9:00am - 1:30pm

PFI Annual Golf Tournament

12:30pm - 2:00pm

Break

2:00pm - 5:00pm

2015-2016 PFI Board Meeting I

5:00pm - 5:30pm

2015-2016 PFI Board Meeting II

7:00pm - 9:00pm

Registration & Welcome Reception

7:30am - 8:30am

Networking Breakfast

8:30am - 9:00am

Conference Opening & Introductions
Stephen Faehner
President/CEO at American Wood Fibers and Chairman of PFI

9:00am - 9:30am

Keynote Presentation
Our Forests, Our Future: How the North American Forest Partnership Can Help us all Tell Our Story Better
Tom Martin
President & CEO at The American Forest Foundation

9:30am - 10:30am

Policy & Regulations
This session will focus on federal, regional and state activity across the pellet industry near the end of the Obama administration and the outlook for regulation changes with a new President. Successful grassroots efforts relating to Maine’s Renewable Portfolio Standard will also be shared.

Pat Rita
Principle at Orion Advocates

Charles Niebling
Board Secretary and Policy Committee Chairman at
Biomass Thermal Energy Council

10:30am - 11:00am

Networking Break

11:00am - 11:45pm

Standards Update
Updates on the EPA’s NSPS compliance situation and the PFI Standards will be shared, along with a discussion of wood pellet durability.

Dr. Robert Rice
Professor at University of Maine

Stephen Faehner
President/CEO American Wood Fibers and President Pellet Fuels Institute

Stan Elliot (Moderator)

11:45pm - 1:00pm

Lunch

1:00pm - 2:30pm

Global Pellet Outlook
United States, Canadian, European and Asian markets will be overviewed in this in-depth discussion on the global pellet industry. In addition, Drax Energy and Enviva will share their perspectives on the global pellet market.

John Arsenault
Quebec Wood Export Bureau

Bill Strauss
President at FutureMetrics, LLC

Brian Moran
Director of Business Development at Drax Biomass

John Paul Taylor
VP, Optimization and Orientation at Enviva

Lori Hamer
President at Hamer Pellet (Moderator)

2:30pm - 3:00pm

Networking Break

3:00pm - 4:30pm

Technology & Plant Operations
Learn how maintenance planning can benefit plant operations, what OSHA issues may arise in the final days of the Obama administration, plus hear updates on  ‘white and biocoal pellets” and the Humboldt State biomass project.

Holger Streetz
International Operations Manager at Batham AG

Eric Conn
Founder at Conn Maciel Carey

Guy Veilleux
Vice President Engineering at Airex Energy

Derek Nelson
Principle at Forest Business Network, LLC

4:30pm - 5:30pm

Free Time

5:30pm - 6:30pm

Cocktail Reception

6:30pm - 9:30pm

Dinner

7:30am - 8:30am

Networking Breakfast

8:30am - 9:00am

PFI Membership, Announcement of Officers and New Board of Directors Meeting

9:00am - 9:30am

Why Some Pellet Plants Fail
While the global pellet market continues to grow, there are still many pellet mills that fail. One of the pellet industries most respected experts looks at ‘why’?

John Swaan
Sr. Associate at FutureMetrics, LLC

9:30am - 10:00am

Networking Break

10:00am - 11:00am

New Market Opportunities
Most pellet mills have the necessary equipment and raw material access to make products other than heating pellets. This panel will look at the opportunities and challenges of expanding into three potentially profitable product lines.

Michael Scanlon
National Sales and Marketing Mgr. at American Wood Fibers

Scott Jacobs
Vice President at AgriRecycle, Inc.

11:00am - 11:30am

Conference Closing Remarks & Door Prizes