Virginia Forest Products Association
220 East Williamsburg Rd. ● P.O. Box 160 ● Sandston, Virginia 23150-0160
Telephone: (804) 737-5625 ● FAX: (804) 737-9437 ● E-mail:
58th Annual Convention
September 9-11, 2016 • Colonial Williamsburg Lodge • Williamsburg, VA
Plans for our 2016 Annual Convention are nearly finalized ... and now is the time for you to set aside the dates of September 9-11 and plan to be at Colonial Williamsburg Lodge in Williamsburg, VA. The tentative Schedule of Events follows so that you might plan your educational sessions and opportunities with efficiency. Programming itself remains in the works and is subject to change. The deadline for hotel registration is August 15th, so book your rooms now at the phenomenal rate of $192 per night. Book Online at https://resweb.passkey.com/go/33715 or call 800-261-9530 to make reservations Monday-Friday, 8:30-5:00. Reference Booking ID 33715 when calling.
Preliminary Schedule of Events
Fri., September 9th
2:00pm Registration Opens
4:00pm Board of Directors Meeting (Tidewater A)
6:00pm Welcoming Reception**
(Colony Room E & Terrace)
**Sponsored by the 2016 Meeting Hospitality Fund Shareholders
7:30pm Dinner - On Your Own
Plan to dine with friends in an authentic colonial tavern or in one of Williamsburg’s many other fine restaurants!
Sat., September 10th
(Colony Ballrooms A-E, unless otherwise noted)
8:15am Breakfast with Bettina Ring, Virginia State Forester. Greet the morning with light continental fare and get an update on the State of Virginia’s Forests and how to improve DOF/industry partnerships.
8:45am VFPA Business Session
9:00am Transportation Issues in Your Future: Electronic Logging Devices and What They Mean for Your Company
9:45am VFPA Membership 101: What Membership in Virginia Forest Products Association means for forest products businesses in the Commonwealth. Why join, what you should be getting back, and a how YOU can make the difference.
10:15am Coffee Break
**Sponsored by the 2016 Meeting Hospitality Fund Shareholders
Sat., September 10th (continued)
10:45am KEYNOTE SPEAKER: BETH MACY
The Bassett Furniture Company was once the world's biggest wood furniture manufacturer. It was also the center of life in Bassett, Virginia. In the 1980s, the first waves of Asian competition hit, and Bassett was forced to send production overseas. One man fought back: John Bassett III, shrewd and determined, now chairman of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Co, which employs 700+ Virginians and has sales of more than $90 million, fought back. In FACTORY MAN, Macy brings to life Bassett's personal furniture family story, along with a host of characters from an industry that was as cutthroat as it was colorful. As she shows how he uses legal maneuvers, factory efficiencies, and sheer grit and cunning to save hundreds of jobs, she also reveals the truth about modern industry in America. Beth Macy writes about outsiders and underdogs. Her work has appeared in national magazines and The Roanoke Times, where her reporting has won more than a dozen national awards, including a Nieman Fellowship for Journalism at Harvard.
1pm Golf Tournament – (meet in Lobby at 12:45pm)
6:00pm Reception (Colony Room E & Terrace)
7:00pm Dinner & Awards (Colony Room C&D)
9:00pm LIVE Band/Dancing: GrooveTide
(Colony Room E & Terrace)
SPONSOR MINI-EXPO OPEN DURING CONVENTION in COLONY Ballroom D&E. Stop by and THANK our Sponsors who make our social events possible.