Additional Speakers Added to the Canadian Production Summit

TRSA’s Fourth Annual Canadian Production Summit is returning to Toronto on Oct. 4-5, and recently added more speakers to enhance the program.

After Dr. Karl Moore’s keynote address, titled Generation Why: How Boomers Can Lead and Learn from Millennials and Gen Z, Jeffrey Courey, the president & CEO of George Courey Inc., will provide insight into navigating the global textile trade. “We will delve into the complexities of globalization and how fast-paced changes in the international geopolitical climate can have profound impacts on Canadian importers and users of textiles,” Courey said.

Linda Varangu, M. Eng., senior advisor, Climate Change, will provide an overview of environmental sustainability and its progress within the Canadian healthcare sector. “With national encouragement for a climate resilient, sustainable and low carbon health system, many healthcare facilities are taking up this challenge,” Varangu said. She will provide examples on how healthcare facilities are working toward this goal, with reference to a recent initiative related to the reuse of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the healthcare sector.

Canadian safety compliance across the provinces is regulated differently in each province. Rochelle Gaudette, health & safety engineer at UniFirst Corp., will help explain and provide participants with a firm understanding of the different regulatory agencies across the provinces. During her session, Gaudette also will discuss basic workers’ rights across Canada, CSA compliance, WHMIS and other Canada-wide legislation.

Kevin Schwalb, the vice president of government relations at TRSA, will provide an update on legislative issues including the need to require healthcare facilities to maintain operating stock of reusable PPE (such as isolation gowns) to offset potential shortages of disposable equivalents and the most recent information on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Schwalb will share insights on these issues and how TRSA is actively protecting the industry from the impact of new regulations.

A case study between a supplier partner and an operator in building relationships and making smart business decisions will be presented together by Matt Leuschner, president and founder of Wingmate, and Tim Topornicki, president of Topper Linen and Uniform Service. By working together and making smart vendor decisions, these two Canada-based companies have been able to grow and thrive.

Always popular among attendees are the facilitated discussion roundtables, where attendees choose a topic of interest to join a table of peers and exchange points of view and experiences. These small-group discussions and collaborations are a valuable benefit to business growth.

Wrapping up the first day is a sustainability panel featuring four CEOs. Topornicki and Courey will join Linda McCurdy, president and CEO, K-Bro Linen Systems Inc., and Rocco Romeo, CEO, HLS Linen Services, for a discussion on leveraging the environmental sustainability of the linen, uniform and facility services industry through reuse, repair, repurposing and recycling, as well as the impact of customer emphasis on ESG-related reporting metrics and investment, transparency of origin of goods and conservation of resources.

The final day will feature two plant tours. HLS Linen Services, Toronto, serves the healthcare, long-term care and hospitality market sectors, while the second tour, Topper Linen and Uniform Service, serves primarily the food & beverage industry, but also processes industrial laundry.

Registration is open and attendees can save $100 on registration if they sign up before Aug. 25.