACC, he served as the Legislative Director for the Georgia Farm Bureau Federation, worked on Capitol Hill in the U.S. Senate and has directed statewide issue and candidate campaigns. Rudy received both a bachelor’s and masters degree in public and organizational communications from the University of Georgia. He grew up on a small farm in South Georgia.

We hope you’re as excited about this lineup as we are, and there are a few more speakers that will be added. Be sure to follow VI on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up to date.

Rick Wagner, Sustainability Manager, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company

Attendee’s will leave Rudy’s session with an increased understanding of ACC’s plastics recycling recovery team and Chevron Phillips’ recycling efforts.

Rick has more than 25 years of experience in the petrochemical industry and serves as the leader of the Plastics Energy Recovery Team and is a member of the Value Chain Outreach Committee, Plastics Packaging Team and Flexible Films Recycling group for the ACC. He also represents the World Plastic Council in the Trash Free Seas Alliance. He is an Honored Service Member of the Society of Plastics Engineers and is a founding member of the Flexible Packaging Division. He currently serves as a Board Member of the Sustainability Division. He holds a bachelors in chemistry from San Diego State University.

To review the full agenda for Vinyl360, click here.