Management / Marketing Issue

W W W. B O T T L E D W AT E R . O R G

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IN THIS ISSUE Advocacy Takes Fact-Checking the Media a Team

Consequences of Off-Site Labs

BOTTLED WATER REPORTER | SEP/OCT 2015

The Management / Marketing Issue Gain Market Share With an Integrated Marketing Approach

ALSO: Millennials: Your Underestimated Asset A PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOTTLED WATER ASSOCIATION

SPECIAL COVERAGE 2015 IBWA Annual Business Conference and Trade Show Info Inside! See page 26.

VOL. 55 • NO. 5

COLUMNS GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

38 | A Poetic Lesson in Government Relations No man is an island.

COMMUNICATIONS

40 | Quality Control: Fact-Checking the Media We don’t play fast and loose with the truth.

Can others say the same?

TECHNICAL UPDATE

44 | The Best Food Safety Programs Are No Guarantee How to handle external circumstances seemingly beyond your control.

VALUE OF IBWA MEMBERSHIP

48 | The Power of the Collective Voice Ryan Schwaner (Niagara Bottling) discusses with Bottled Water Reporter how his company benefits from IBWA membership.

CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS 12 | The Importance of an Integrated Marketing Approach Do you want to differentiate your brand from the competition, but don’t know how? Think about implementing an integrated marketing approach to help ensure that consistency runs through every single interaction you have with current and prospective customers. By Gregory Akroyd

20| Millennials: Your Underestimated Asset

DEPARTMENTS

CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTARY................................2 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE.......................................4 WATER NOTES.....................................................6 CEU QUIZ..........................................................46 ADVERTISERS....................................................47 CALENDAR........................................................47

CONNECT WITH IBWA

Much has been written about how to deal with Millennials, the largest generation in the United States. But have you ever stopped to think about what we can learn from them?

By Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant

26| IBWA’S 2015 ANNUAL BUSINESS CONFERENCE AND TRADE SHOW Gain Perspective and Awaken Inspiration

Start planning now to attend the 2015 IBWA Annual Business Conference and Trade Show being held at Washington, DC’s Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, November 2-5. Read all about the networking events and education sessions planned to help you make your bottled water business a success.

BOTTLED WATER REPORTER, Volume 55, Number 5.

Published six times a year by The Goetz Printing Company, 7939 Angus Court, Springfield, VA, 22153, for the International Bottled Water Association, 1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 650, Alexandria, VA 22314-2973.

Tel: 703.683.5213, Fax: 703.683.4074, www.bottledwater.org.

Subscription rate for members is $25 per year, which is included in the dues. U.S. and Canadian subscription rate to nonmembers is $50 per year. International subscription rate is $100 per year. Single copies are $7. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Bottled Water Reporter, 1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 650, Alexandria, VA 22314-2973.

CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTARY BUT FIRST, LET ME GRAB MY CAPE Remember when we were the good guys?

Obviously, we are still the good guys, but I get the feeling that others are trying to portray us as the bad guys—and they are having some success in the media. Here’s the thing: we still offer the healthiest packaged beverage available on the market; we’re still proactive in our environmental sustainability efforts; and we’re still proud to be in the bottled water business. So, what changed?

In my opinion, some of us are so busy with “business” that we struggle to find time to be our best advocate—to correct incorrect or misleading news articles and proactively educate consumers, legislators, regulators, and the media about the many benefits of bottled water consumption. Do you remember the old “Batman” TV series (the one staring Adam West)?

A nefarious type was always up to no good (Cesar Romero’s Joker), and Batman would swoop down with a POW! and serve up some justice. Well, let’s just say, for the sake of this column, anti-bottled water activists are the Joker, and we’re the Caped Crusader.

You see, the Jokers of the world (even the good-intentioned ones) have their own agendas—be it robbing banks or discouraging the sale of bottled water at national parks, even when other packaged beverages are sold there. With oddly mesmerizing smiles—and misguided objectives and partial facts—those Jokers might lure some of the public into sympathizing with them. The thing is, we’re Batman! We’re bottled water professionals who stand for health, quality, safety, and environmental sustainability!

People who are new to bottled water quickly learn of the integrity of our industry.

IBWA members—large, medium, and small—are dedicated to producing a healthy beverage that consumers can feel good about drinking. The processes we undertake using a multi-barrier approach to ensure the safety and quality of our water are unmatched. The sterile environments in which we package and seal that water in plastic containers that are 100-percent recyclable are unrivaled. Our employees continuously go above-and-beyond to provide great customer service. And IBWA bottler members undergo mandatory, annual inspections to help ensure our facilities meet or exceed any and all relevant U.S. Food and Drug Administration and IBWA regulations and standards. We’re the good guys!

Basically, what it comes down to is word-of-mouth communications—and those Jokers have some pretty big mouths! We don’t stand on the mountaintops (or our social media accounts) often enough and profess our goodness. . . but it’s time to start. I ask you to join me in taking proactive steps to educate the public about bottled water’s good story. Don’t be shy about singing the praises of our industry, our products, and the steps your family-owned or corporate business have taken to provide great-tasting, safe, healthful, and convenient bottled water. But first, let me grab my cape.

Bryan Shinn IBWA Chairman 2

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IBWA

International Bottled Water Association OFFICERS Chairman Bryan Shinn, Shinn Spring Water Company Vice Chairman Joe Bell, Aqua Filter Fresh Treasurer Shayron Barnes-Selby, DS Services Immediate Past Chairman William Patrick Young, Absopure Water Co., Inc.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Shayron Barnes-Selby, DS Services Joe Bell, Aqua Filter Fresh Philippe Caradec, Danone Waters of America Andy Eaton, Eurofins Eaton Analytical Brian Grant, Pure Flo Water, Inc. Brian Hess, Niagara Bottling LLC Doug Hidding, Blackhawk Molding Co. Scott Hoover, Roaring Spring Bottling Dan Kelly, Polymer Solutions International Greg Nemec, Premium Waters, Inc. Heidi Paul, Nestlé Waters North America Bryan Shinn, Shinn Spring Water Company Robert Smith, Grand Springs Distribution Lynn Wachtmann, Maumee Valley Bottlers, Inc. William Patrick Young, Absopure Water Co., Inc.

IBWA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chairman, Bryan Shinn, Shinn Spring Water Company Shayron Barnes-Selby, DS Services Joe Bell, Aqua Filter Fresh Philippe Caradec, Danone Waters of America Tom Harrington, DS Services Henry R. Hidell, III, Hidell International Scott Hoover, Roaring Spring Bottling Dan Kelly, Polymer Solutions International Heidi Paul, Nestlé Waters North America William Patrick Young, Absopure Water Co., Inc.

COMMITTEE CHAIRS Communications Committee Damon Grant, Pure Flo Water, Inc. Jane Lazgin, Nestlé Waters North America Education Committee Glen Davis, Absopure Water Co., Inc. Douglas R. Hupe, Aqua Filter Fresh Environmental Sustainability Committee Philippe Caradec, Danone Waters of America Jeff Davis, Blackhawk Molding Co. Government Relations Committee Shayron Barnes-Selby, DS Services Lynn Wachtmann, Maumee Valley Bottlers, Inc. Membership Committee Marge Eggie, Polymer Solutions International Kelley Goshay, DS Services State and Regional Associations Committee Joe Cimino, ChoiceH2O Ross Rosette, H2Oregon Supplier and Convention Committee Brian Grant, Pure Flo Water, Inc. Dan Kelly, Polymer Solutions International Technical Committee Andy Eaton, Eurofins Eaton Analytical Kevin Mathews, Nestlé Waters North America

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE JOIN US FOR SOME PERSPECTIVE

BOTTLED WATER REPORTER is published for: International Bottled Water Association 1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 650 Alexandria, VA 22314-2973.

Tel: 703.683.5213 Fax: 703.683.4074 www.bottledwater.org

IBWA STAFF

I invite all IBWA members and bottled water professionals to join us for our Annual Business Conference and Trade Show, which is again co-locating with NAMA’s CoffeeTea&Water show. The IBWA staff is excited about this year’s program because they’ve deliberately worked to offer activities that will help you gain perspective about industry issues and awaken the innovative spirit that lies within. Turn to page 26 to read about all the conference events planned. Don’t forget to fill out the registration form on page 31, then fax, mail, or email (conventioninfo@bottledwater.org) it back to us—or, new this year, register online at bitly.com/IBWAOnlineRegistration2015Conference.

Vice President of Government Relations Kristin Pearson Wilcox kwilcox@bottledwater.org

The lessons don’t stop there. Our Government Relations column (p.38) emphasizes the point, so eloquently scripted by poet John Donne, that “no man is an island” (and that applies to advocacy efforts as well as life). The Communications column (p.40) reviews recent industry events to show that the best way for us to face our critics is to continue engaging in science- and fact-based discussions. Relying on science is also the focus of our Technical Update column (p.44), where we emphasize the importance of monitoring the certification status of your testing laboratories and implementing a solid food safety plan.

I hope you find the articles in this issue of Bottled Water Reporter as interesting and informative as I did. But perhaps more important, I hope to see you in Washington, DC, November 2-5, for the 2015 IBWA Annual Business Conference and Trade Show.

Joe Doss IBWA President BWR

International Bottled Water Association

This issue of Bottled Water Reporter is special. It not only presents articles that provide invaluable insight into marketing strategies and the millennial workforce, but also it provides all the information you need to know to plan your trip to Washington, DC, for the 2015 IBWA Annual Business Conference and Trade Show, occurring November 2-5 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.

IBWA’s conference education program is second to none, but don’t wait until the week of November 2 to start learning. In “The Importance of an Integrated Marketing Approach” (p.12), marketing expert Gregory Akroyd explains why a multi-dimensional marketing approach is the best way to differentiate your brand from the competition—and ultimately increase your market share. Nowadays, to have an effective marketing strategy, understanding the Millennial generation is paramount. What better way to learn about these tech-savvy workforce newcomers than by hiring them? To learn how they are the “secret decoder rings” that can help us figure out how to thrive in today’s ever-evolving business environment, read “Millennials: Your Underestimated Asset” (p.20).

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President Joseph K. Doss jdoss@bottledwater.org Vice President of Education, Science, and Technical Relations Robert R. Hirst bhirst@bottledwater.org Vice President of Communications Chris Hogan chogan@bottledwater.org

Chief Financial Officer Michelle S. Tiller mtiller@bottledwater.org Director of Conventions, Trade Shows, and Meetings Michele Campbell mcampbell@bottledwater.org Director of Science and Research Tamika Sims, PhD tsims@bottledwater.org Director of Government Relations J.P. Toner jtoner@bottledwater.org Manager of Publications and Special Projects Sabrina E. Hicks shicks@bottledwater.org Manager of Member Services Dennis Carpenter dcarpenter@bottledwater.org Education and Technical Programs Coordinator Claire Crane ccrane@bottledwater.org Executive Assistant Patrice Ward ibwainfo@bottledwater.org Bottled Water Reporter Layout and Design Rose McLeod rozmack@gmail.com Tel: 315.447.4385 Editor Sabrina E. Hicks shicks@bottledwater.org Advertising Sales Stephanie Schaefer stephanie@bottledwater.org

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WATER NOTES

Download this image at bit.ly/NormanNPS.

POLICY

Ban on the Sale of Bottled Water at National Parks Receives Federal Attention The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands and the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee have both recently discussed the topic of the National Park Service’s (NPS) policy that allows park units to ban the sale of bottled water.

On July 7, 2015, the House took a first step 6

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toward halting the NPS ban policy when it passed, by voice vote, an amendment by Rep. Keith Rothfus (R-PA) to a House Interior Appropriations bill (H.R. 2822). That amendment prohibits the NPS from using any funds to implement or maintain bans on the sale of bottled water at any national park. The likelihood of the Interior bill becoming law depends on whether the Sen-

ate can pass its companion measure and the appropriations process proceeds in regular order. In the recent past, Congress has failed to pass stand-alone measures and has instead funded the government through a series of continuing resolutions and omnibus measures. Visit bit. ly/NPSbanhalted to read IBWA’s press release.

On July 23, 2015, the Subcommittee on Federal

Lands held an oversight hearing entitled “New and Innovative Ideas for the Next Century of Our National Parks.” As the subcommittee has jurisdiction over the NPS, IBWA has been working to educate its members about the bottled water industry’s concerns with the sales ban. In his opening statement, Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) mentioned he is troubled by the decline in the number of visitors to the national parks, especially among young people.

Park visitors aged 15 and younger have declined 50 percent during the last decade. McClintock linked that decline to current policies that reduce or remove visitor amenities and tourist facilities, such as a ban on the sale of bottled water.

McClintock stated, “This [subcommittee] is especially concerned over policies that are actively removing traditional tourist amenities from our national parks. Directives at Grand Canyon and other national parks now ban the sale of bottled water.

Visitors are told to bring their own bottles or do without.”

McClintock advised the subcommittee to “look for new and innovative ways to provide the amenities that maximize the public’s enjoyment of these lands.”

IBWA has long opposed the policy set forth in a 2011 NPS policy memorandum that allows national park units to ban the sale of

WATER NOTES

bottled water in plastic containers. Bans on the sale of bottled water contradict the NPS’s Healthy Parks Healthy People initiative, which promotes more healthy food and beverage choices in national parks, and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Drink Up Initiative, which encourages the consumption of all types of water, whether filtered, tap, or bottled. The NPS previously reported that it established its bottled

water sales ban policy due to concerns about waste left behind by park visitors.

However, the policy singles out bottled water—an odd choice given the fact that bottled water products have the smallest environmental footprint of any packaged beverage. The policy does not apply to any other packaged food or beverage product or plastic waste that visitors dispose of in national parks.

IBWA will continue to work with the members of the House and Senate to educate them more about why they should reject the NPS policy that allows for the ban on the sale of bottled water. For more on this issue, read the Government Relations column in the July/August issue of Bottled Water Reporter: bit. ly/EndNPSban.

RESEARCH

A ban on the sale of bottled water at the University of Vermont resulted in a 33 percent increase in consumption of sugary drinks.

Source: “The Unintended Consequences of Changes in Beverage Options and the Removal of Bottled Water on a University Campus,” American Journal of Public Health, May 2015

HEALTH

Research Shows Consumption of Sugary Drinks Increases If Bottled Water Is Not Available

Recent action by the U.S. House of Representatives to halt the policy that allows the National Park Service (NPS) to ban the sale of bottled water is supported by research published on May 14, 2015, in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH).

The study, “The Unintended Consequences of Changes in Beverage Options and the Removal of Bottled Water on a University Campus,” concluded that a bottled water sales ban at the University of Vermont (UVM) confirms that bans or restrictions on the sale of bottled water only increase consumption of less-healthy beverages and are an ineffective means of reducing plastic waste. The UVM ban—which is very similar to the national parks sales ban—resulted not only in a significant increase in

the consumption of sugary drinks but also an increase, rather than a reduction, in the amount of plastic bottles entering the waste stream.

Rachel Johnson, PhD, MPH, RD, co-author of the UVM bottled water sales ban study, also penned an op-ed article that points out the similarities between the NPS and UVM bottled water sales bans, where she noted that the NPS ban appears to be equally misguided. IBWA worked closely with Dr. Johnson to help promote that article, and we have used our social media assets to spread the word about her support for keeping bottled water available as a healthy beverage choice. Dr. Johnson’s op-ed was published in Roll Call and the Santa Fe New Mexican.

On July 21, 2015, True North Reports, a Vermontbased news outlet, published “Fail! Bottled Water Ban Backfires at UVM,” an article that gave a scathing analysis of UVM’s bottled water sales ban. Stating that “[b]ans on bottled water have backfired, and nowhere more publicly than at the University of Vermont,” the article detailed the ban’s shortcomings, highlighted the AJPH study, and quoted IBWA. The article was also supportive of IBWA’s stance, stating, “the International Bottled Water Association warned them about this, but since IBWA represents businesses that sell bottled water they were, of course, ignored.”

If you have any questions about the NPS ban on the sale of bottled water, please

Download this image at bit.ly/UVMbwban.

contact IBWA Vice President of Government Relations Kristin Pearson Wilcox (kwilcos@bottledwater.org) or Vice President of Communications Chris Hogan (chogan@bottledwater.org.)

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MEMBER NEWS

Plastipak Packaging Purchases Europe’s APPE

IBWA supplier member Plastipak Packaging Inc. has announced that it has purchased APPE, Europe’s leading manufacturer of PET preforms and containers and largest producer of food-grade rPET. APPE was immediately rebranded as Plastipak Packaging. The sale of APPE to Plastipak was confirmed on June 11, 2015, following approval granted by the European Commission under the EU Merger Act. William C. Young, CEO of Plastipak Packaging, stated “The acquisition [of APPE] will significantly strengthen Plastipak’s position in Europe and provide a solid platform for further growth into surrounding regions. Our competitive advantage includes Packaging Innovation Centers which supply and service our Direct Object Printing systems, ThermoShape and ThermaLite technologies, multi-layer barrier containers and EPet with fully integrated handles, to name only a few.” He went on to say, “The combination of the strong leadership teams of

both companies, positions Plastipak to be the global leader in rigid packaging, through engaged hearts and minds.”

Martin Hargreaves has been appointed as managing director, Europe, which comprises 15 production facilities, spanning 12 countries throughout the Europe region. Hargreaves’ leadership has been effective in driving organizational capabilities and has navigated APPE through challenging conditions.

Frank Pollock, Plastipak’s president of international operations and CCO, stated “Through combining APPE’s strong technical innovations and the global technology reach of Plastipak, we will better serve our customers’ global product needs and facilitate our expansion into new markets. Our commitment is to bring overall value to our customers through material efficiency, container design, innovative products and unlimited options for the use of recycled products.” For more information, visit www.plastipak.com.

FEEDING THE FEDS

IBWA Joins NAMI for Annual Hot Dog Lunch on Capitol Hill

From left: IBWA member Derieth Sutton (Niagara Bottling) with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).

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On July 22, 2015, more than 1,000 members of Congress, congressional and agency staff, and media representatives quenched their thirst with cool, refreshing bottled water thanks to IBWA’s support of the North American Meat Institute’s (NAMI) Annual Hot Dog Lunch. This event, held in the courtyard of the Rayburn House Office Building, provided IBWA, NAMI, and other food organizations the chance to speak informally with members of Congress and other attendees—all while feasting on hot dogs cooked up more than a dozen ways, sausages, and, of course, bottled water.

Joining IBWA staff at the lunch was Derieth Sutton (Niagara Bottling), a member of the IBWA Government Relations Committee. Special thanks to IBWA Board Member Robert Smith (Grand Springs Distribution) for providing the IBWA/NAMI private label bottled water for the event.

On that same day, IBWA met with several offices to discuss bottled water industry issues and thanked members of the U.S. House of Representatives for passing a measure supported by IBWA to end the ban on the sale of bottled water in America’s national parks.

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BPA SAFETY

Latest Health Canada Study Concludes BPA Safe at Current Exposure

This past July, Health Canada, the government agency responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health (similar to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration), published its “Third Report on Human Biomonitoring of Environmental Chemicals in Canada.” That report provides an assessment of human exposure to chemicals (both natural and synthetic) and the potential effects that those exposures may have on human health. Bisphenol A (BPA) was one of the chemicals included in that report.

This third in a series of reports from Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) studied 5,800 Canadians between the ages of 3 and 79 years. (The CHMS is led by Statistics Canada in partnership with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.)

Cycle 3, as this survey is referred to, included 48 environmental chemicals measured in individual samples, 33 of which have been measured in the previous two cycles. During Cycle 1, CHMS evaluated data for 92 chemicals

measured in Canadians, publishing its report in August 2010. For Cycle 2, data for 91 environmental chemicals, 42 of which were also measured in Cycle 1, were reported on in April 2013. All three cycles of evaluation have included analysis of BPA. The biomonitoring data obtained in the CHMS survey will provide readers with the ability to do the following: • Determine baseline levels of chemicals in the Canadian population.

• Compare levels of chemicals among different populations.

• Identify priority chemicals for which further action should be taken to protect the public’s health.

• Assess the effectiveness of health and environmental risk management actions intended to reduce exposure to specific chemicals and the associated health risks.

• Support future research on potential links between exposure to certain chemicals and specific health effects.

• Contribute to international chemicals management programs.

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THIRD REPORT ON HUMAN

BIOMONITORING

OF ENVIRONMENTAL

CHEMICALS

IN CANADA

Results of the Canadian Health Measures Survey Cycle 3 (2012–2013) July 2015

Concerning BPA, the agency noted that “Health Canada has concluded that current dietary exposure to BPA through food packaging uses is not expected to pose a health risk to the general population, including newborns and young children.” To read more about Health Canada’s evaluation of BPA, review its “Bisphenol A Fact Sheet” at bit.ly/HealthCanadaBPAFactSheet.

Visit bit.ly/HealthCanada3rdReport to read Health Canada’s full report.

PARTNERSHIPS

IBWA and Bayer MaterialScience Quench Public’s Thirst for Information About Polycarbonate Safety On June 25, 2015, Bayer MaterialScience LLC, a global polycarbonate supplier, and IBWA issued a joint press release to encourage a fact-focused conversation about polycarbonate plastic. In the release, the organizations provide consumers with important facts about polycarbonate plastic, its many uses, and the facts about bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical compound used in the manufacturing of polycarbonate plastics. This widely picked up news release highlighted the important role polycarbonate plastic plays in the bottled water industry, its sustainable environmental footprint, and educational efforts being made by the American Chemistry Council (factsaboutbpa.org) to provide consumers with more fact-based information about BPA. The release also referenced recent statements made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) on the safe use of BPA in food and beverage containers. Visit bit.ly/IBWA_Bayer1 to read the IBWA / Bayer MaterialScience press release.

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IBWA’s 2015 June Capitol Hill Day

WATER NOTES

On June 3, 2015, IBWA members made more than 70 visits with members of Congress and their staff to educate them about bottled water industry issues.

J.P. Toner, Ross Rosette, Kristin Pearson Wilcox

Viola Johnson-Jacobs, Shayron Barnes-Selby, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Kelley Goshay

Robin Householder, Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), Lynn Wachtmann

Todd Price and Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA)

Philippe Caradec

IBWA President Joe Doss, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), IBWA Chairman Bryan Shinn

(From left) Derieth Sutton, Ross Rosette, Rep. Suzan DelBene (D, WA-1st), Allen French and his daughter Jada, and Larry Henderson

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Lynn Wachtmann

Mitch Turnipseed, George Heikkinen, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Todd Price

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COVER STORY

THE IMPORTANCE OF AN INTEGRATED MARKETING APPROACH

By Gregory Akroyd

INTEGRATED MARKETING: a multi-dimensional approach where every interaction a customer has with your brand is consistent. That means consistency runs not only through your advertising campaigns, brand colors, and social media hashtags but also through every single interaction your company has with a current or prospective customer.

It’s no secret that marketing strategies have recently changed.

After surviving spend reductions caused by economic factors such as the Great Recession of 2007-2009 and then flourishing under the exciting new possibilities introduced by social media, marketing has needed to, and must continue to, adapt and evolve to ensure companies not only retain current business but also acquire new customers and grow. An integrated marketing strategy is one way you can ensure that you consistently present your brand across both traditional and nontraditional marketing channels.

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aligning brews with eats to appeal to the “foodie” segment.

But it has also leveraged social media, developed a blog to increase search engine optimization (SEO), and created an online store with branded products that all speak to the interests of its customers—people who take beer seriously (and want to have a bit of fun as well).

How do I go about getting customer testimonials? Just ask. Your most satisfied clients keep purchasing your products for a reason. Ask them about their experiences. Offer to draft text on their behalf to give them a starting point for their testimonials. Remember to always get written permission before you use any testimonial.

An integrated marketing approach forms your brand image—the thing that helps differentiate you from your competition, sets your products apart, and, provided that you meet customer expectations, ultimately increases your market share. When was the last time you stopped and thought about how customers engage with your route sales reps? Their experience visiting your website? How satisfied they are with product delivery, quality, and follow-up?

Implementing a successful integrated marketing approach is essential because it helps to ensure that every brand touchpoint presents the “one voice” of your company.

Look, for example, at Brooklyn Brewery, located in Brooklyn, New York (www.brooklynbrewery.com), one of the many players in the microbrew beverage market. Its employees take their craft seriously and, in order to appeal to its market, the company has leveraged the power of many marketing channels to promote its products. The company has positioned itself as a strong player by organizing small-batch factory tours, scheduling public events in its tasting room, and 14

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Following Brooklyn Brewery’s example, bottled water companies can also implement an integrated marketing approach and leverage a variety of marketing channels to reach their customers and prospects. When developing your company’s strategy, you should consider the following elements: online and mobile efforts, content marketing, social media promotion, and traditional marketing.

Reach Mobile Users Do you browse websites on your smart phone or tablet? Of course you do, and so do your customers.

As technology continues to play a larger role in our everyday lives, the number of people who access content on handheld devices continues to grow. You must make sure that you leverage responsive design when building (or updating) your website. Mobile phone and tablet users must be able to quickly and easily navigate through your website. Aim for functionality mirroring that of your full site; mobile users need to be able to access product information, request a quote, find a service locator, log in to the client portal, etc. Execute a Web audit internally by asking co-workers who have minimal experience interfacing with your website to review it. Have them look at your website on both a desktop and mobile device, then get their feedback and use it to improve user experience.

If it serves your business model, think about developing a customer mobile app. Mobile apps can help with order requests, customer inquiries, deliveries, and more.

Tip: Vary the offers on your social media platforms, so you can track the lead.

MARKETING The market is full of mobile app providers, so do your homework. Ask for client referrals, so you can speak with past customers about their experience with the app provider. You should also make sure to compare features as they relate to level of investment.

Connect With Content Content marketing is a marketing approach in which you deliver relevant content that attracts prospects, engages current customers, and, ultimately, helps to drive return on investment. Think of it as a strategy in which you sell, without directly selling. In other words, your current and prospective customers are turning to your company for information—and that information will help build your brand reputation. Although not a conventional transaction, content marketing is a methodology more and more companies are adopting because it helps to build loyalty.

Here’s an example of content marketing you could easily implement on your website: develop a short article that ties in customer testimonials and post it on your website. That article could, for example, detail the ways that the Partnership for a Healthier America and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Drink Up initiative is encouraging young people to drink more water—then tie that story to testimonials from your most satisfied clients. This strategy takes a bit of

How should you react to complaints posted on company social media platforms?

Keep the online discussion short.

Apologize for the situation, say that the product/service experience is not your company standard, report that you have researched the issue, and inform them that someone at your company will call them today with a resolution.

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HOW TO INTEGRATE A MARKETING CAMPAIGN • Develop a content article that bridges facts about the industry, layered with customer testimonials that reinforce the content. Develop that article using internal resources, or hire a marketing writer who will work with you to understand your goals.

• Publish the story on your website. Drive people online to learn more or serve them with an online offer. Showcase your products and services, and reinforce why you are different compared to the competition.

• Push out the content (i.e., your article) via social media, directing people to read the full story on your website.

Consider a custom webpage, so you can track clicks from specific offers from your social media platforms.

• Send a direct mail postcard to your current and prospective customers directing them to read the full story on your website. Here again, a custom webpage can be helpful.

• Follow direct mail with an email. Show a visual of the postcard for recognition and direct people online—reiterate the print offer on your website.

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Did you know?

Each month, IBWA emails out a social communication toolkit—free to members. Email IBWASocialMedia@bottledwater. org and request to be placed on the distribution list. current news and then connects it to a positive customer experience. Leverage your article across all channels— email, social media, and direct mail—more on that below.

Get Social Social media marketing enables you to reach customers and prospects quickly, effectively, and with minimal resources. It’s an opportunity to promote offers, engage with customers, spotlight any local/community/volunteer activities, showcase contents and giveaways, talk about how your company supports the environment, and more.

Social media marketing doesn’t need to be managed by one person in your organization, but the approach should be collaborative to ensure that all efforts have the same voice.

Think of customer engagement via your social media efforts as free marketing research. You are pushing out your content articles and promotions to a captive and opt-in audience.

•

The rewards: You learn which customers are specifically engaged in your efforts—and you should consider rewarding them. You also gain an understanding of customer interests: one post gets liked two times; another 22 times. You can tweak your efforts by digging deeper into the interest of the second post and deliver more.

•

The risks: A slow rate of adoption means it may take a while to get followers (company “likes”) for your profile.

You may also receive negative customer feedback.

MARKETING •

The solutions: Given all the noise in the social media space, your company may struggle with gaining followers or quickly ramping up on the number of company “likes.”

Don’t give up! While adoption might be slow in this area, continue to invest time. Make it easy for customers to engage with you by putting links on your website and advertisements. And by all means, incentivize them. Run social media-only contests and offers or promote a gift card giveaway once a quarter via a random drawing to a new follower.

Here’s some advice on how to respond to negative customer feedback. Obviously, you won’t like learning that your company didn’t live up to a customer’s expectations.

While some companies are weary about how to handle complaints expressed online, the solution is simple: keep the discussion short, apologize for the situation, say that the product/service experience is not your company standard, report that you have researched the issue, and inform the customer that someone at your company will call today with a resolution. Your followers will see how you tactfully handled a compliant, which will reassure them that not only are you responsive to feedback but also you know how to resolve issues in a way that results in a satisfied (and hopefully retained) customer. How you handle a resolution in a public forum can actually have a positive impact on your business.

Stuck on where to begin with your social media efforts?

Do some competitive shopping. Visit the social media sites of your competitors, both in and out of your service area, to see what they are doing to keep the conversation going.

Tip: Place offers at the end of emails to train recipients to (at least) scroll through your content to get to any future offers.

Tip: Show an image of the direct mail postcard in your email campaign to create visual recognition and keep the offer consistent.

Then, test it out. If what works for your competitors also works for you, continue to tweak it to generate favorable response and discussion. Didn’t work? Keep trying new ideas to find out what it takes to engage your customers and prospects.

Take Traditional Steps Traditional marketing is not dead. If executed correctly, display advertising, direct mail, and other more traditional approaches are still effective. Think about how many times in a day you are subjected to advertising: billboards on your commute, ads on your favorite Internet radio station, even cross-selling at the drive-through window. They all try to appeal to your senses—and your wallet.

But what if when you drove up to the drive-through window they said (using myself as an example), “Greg, what can I get for you this morning?” The more personalized your approach, the more of an impact you will make and the higher the likelihood that your prospect will turn into a customer.

While some would debate that email marketing isn’t traditional, it’s now been around for years, and we’ve seen it evolve and improve by leaps and bounds. You should consider developing an email marketing content calendar for the year. First, think about how often you’d like to send out an email to connect with current and prospective customers. (If this is a new concept for you, start off quarterly.)

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MARKETING

INTEGRATED MARKETING IN 5 EASY STEPS Below are the steps you need to take to implement an integrated marketing plan.

STEP 1: Meet with your internal teams. Define your brand essence—the things that make up your brand and differentiate you from others.

STEP 2: Form teams to think about each channel—one team to work on social, another for online, another for direct mail, and so on.

STEP 3: Bring the groups together and start to develop the crossover: how will you connect those channels in an integrated way?

STEP 4: Have the teams come up with recommendations for implementation. Review plans compared to budget.

STEP 5: Execute your integrated marketing plan.

Second, compare frequency with your content. Third, ensure that content is relevant to the majority of recipients, connects back to your website, contains links to your social media sites, and potentially delivers an offer toward the bottom of the email. By placing any offer at the end of an email you train recipients to (at least) scroll through your content to get to any future offers. Fourth, personalize the email by name (Dear Greg) and any other non-private customer data that would be relevant to their account, such as their company name (Greg Akroyd Consulting). Finally, measure the responsiveness of the effort. Mass email distribution companies at a minimum allow tracking of open and click-through rates. You can use that data to make adjustments in your future email marketing messages.

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For direct mail marketing, consider aligning with a local printer. If you aren’t familiar with print, design, and mailing costs, ask your rep for a plant tour and tips on design, sizing, postage rates, and more. Printers want to earn your business, so it’s in their best interest to provide you with cost-effective solutions. Be sure to ask about their variable data capabilities—that is, how they are able to customize each direct mail piece by name or other sets of data—so that you can deliver personalized offers to certain segments of your mailing list. For example, send an oversized postcard to your prospect mailing list with varying offers: Group A’s offer is no discount; Group B’s offer is a 5 percent discount; Group C’s is 10 percent; and Group D is 15 percent. Vary only the offer amount because if you vary other elements of the campaign, you risk understanding exactly what tipped the scale in terms of effectiveness. Once you decipher that magic number, stick with it for a while and then test another varying set of offers in the future. For a truly integrated approach, send a customized email within a week of dropping the postcard in the mail.

Implement Now The sidebar at left presents the five steps you need to take to start implementing an integrated marketing strategy.

You’ll also find it helpful to schedule team meetings on a semi-frequent basis to review effectiveness. Those meetings aren’t necessarily to review accountability; instead, they should be thought of as “think tank” sessions—a place to determine what’s working, what needs tweaking, and what new elements you could introduce.

Remember: test, test, and test again. Make sure you keep track of the level of response from each campaign. Don’t give up if something doesn’t work—just make course corrections applying what you’ve learned along the way. When you find the sweet spots, think about why they are motivators, and do more of it.

Gregory Akroyd, president of Greg Akroyd Consulting, is located in New York, New York. He has more than 14 years of marketing experience, ranging from working with professional associations, an association management company, and a Fortune 500 brand. Connect with Greg on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/gakroyd.

Source of confidence

Delivering you the right solutions from

source to shelf

BOTTLED WATER and BEVERAGE QUALITY PROGRAM

www.nsf.org/info/beverages email bq@nsf.org or call +1 (734) 913-5738.

For more information, visit

APRIL/MAY 2013

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MILLENNIALS:

YOUR UNDERESTIMATED ASSET

By Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant A lot has been written about the Millennial generation in the last 10 years or so, and, to be frank, much of it is distracting at best.

Although the research usually cited is fairly accurate, the problem is that each new article on Millennials tries to teach us how to “deal with” this generation. It may have a positive spin (“Millennials Are a Harbinger of the Future”), or it may have a negative spin (“Can You Believe the Kids These Days?”), but it’s still about us—you know, the “normal” people—needing to deal with “them.”

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We’d like to change that conversation, and we’ll start by focusing a little less on the Millennials and a little more on you and your organization. Consider the following questions: Do you have close to 100 percent staff engagement? By that we mean does nearly all of the staff at your organization continuously give extra effort? Do they love working there? While they may not be perfect, do you find that you don’t have to spend any time figuring out ways to motivate them just to get stuff done? If your staff is engaged, they get tons of stuff done because working for your company is integral to their lives and who they are. They say things like “I can’t imagine working somewhere else,” or “I remember when I used to work for X, and I will never go back to an organization like that again.”

Do you encourage “positive” turnover? We aren’t talking about the obvious poor performers who won’t be around for long anyway—we mean are you actively moving people out if they are toxic, overly negative, or a bad fit for your culture? Or do you keep them around because you’re afraid of the knowledge they’ll take with them when they go? In addition, are you okay with good employees leaving if they want to explore other options, knowing that they will probably come back a few months later once they see how great your workplace is compared to others?

Could you charge a lot more and still keep your customers? In other words, is the quality and value of what you provide so exceptional, that you can charge SEP/OCT 2015

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significantly more than your competitors, but have customers line up anyway?

We assume most readers will answer “No” to the questions above, so it may surprise you to find out that there are organizations out there with management teams that can answer “Yes.” In fact, there are quite a few of them. In the research we completed for our book, When Millennials Take Over, we found several exemplar organizations that you’ve probably never heard of.

Take a Cue The American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), for example, is a small nonprofit in Chicago, but when it has a position open up, the organization routinely receives applications from people at local technology firms. That’s a unique occurrence because the expected hiring path of talent is usually the reverse: people leaving nonprofits to work for cool tech companies. But ASSH was just one of several organizations we studied that had employees who could not imagine working anywhere else.

We also found Quality Living, Inc. (QLI) in Omaha, Nebraska. A healthcare company, QLI has always kept its overall turnover well below 22

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the industry average. When you look at only the company’s “bad turnover” rate (i.e., the people QLI management wished would stay), you’ll notice that it has never gone above 10 percent per year in its 20-year history.

So, what are companies like QLI and ASSH doing differently? Interestingly, they (and others like them) are taking a surprising number of cues from the Millennial generation. No, that doesn’t mean those organizations were founded and led by Millennials; in fact, they’ve had Baby Boomer and Generation X leaders at the helm the whole time.

Those organizations also didn’t set out to create the cultures they have with the specific intention of attracting the Millennial generation (although they all seem to be doing well in that area).

They simply set out to create amazing organizations. But when you look at the patterns across those organizations, as well as some of the darlings of business—for example, Zappos, Valve, or Nordstrom—some important patterns emerge.

Patterns of Success These organizations are all very good at embracing what we call the “digital mindset.” Obviously, having a digital

mindset includes investing appropriately in technology. ASSH, despite being a small nonprofit, has nearly one-third of its staff devoted to technology projects, and every employee gets a new laptop and a new tablet every two years. But honestly, that’s just the first step. A digital mindset requires a different way of thinking—a way that more closely resembles a software designer than a traditional manager. In the software world, the user is king. You have to make the user experience stellar, despite the fact that users are picky and on different platforms and devices. You have to make it customizable for them (nearly all of them—not just the elite), and it has to be continuously innovated and improved. Accomplishing all of that is hard on the software designer, but that’s what users expect these days.

To embrace the digital mindset inside your organization, you must see your employees as the “users” of your workplace.

At ASSH, the entire workspace was designed around the needs of the employees, complete with power and Wi-Fi on the roof-deck and a mix of quiet areas and collaborative spaces that let individual employees find what works for them. The CEO’s desk is located right out in the open workspace, in the middle of everyone. Employees found that when they had instant access to senior management, they got their work done more effectively and efficiently, so that’s the path ASSH chose. They also let employees customize work—every job description is rewritten annually based on the unique career needs of each individual.

In taking that approach, ASSH has achieved a level of employee engagement that most companies would envy, and they end up accomplishing more than many nonprofits their size. As one employee put it, “This place cares so much about us, so we should care more about this place.”

The one outcome ASSH management may not have predicted was the way the organization became attractive to the

MILLENNIALS

WHO ARE THE MILLENNIALS?

Millennials, the group of Americans born between 1980 and the mid-2000s, are the largest generation in the United States, representing one-third of the total U.S. population in 2013. With the first cohort of Millennials only in their early thirties, most members of this generation are at the beginning of their careers and so will be an important engine of the economy for decades to come.

The significance of Millennials extends beyond their numbers. This is the first generation to have had access to the Internet during their formative years. Millennials also stand out because they are the most diverse and educated generation to date: 42 percent identify with a race or ethnicity other than non-Hispanic white, around twice the share of the Baby Boomer generation when they were the same age. About 61 percent of adult Millennials have attended college, whereas only 46 percent of the Baby Boomers did so.

Yet perhaps the most important marker for Millennials is that many of them have come of age during a very difficult time in our economy, as the oldest Millennials were just 27 years old when the recession began in December 2007. As unemployment surged from 2007 to 2009, many Millennials struggled to find a job. They made important decisions about their educational and career paths, including whether and where to attend college, during a time of great economic uncertainty.

Their early adult lives have been shaped by the experience of establishing their careers at a time when economic opportunities were relatively scarce. Today, although the economy is well into its recovery, the recession still affects the lives of Millennials and will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Source: “15 Economic Facts About Millennials,� White House Council of Economic Advisors, October 2014 (bit.ly/WhiteHouse_Economic Report_Millennials)

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Millennial generation. But it makes sense when you think about it because Millennials grew up in the digital age. It is a generation that does not remember work before the Internet.

They get new phones every two years, they customize all their apps instantly, and they are comfortable abandoning old tools for new tools as they are improved upon. The digital mindset simply makes sense to them.

That’s the key lesson here. Organizations that are performing surprisingly well in today’s environment also happen to make complete sense to Millennials. The digital mindset is just one way organizations are tapping into that power, but we’re seeing it in other areas as well, specifically around increased transparency and a more fluid hierarchy, among others.

Clear Leadership Transparency is not an entirely new idea, of course. Companies like Whole Foods have been sharing their salary and bonus data internally with all their employees for many years now. But we’re seeing a trend towards more companies taking extra steps to make more information visible internally in order to increase the quality and quantity of good decisions inside the organization.

Traditional management asks the top leaders of an organization to determine who “needs to know” before information is disseminated, but that doesn’t work in a fast-paced, networked world. When things are more visible, you need fewer meetings—and maybe even fewer managers—and you still get better decisions.

Hierarchy is also a concept the workplace has been struggling with for some

time, but it is only recently that we’ve seen some truly viable alternatives to traditional hierarchy emerging. For example, Zappos experimented with a new system of internal governance called Holacracy. In that more fluid system, decision-making authority morphs based on a clearer understanding of what drives the success of the enterprise. It allows the company to expand and distribute power in a dynamic and flexible way. Although QLI, the healthcare company, does not use the Holacracy model, it has created a culture with a more fluid system of decision making that is based on who has the deepest knowledge about their patients at any given moment.

Concepts like transparency and fluid hierarchies come quite naturally to Millennials. They grew up with instant

U.S. POPULATION DISTRIBUTION BY AGE (2013) MILLIONS HOMELAND GENERATION

5

MILLENIALS*

GENERATION X

BABY BOOMERS

(1980-2004)

(1965-1980)

(1946-1964)

(2005-PRESENT)

SILENT GENERATION

4

(1928-1945)

3 2 1 0

1

6

11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76 AGE

Source: U.S. Census Bureau and “15 Economic Facts About Millennials,” White House Council of Economic Advisors, October 2014 (bit.ly/WhiteHouse_EconomicReport_Millennials) 24

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A New Conversation Stopping the debate on whether the Millennials are too entitled or spoiled in the workplace also makes sense.

Let’s not worry about which generation is the most correct when it comes to management style or dress code. Instead, let’s start learning from the Millennials.

Let’s start using them as our own “secret decoder rings” to help us figure out how to thrive in a business environment that is becoming something radically different from those we’ve experienced in the past. Whatever you think of the Millennials, you should at least be willing to learn from them. As we move forward, the most successful organizations will abandon the conversation about how to “deal with” this new generation and will focus on how they can help us all understand (and create) what the future of business will look like.

Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant, CAE, are the founding partners of Culture That Works and strategists known for helping organizations create remarkable cultures, attract the best employees and most loyal customers, and thrive in the digital age.

Together, they have a combined 35 years of experience working with both small and large organizations from a variety of industries, including high-tech, healthcare, retail, finance, and nonprofit. They are also co-authors of the critically acclaimed book Humanize: How People-Centric Organizations Succeed in a Social World and their 2015 release, When Millennials Take Over: Preparing for the Ridiculously Optimistic Future of Business. Based in Washington, DC, they are frequent keynote speakers to diverse audiences around the world.

MILLENNIALS

access to every bit of information on the planet, and they were much more involved in the decisions about their own lives as children than previous generations. Businesses that are organized using a clear and fluid design just make sense to them.

LEARN MORE Successful companies are shifting to embrace four key capacities that will drive the future of business: digital, clear, fluid, and fast. When Millennials Take Over, the latest book by Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant, draws on both cutting-edge case studies and research on Millennials in the workplace to instruct on how to successfully apply those four capacities to drive real business results—like more engaged employees, highervalue customers, greater strategic agility, and stronger, magnetic cultures. When Millennials Take Over delivers concrete, actionable advice you can use to set your company apart as a leader—rather than a follower. Order your copy at www.culturethatworks.net.

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Register Today Water Quality Association’s 2016 Convention & Exposition March 14–17, 2016 Music City Center Nashville, Tennessee USA www.wqa.org/convention

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JOIN IBWA AT WASHINGTON’S NATIONAL HARBOR TO

AND

GAIN PERSPECTIVE AWAKEN INSPIRATION Just a short walk to the Potomac River from the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, the headquarters of the 2015 IBWA Annual Business Conference and Trade Show being held November 2-5, you’ll find “The Awakening,” a 70-feet-across, 15-foot-high, aluminum sculpture by J. Seward Johnson that gives the impression of a giant struggling to emerge from the earth. If you sit at just the right place in the sand that surrounds the three-dimensional work of art and peer through its clawed hand, you’ll see that the giant seems to press between his fingers the Capital Wheel, a Ferris wheel that soars 180 feet over the Potomac. This illusion illustrates the importance of gaining perspective.

Like the giant of “The Awakening,” the bottled water industry has recently faced its fair share of struggles—but successfully tackling hard issues is nothing new for us. Through much hard work, we have established a wellearned reputation as an industry that prefers to deal in science- and factbased discussions. IBWA invites all bottled water professionals who are interested in continuing those discussions and promoting the truth about bottled water to join us in Washington, DC, for our 2015 Annual Business Conference and Trade Show.

2015 ANNUAL 2015 BUSINESS CONFERENCE ANNUAL BUSINESS CONFERENCE

WASHINGTON, DC

Why should you attend the 2015 IBWA Annual Business Conference and Trade Show? Educational seminars, business sessions, networking events, a trade show collaboration with NAMA’s CoffeeTea&Water show—and the chance to explore one of the DC area’s newest tourist attractions: National Harbor, located just minutes from Reagan National Airport! Need more reasons to attend?

Here are a few: • Welcome Reception • 35+ IBWA/NAMA Education Sessions, offering 20 continuing education credits (CEUs) • 150 Exhibitors at the IBWA/NAMA Trade Show • Networking Opportunities for bottlers and IBWA supplier members • IBWA/NAMA Keynote Presentations • IBWA General Session and Annual Business Meeting (Keynote Speaker: Trevor Butterworth of Sense About Science USA) • IBWA Board of Directors and Committee Meetings • Drinking Water Research Foundation’s (DWRF) Fundraiser—”Keys for a Cause”—at Bobby McKey’s Dueling Piano Bar (walking distance from the hotel) • CPO Exam • And last—but certainly not least—a $229 room rate at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.

Go to bitly.com/IBWAOnlineRegistration2015Conference to register online now, or turn to page 31 and fill out the registration form. For up-to-date conference information, visit www.bottledwater.org/convention.

The Capital Wheel seen through the hand of “The Awakening” sculpture located at National Harbor. Photo credit: ©2015 Sabrina Hicks

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JUST THE (CONFERENCE) FACTS When: November 2-5, 2015 Where: Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center 201 Waterfront St, National Harbor, MD 20745 (minutes from Washington, DC) Hotel Policies: Check in: 4 pm, Check out: 11 am, Complimentary Internet Hotel Room Rate: $229 for traditional single or double + 18% taxes ($270.22 total per night) Two Ways to Make Hotel Reservations: (reservation cutoff: Saturday, October 10, 2015) • Online, only at bit.ly/2015IBWAConference (Do not go to marriott.com.)

• Call 877.491.0468, indicate you want to make a reservation at the Gaylord National Resort within the IBWA room block.

Local Airports: Reagan National Airport (8-15 min. taxi), Dulles International Airport (35-50 min. taxi), BaltimoreWashington International Airport (39-45 min. taxi)

IBWA EDUCATION SESSIONS LEARN SOMETHING NEW, CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE

According to management consultant and author Peter Drucker, “Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.”

Keeping abreast of the hot topics in the bottled water industry—FSMA, recycling, sales trends, water source management, the life cycle of our products, etc.—is no easy task. But IBWA can help. Our education sessions— held Monday, November 2, through Wednesday, November 4—offer attendees the chance to hear from subject matter experts. Even better, as you sit and learn, you will have the unique opportunity to network with other professionals in the bottled water industry who are encountering the same workplace issues and challenges you face every day. Sometimes, peer-to-peer networking is the best educator!

If you participate in IBWA’s Certified Plant Operator (CPO) program, you can earn CEUs by attending sessions. New this year, a few business sessions are now eligible for CEU credit. When reviewing the education session descriptions on pages 34-37, look for the CEU symbol to identify which business sessions to attend for CEU credit. As always, CPOs can earn CEUs by attending technical sessions that include the symbol.

CEU

In 2015, IBWA made a change to the CPO program. The number of CEUs required for recertification was increased from 18 to 21. Of the 21 required CEUs, up to 6 CEUs can be from non-technical topics. CPOs have the option to earn all 21 CEUs in technical and regulatory topics, but they can earn up to 6 CEUs by attending non-technical education sessions.

IBWA/NAMA Education Sessions: 35+ CEUs Available: 20 CPO Exam: Thursday, November 5, 8:00 – 11:00 am (Ticketed Event) IBWA/NAMA Trade Show, Lunch, and Reception: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 12:30 – 6:30 pm 150+ exhibitors Four Ways to Register for IBWA Conference: • Online: bitly.com/ IBWAOnlineRegistration2015Conference • Fax: 703.683.4074 • Email: conventioninfo@bottledwater.org (call 703.683.5213 to provide credit card number) • Mail: IBWA Annual Business Conference, 1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 650, Alexandria, VA 22314 Weather: Avg. High – 62˚, Avg. Low - 45˚, Avg. Rainfall – 3.2 inches (umbrella recommended) Attire: Business casual, with good walking shoes For IBWA Conference and Trade Show Information: Contact IBWA Director of Conventions, Trade Shows, and Meetings Michele Campbell: conventioninfo@ bottledwater.org or 703.647.4606.

For IBWA Membership Information: Contact Manager of Member Services Dennis Carpenter: dcarpenter@ bottledwater.org or 703.647.4615.

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WE DID WHAT?

A REVIEW OF IBWA’S 2015 ACTIVITIES It never fails. Each year, after hearing IBWA President and CEO Joe Doss give his state of the association report, occurring this year during the Wednesday, November 4, General Session, 8:30 am – 10:45 am, a few attendees are surprised to learn about the abundance of issues IBWA has successfully tackled in the months leading up to the conference. Attending the General Session is a time for you to hear about what IBWA sees in store for the bottled water industry’s future—information that will come in handy as you plan business objectives for 2016. Members will also vote on the slate of nominees for IBWA’s officers and board of directors, and IBWA Chairman Bryan Shinn (The Water Guy) will discuss what he has learned during his term leading the association.

Chairman Shinn will also introduce the membership to Incoming Chairman Joe Bell (Aqua Filter Fresh), who will brief members on his plan for IBWA in 2016.

WE NEED YOU

TO ATTEND IBWA COMMITTEE MEETINGS As a member of IBWA, you can make a real contribution by participating in the IBWA committee meetings. Starting Monday, November 2, and concluding with the Board of Directors Meeting on Thursday, November 5, IBWA committees will meet to discuss the business of the association. All members are invited to participate in these meetings to learn more about the issues that are important to the bottled water industry. These IBWA member-only meetings offer another opportunity to learn about how upcoming regulations and proposed legislation may affect your businesses. Come, participate, and help us shape the future of IBWA and the bottled water industry.

EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT FOCUS ON FSMA

As you are probably aware, the final rules of FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) were published in August 2015. Based on company size, companies will have between one to three years to comply with the rules.

Thus, now is the time to prepare for FSMA implementation, and IBWA is here to help! On Monday, November 2, IBWA will present four education sessions that offer a FSMA focus: “Preventive Controls and FSMA-based Inspections: FDA Perspective,” “FSMA Updates: Impact on Bottled Water Industry,” “Pest Management in Food Facilities,” and a FSMA roundtable.

FSMA inspections will begin early in the fall of 2016, and they will be dramatically different than the inspections currently conducted by FDA. So, it’s important for bottlers to learn how inspections will change under FSMA, the consequences of non-compliance, the FDA’s plans for FSMA implementation, and where companies should direct their FSMA preparation efforts. Let IBWA help you prepare by attending these educational sessions.

DWRF FUNDRAISER “KEYS FOR A CAUSE”

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM The Drinking Water Research Foundation (DWRF) fundraiser will be held at Bobby McKey’s Dueling Piano Bar. This venue offers a unique entertainment experience where two to four piano players work as teams, taking song requests for crowd sing-alongs. Ticket cost includes the following: entrance to and entertainment at Bobby McKey’s, delicious dinner cuisine, and one drink ticket for an alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverage. Tickets to this event may sell out, so register now. Join us for live music, plenty of laughs, good company, and an entertainment experience unlike any other. Ticketed event: $150 per person entry fee, $75 is tax deductible.

Your attendance at DWRF’s Keys for a Cause event will help fund healthy hydration research and public education campaigns—all of which are related to reliable and safe drinking water accessibility and impact the bottled water industry. Please note on the registration form (p.31), under “DWRF Fundraising Event,” how many tickets you would like for this event. Limited sponsorship opportunities are still available. Contact IBWA Program Coordinator Claire Crane for more information: 703.647.4612 or ccrane@bottledwater.org.

WHAT DID HE SAY ABOUT BPA? KEYNOTE SPEAKER TREVOR BUTTERWORTH KNOWS A THING OR TWO ABOUT SCIENCE AND THE MEDIA If you were fascinated by what Trevor Butterworth, director of Sense About Science USA, had to say regarding the media’s misrepresentation of the facts about bisphenol A (BPA) in the Nov/Dec 2014 Bottled Water Reporter article, “Umberto Eco, BPA, and the Need for Real, Cause-Effect Science” (bit. ly/ButterworthBPA), then you’ll be delighted to hear him speak during the Wednesday, November 4, General Session. Butterworth, a former science writer for Newsweek, has written for the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and NewYorker.com. As editor of STATS.org, a joint project between the American Statistical Association and Sense About Science USA, he promotes statistical literacy in the media and society—and he has some eye-opening facts to share about how the media reports on BPA.

NOT-TO-MISS EVENTS

IBWA/NAMA Welcome Reception MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM Help IBWA and NAMA kick off a week of networking and learning by attending the Welcome Reception. Held in the Cherry Blossom Ballroom of the Gaylord National Resort, the reception provides attendees with the chance to make new connections or meet up with old friends at the beginning of what’s sure to be a busy week. Come and enjoy tasty hors d’oeuvres, with an open cash bar. Admittance to the Welcome Reception is included in your conference registration fee. If you would like to bring a guest to this event, you can order an additional ticket for $40 on the registration form (p.31).

WIN Fun Run/Walk Event TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 6:30 AM – 8:00 AM Women of the Industry – NAMA (WIN), a group of women professionals in the vending and refreshment services industry who promote leadership through education and networking, is proud to present the first WIN Fun Run/Walk! WIN believes in awareness of health in our industries. A percentage of the proceeds from this event will go towards the NAMA Foundation to benefit the FitPick® program. This is the first year WIN has organized a run/walk, and the group is eager to share this great opportunity with the NAMA, CoffeeTea&Water, and IBWA community. Walkers, runners, and volunteers are welcome! Sign up by checking the box under WIN Fun Run/Walk on the registration form (p.31). Please register by October 15 to ensure you receive a t-shirt for the event, which begins and ends at the Gaylord National Resort.

IBWA/NAMA Trade Show, Lunch, and Reception TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM Nothing beats the opportunity to meet with 150+ vendors in one place. That’s why walking the IBWA/NAMA Trade Show floor is a must. Do you have questions for a current vendor? Have you been searching for that one offering that will take your company to the next level? You’ll find the latest and greatest products and services offered by vendors who know and understand the bottled water industry on the trade show floor. With time dedicated solely to conversation, decision making, and networking, you’ll find that attending the trade show is worth the investment of the conference registration.

CPO Exam THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM IBWA requires bottler members to have at least one certified plant operator (CPO) at each facility. CPOs are qualified to operate and maintain—by experience, education, and training—the facilities of a bottled water plant. If you’d like to become a CPO or re-establish your CPO status, prepare for the exam by studying the IBWA Plant Technical Reference Manual and the Bottled Water Code of Practice.

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SCHEDULE-AT-A-GLANCE IBWA Annual Business Conference and Trade Show** November 2-5, 2015

WASHINGTON, DALLAS DC

Wednesday, November 4 (cont.)

Monday, November 2 10:00 am – 5:30 pm

IBWA Registration

*************** 10:30 am – 11:30 pm 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

IBWA Education Committee* IBWA Committee Chairs Lunch (closed)

Sessions With FSMA Focus: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm 4:00 pm – 4:45 pm 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm 1:15 pm – 2:45 pm

2:30 pm – 4:00 pm 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm

Preventive Controls and FSMA-based Inspections (1 CEU) FSMA Updates: Impact on Bottled Water Industry (1 CEU) Pest Management in Food Facilities (1 CEU) FSMA Roundable (.75 CEU) IBWA Supplier and Convention Committee* IBWA State Affairs Task Force / IBWA State and Regional Associations Committee* Communications Committee* IBWA Membership Committee* IBWA Political Action Committee Board Meeting* IBWA / NAMA Welcome Reception DWRF Fundraiser – Dueling Pianos (Ticketed Event)

12:30 pm – 2:30 pm

IBWA Technical Committee*

1:00 pm – 2:15

Proactive Media and Policy Communications Tools for Your Business (1.25 CEUs) IBWA 2015 Life Cycle Inventory of Bottled Water (1.25 CEUs) Drinking Water Contamination / Big Red Med Box (1.25 CEUs) Filtration 101 (1.25 CEUs) Improv is No Joke: Using Improvisation to Create Positive Results (1.25 CEUs) Water Source Management (1.25 CEUs) Key Concepts for RO Technology (1.25 CEUs) CPO Study Session (1.25 CEUs)

pm

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm

2:30 pm – 3:45 pm 2:30 pm – 3:45 pm

2:30 pm – 3:45 pm 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm

Thursday, November 5 7:00 am – 10:00 am *************** 8:00 am – 11:00 am 8:00 am – 11:00 am * **

Tuesday, November 3 7:00 am – 5:00

pm 7:15 am – 9:00 am *************** 7:00 am – 9:00 am 8:00 am – 9:15 am 8:00 am – 9:15 am

8:30 am – 10:30 am 9:30 am – 10:45 am 9:30 am – 10:45 am

IBWA Registration Continental Breakfast

11:00 am – 12:15 pm 11:00 am – 12:15 pm

11:00 am – 12:15 pm

12:30 pm – 6:30 pm 1:15 pm – 2:30 pm

IBWA Environmental Sustainability Committee*u Bottled Water Sales Through Convenience Store Channels (1.25 CEUs) Influence of Adequate Daily Fluid Intake on the Body (1.25 CEUs) IBWA / NAMA Trade Show/Lunch/Reception DWRF Trustees Meeting

IBWA Executive Committee (closed) Current Issues Update (1.25 CEUs) Are You Ready for When Millennials Take Over? (1.25 CEUs) IBWA Government Relations Committee* Challenges to Effective Recycling (1.25 CEUs) Bottled Water Sales Trends (1.25 CEUs)

Wednesday, November 4 7:00 am – 5:00 pm *************** 8:30 am – 10:45 am 30

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IBWA Registration IBWA General Session and Annual Business Meeting

WWW.BOTTLEDWATER.ORG

IBWA Registration IBWA Board of Directors Meeting* IBWA CPO Exam (Ticketed Event)

IBWA membership required for attendance at these meetings.

IBWA schedule current as of August 14, 2015. For updates, www.bottledwater.org/convention.

NAMA CoffeeTea&Water Schedule* Monday, November 2 7:00 am – 7:00 pm 7:00 am – 5:00 pm 7:30 am – 12:00 pm 8:30 am – 12:15 pm 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm 3:00 pm – 5:15 pm 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

NAMA Registration Coffee’s On! QCCP Brewing Technologies TechTalks Opening General Session Education Sessions CTW/IBWA Welcome Reception

Tuesday, November 3 6:30 am – 8:00 am 7:00 am – 6:00 pm 7:00 am – 12:00 pm 7:30 am – 12:00 pm 9:00 am – 9:30 am 9:30 am – 12:00 pm 12:30 pm – 6:30 pm

WIN Fun Run/Walk NAMA Registration Coffee’s On! QCCP Coffee Fundamentals General Session Education Sessions IBWA / NAMA Trade Show/Lunch/Reception

ednesday, November 4 W 7:00 am – 12:00 pm 7:00 am – 12:00 pm 9:00 am – 11:00 am 11:15 am – 12:15 pm

NAMA Registration Coffee’s On Education Sessions Closing General Session

* NAMA schedule current as of July 8, 2015.

2015 ANNUAL BUSINESS CONFERENCE NOVEMBER 2-5 | GAYLORD NATIONAL HOTEL | WASHINGTON, DC WWW.BOTTLEDWATER.ORG

!

WASHINGTON, DC

ATTENDEE REGISTRATION FORM (Online registration is available at bitly.com/IBWAOnlineRegistration2015Conference.)

MAIL FORM TO: IBWA Conference, 1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 650, Alexandria, VA 22314 FAX FORM TO: 703.683.4074 SCAN/EMAIL FORM TO: conventioninfo@bottledwater.org QUESTIONS? CALL: 703.683.5213 (Patrice Ward or Michele Campbell) INFORMATION AND CURRENT SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: www.bottledwater.org/convention

ATTENDEE

1ST TIME ATTENDEE?

NAME:_________________________________________________ EMAIL:__________________________________________ q Yes q No COMPANY NAME:_________________________________________ WEB: ____________________________________________________ ADDRESS:______________________________________________________________________________________________________ CITY:___________________________________________________ STATE:_______________________________ZIP:_________________ PHONE:____________________________________ CELL:________________________________________ FAX:_____________________

(for onsite use only)

HOTEL: Make your reservation ASAP. October 10, 2015 is the cut-off date for the group rate, but rooms may sell out prior to that date.

DATE I WILL ARRIVE:_______________

DATE I WILL DEPART:_______________

HOTEL I WILL STAY AT:__________________________

REGISTRATION FEES INCLUDE: Reception on Monday and Tuesday, 1 lunch, 2 continental breakfasts, 35+ education sessions, 4 plenary sessions, trade show

IBWA MEMBER BOTTLER/DISTRIBUTOR

q New IBWA Member (10/1/14-9/30/15)

q Existing Member

Select One: q Bottler q Distributor q Academic/Government q Other: _____________________________________________________ Until 10/10/15: $289 per person After 10/10/15: $389 per person

NON-MEMBER BOTTLER/DISTRIBUTOR Select One: q Bottler q Distributor q Academic/Government q Other: _____________________________________________________ Until 10/10/15: $500 per person After 10/10/15: $600 per person

NON-EXHIBITING SUPPLIER

q New IBWA Member (10/1/14-9/30/15) Until 10/10/15: $775 per person After 10/10/15: $875 per person

q Existing Member

qNon-Member

Payment

Registration

Guest: Monday Reception

DWRF Fundraising Event

WIN Fun Run/Walk

Attendee

$_________

#___ @ $40 each= $______

#___ @ $150 each= $_____

#___ @ $40 each= $_____

q Yes, please register me for the CPO Exam @ $80/person. (IBWA members only.)

Payment Method $_______ Total Due q Check (payable to IBWA, mail with this form) q Credit Card (provide account # here or call IBWA ) ___ AMEX ___ VISA ___ Master Card ___ Discover Name on Credit Card: ______________________________________________________________ Authorized Signature: ____________________________________

Account Number: ____________________________________

Exp. Date: __________

Confirmations and Cancellation Policy • Confirmations will be emailed or faxed to registrants within 48 hours of receipt. If you do not receive a confirmation, please call IBWA. • Cancellations must be received in writing no later than October 10, 2015 and are subject to a $50.00 administrative fee. After that date, no refunds will be issued.

SEP/OCT 2015 BWR • Substitutions can be made, but must be in writing.

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PLAN YOUR IBWA CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE

EDUCATION PROGRAM AND Monday | November 2 WASHINGTON, DALLAS DC

7:00am

Tuesday | November 3

IBWA Committee Meetings | IBWA Education Sessions | IBWA and NAMA Joint Events

NAMA Meetings

10:00am-5:30pm IBWA Registration | Cherry Blossom Foyer

7:00am-7:00pm NAMA Registration

IBWA Committee Meetings | IBWA Education Sessions | IBWA and NAMA Joint Events 7:00am-5:00pm IBWA Registration

7:30am 7:00am-9:00am Executive Committee (Closed)

8:00am 8:30am

6:30am-8:00am WIN Fun Run/Walk

7:15am-9:00am Cont. Breakfast

8:00am-9:15am Current Issues Update

8:00am-9:15am Are You Ready for When Millennials Take Over?

9:30am-10:45am Challenges to Effective Recycling

9:30am-10:45am Bottled Water Sales Trends

11:00am-12:15pm Bottled Water Sales Through Convenience Stores

11:00am-12:15pm Influence of Hydration on the Body

9:00am 9:30am

8:30am-10:30am Government Relations Committee

10:00am 10:30am

10:30am-11:30am Education Committee

11:00am

11:00am-12:15pm Environmental Sustainability Committee

11:30am 12:00pm

11:30am-1:00pm Committee Chairs Lunch (Closed)

12:30pm 1:00pm 1:30pm

1:15pm-2:15pm Supplier/Convention Committee

2:00pm 2:30pm 3:00pm

2:30pm-4:00pm Communications Committee

3:30pm

1:15pm-2:45pm State Affairs Task Force / Regional Assn.

3:00pm-4:30pm Membership Committee

4:00pm 4:30pm

4:15pm-5:15pm PAC Board Meeting

Evening

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5:30pm-7:00pm IBWA / NAMA Welcome Reception (Cherry Blossom Ballroom)

WWW.BOTTLEDWATER.ORG

1:00pm-2:30pm General Session

FSMA Focus 2:00pm-3:00pm Impact on Industry FSMA Focus 3:00pm-4:00pm Pest Management FSMA Focus 4:00pm-4:45pm FSMA Roundtable

5:00pm 5:30pm

FSMA Focus 1:00pm-2:00pm FDA Perspective

2:45pm-3:45pm NAMA Education Sessions (3)

1:15pm-2:30pm DWRF Trustees Meeting

12:30pm-6:30pm IBWA / NAMA Trade Show, Lunch, and Reception (Prince George’s Hall A-B)

4:00pm-5:15pm NAMA Education Sessions (3)

7:30pm-10:00pm DWRF Fundraiser: Keys for a Cause Dueling Pianos at Bobby McKey’s

IBWA Board of Directors and Committee Meetings are open to IBWA members only.

COMMITTEE MEETINGS MATRIX Thursday | November 5

Wednesday | November 4 IBWA Committee Meetings IBWA Education Sessions

NAMA Meetings 7:00am-6:00pm NAMA Registration

7:00am-5:00pm IBWA Registration

8:30am-10:45am IBWA General Session, with Keynote Speaker: Trevor Butterworth (Cherry Blossom Ballroom)

9:00am-10:15am NAMA General Session

NAMA Meetings

IBWA Meetings

7:00am-12:00pm NAMA Registration

7:00am-10:00am IBWA Registration

8:00am-9:30am NAMA Education Sessions (2)

8:00am-11:00am IBWA Board of Directors Meeting

9:45am-11:00am NAMA Education Sessions (2)

8:00am-11:00am IBWA CPO Exam

10:30am-12:00pm NAMA Education Sessions (3) 11:15am-12:15pm NAMA General Session

12:30pm-2:30pm Technical Committee

1:00pm-2:15pm Media and Policy Communication Tools for Your Business

1:00pm-2:15pm Drinking Water Contamination / Big Red Med Box

1:00pm-2:15pm IBWA 2015 Life Cycle Inventory of Bottled Water

2:30pm-3:45pm Filtration 101

2:30pm-3:45pm Using Improv to Create Results

2:30pm-3:45pm Water Source Management COLOR KEY IBWA/NAMA EVENTS

4:00pm-5:15pm CPO Study Session

4:00pm-5:15pm Key Concepts for RO Technology

IBWA SESSIONS (BUSINESS) IBWA SESSIONS (TECH/REG) IBWA Committee Meetings (IBWA Members Only) NAMA Meetings

Go to www.bottledwater.org/convention for most current information.

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WASHINGDALLAS TON, DC

EDUCATION SESSIONS*

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2 CEU 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Preventive Controls and 1.0 FMSA-based Inspections: FDA Perspective

Presenters: Kathy Gombas, FDA, and Jenny Scott, FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is having an impact on the way the bottled water industry conducts business. During this session, representatives from FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) will discuss the agency’s Preventive Controls Regulation for Human Food and guiding principles for FSMA implementation. To help industry prepare for FSMA implementation, the FDA representatives will review the Preventive Controls for Human Food rule requirements and highlight what to expect as FDA modernizes its inspection and regulatory strategies to gain and maintain industry compliance with the FSMA rules. The FSMA Implementation Guiding Principles that will be discussed include information about education, outreach, and technical assistance to facilitate and foster industry compliance; system-based inspection approaches to facilitate industry compliance; and compliance and regulatory strategies linked to public health outcomes.

CEU

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM 1.0 FSMA Updates: Impact on Bottled Water Industry Presenters: Bob Hirst, IBWA, and Joseph Levitt, Esq., Hogan Lovells

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regulations and learn how to help ensure that you have the appropriate pest management service in place.

This session is another in the continuing series of seminars on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) presented by Bob Hirst and Joe Levitt.

The final rule for preventive controls is scheduled to be published by August 30, 2015, and implementation will begin in August 2016 for large companies, followed by smaller companies in 2017 and 2018. Additional final rules will follow into 2017. Thus, it’s almost show time! During the 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm education session, staff from FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) will present the FDA perspective on the final rules. In this session, Bob and Joe will focus on the impact of those rules on the bottled water industry. By November 2015, we’ll have a much clearer view of the future of food safety in the United States. Don’t miss this session, and all the other FSMA sessions scheduled for Monday afternoon, November 2, 2015!

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM Pest Management in Food Facilities

CEU

1.0

Presenter: Andrew Bray, National Pest Management Association The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has resulted in increased scrutiny and regulatory requirements for pest management along the food supply chain. Food facilities that fail to implement a proactive and effective pest management strategy may be vulnerable to infestations that may have devastating financial and public relations impacts. Come to this session to hear about the new FSMA

4:00 PM – 4:45 PM FSMA Roundtable

Presenters: Bob Hirst, IBWA, and panel

CEU

.75

How is the preparation for FSMA implementation going at your plants?

During this session, attendees will have the opportunity to share their FSMA implementation “war stories”—including what you’ve experienced when updating your HACCP and food defense plans, and how inspections by the “new” FDA are being received at your plants.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 8:00 AM – 9:15 AM Current Issues Update Presenter: Bob Hirst, IBWA

CEU

1.25

This session will cover all the important technical and regulatory updates you need to know as a bottled water company, including proposed changes to label requirements under a revised Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA). News from state and federal agencies (FDA, EPA, OSHA, DHS) will also be presented.

8:00 AM – 9:15 AM 1.25 Are You Ready for When Millennials Take Over?

CEU

Presenter: Jamie Notter, Culture That Works

Are you looking to better engage, recruit, or retain a Millennial workforce? If you aren’t, you should be * CURRENT AS OF AUGUST 14, 2015.

9:30 AM – 10:45 AM Challenges to Effective Recycling

CEU

1.25

Presenters: Nina Goodrich, GreenBlue/ Sustainable Packaging Coalition; Jerry Powell, Resource Recycling, Inc.; and John Standish, Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers

upped their annual consumption of bottled water by almost 11 gallons from 23.2 gallons per person in 2004 to 34 gallons a decade later. Today, Americans drink more bottled water than any other packaged beverage except for carbonated soft drinks thanks to its positioning as a healthy refreshment choice. But consumption rates weren’t the only increases experienced in 2014, as all segments of the bottled water industry showed volume gains. Attend this fast-paced session to hear the latest industry data, learn about the current trends within the bottled water category, and get a glimpse into the industry’s future. This session will also feature updates on the performance of other competitive beverage categories like carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, and more.

11:00 AM – 12:15 PM Bottled Water Sales Through Convenience Store Channels Bottled water containers continue to be one of the top-recycled products among all consumer goods, but recycling challenges exist in both the upstream and downstream production processes. This panel discussion will provide bottlers and suppliers insight into the issues incurred during PET and HDPE post-consumer collection; recycling; use of rPET, rHDPE, and PET alternatives; and implementation of PET recycling innovations.

CEU

1.25 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM Bottled Water Sales Trends

Presenter: Gary Hemphill, Beverage Marketing Corporation

The latest Beverage Marketing Corporation statistics show that Americans have

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4 GENERAL SESSION 8:30 AM – 10:45 AM

CEU

1.25

Presenter: Jeff Lenard, National Association of Convenience Stores Did you know that convenience stores sell half of the singleserve bottled water in the United States?

Attend this session if you’d like to learn how convenience stores market and merchandise the category, both inside the store and at the gas pump, and hear what the National Association of Convenience Stores expects for future growth prospects of the category.

11:00 AM – 12:15 PM Influence of Adequate Daily Fluid Intake on the Body

Consuming adequate water each day makes a difference in your bodily functions, risk of illness, mood state, and mental/physical performance. Do you know how to determine if you are a “high volume” or “low volume” water drinker? Attend this session to learn simple ways to assess your body’s hydration state each day, knowledge you can pass on to your customers.

Science in the Court of Journalism: the Case of BPA Keynote Speaker: Trevor Butterworth, Sense About Science USA Bisphenol A (BPA) is arguably the most tested chemical in the world, so why is the regulatory narrative at odds with media alarmism?

EDUCATION SESSIONS

because Millenials are game-changers who can help your company get in front of the competition. But to get the interest of this generation and build a stronger organization in the process, you must know the rules of the game—and those rules are changing quickly. Come hear best-selling author Jamie Notter share the four key capacities companies must develop to attract top talent and stay ahead of the competition in today’s fast-paced, Millennial-focused environment.

CEU

1.25

Presenter: Lawrence E. Armstrong, PhD, Human Hydration, LLC SEP/OCT 2015

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WASHINGDALLAS TON, DC

EDUCATION SESSIONS*

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4 CONT. 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM Proactive Media and 1.25 Policy Communications Tools for Your Business

CEU

Presenters: Jill Culora, Husking Bee Media; Chris Hogan, IBWA; James Toner, IBWA; and Kristin Pearson Wilcox, IBWA

CEU

1:00 PM – 2:15 PM 1.25 Prescription Medications in Long Island’s Aquifers and Operation Big Red Med Box Presenter: Tom McAbee, Lloyd Magothy Water Trust, Inc.

Are you aware of the amount of pharmaceuticals that are being found in drinking water sources around the globe? The presenter will elaborate on why the sole-source aquifers on Long Island are smack-dab in the middle of a pharmaceutical “perfect storm.” The Big Red Med Box is part of the solution to keeping medications from being flushed into groundwater. Attend this informative, entertaining, thought-provoking session on water contamination and learn how to help with the solution.

If IBWA members and bottled water professionals don’t spread the posi-

CEU

1:00 PM – 2:15 PM 1.25 IBWA 2015 Life Cycle Inventory of Bottled Water Presenter: Annabelle Stamm, Quantis International

While bottled water products play a key role in supporting healthy lifestyles, it’s also important to understand the implications of our products on the health of the environment. Quantis International has recently finalized its life cycle inventory (LCI) report of bottled water, which aggregated bottler-provided data to unearth performance trends. This study evaluated the environmental impact of both small-pack and home and office delivery (HOD) bottled water production. What are the major

tive messages about bottled water, who will? Attendees of this session

Deliver your

will learn about the many IBWA mes-

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

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with a custom-built body from Mickey.

members, which they can easily put to use for their bottled water businesses today. IBWA has a plethora of assets ready for your proactive use—everything from “plug-and-play” messages, letters to local and federal officials, and press releases for media outlets to strategies, infographics, posters, videos, and fact sheets—all

Standard Mickey Features

appropriate for use on social media. And perhaps our best member benefit? We have IBWA policy and subject matter experts who are happy to help members with any industry issue. Whether you are interested in healthy hydration facts, water scarcity

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issues, bottled water regulations, environmental issues—or something else altogether—IBWA and these presenters are here to help!

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Mickey-WaterAd-051214-BWR.indd 1

5/12/14 5:34 PM

2:30 PM – 3:45 PM Filtration 101

CEU

1.25

Presenters: Majid Entezarian, PhD, 3M Purification, and Danielle Wedral, Pall Corporation

We all know that water sources are filtered in order to provide high-quality water to end users. But how does filtration happen? That’s just what attendees of this session will learn, as the presenters will provide a general overview of the various stages of water filtration. Attendees will also learn how optimizing a filter train can help improve product quality, increase process efficiency, and protect your brand’s priceless reputation. If you’re interested in the technical side of the bottled water business, then you’ll want to attend this session. It will highlight some of the important technical considerations utilized during filtration, integrity testing, and quality monitoring programs in order to comply with regulatory requirements and reduce risk without quality compromise.

CEU

1.25 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM Improv is No Joke: Using Improvisation to Create Positive Results

Presenter: Peter Margaritis, The Accidental Accountant

Drew Carey’s television show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” has turned improvisational comedy into a pop culture phenomenon. But Peter Margaritis knows firsthand that improv is more than just laughs—it’s a valuable training tool that can make anyone a more effective business professional. It’s not slapstick—improvisation is a way of life.

It’s going with the flow, adapting, and adjusting to not only the unexpected but also to your audience. Come to this session to learn how to improvise to help your business thrive.

CEU

2:30 PM – 3:45 PM 1.25 Water Source Management: Spring and Borehole Exploration and Development Presenter: Louis Vittorio, EarthRes Group

In response to regulatory developments and demands for source sustainability, there has been a marked increase in borehole use and water source optimization. This presentation will cover pre-development considerations for spring/groundwater sources through withdrawal via boreholes per U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations.

The perceived overuse of resources for bottled water will be discussed, and data will be provided to address claims of source misuse, which have recently intensified due to development pressures and heightened awareness of recurrent drought conditions.

4:00 PM – 5:15 PM CPO Study Session

CEU

1.25

Presenters: Shayron Barnes-Selby, DS Services; Laura Current, Niagara Bottling; Glen Davis, Absopure; and Bob Hirst, IBWA

This session is always a favorite among those attendees who have signed up to take IBWA’s certified plant operator (CPO) certification exam. Attendees should put their thinking caps on and be prepared to have some game show fun! If studying usually makes you sleepy, you won’t have to worry about that here, as industry experts will help attendees prepare for the CPO exam— but they will have to be fast on their feet! Do you have the answers to run a bottling plant? Take the challenge and find out!

CEU

1.25 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM Key Concepts for Applying Reverse Osmosis (RO) Technology to Drinking Water Treatment

Presenter: Tanya Lubner, PhD, Water Quality Association

What causes TDS creep? Why can RO remove some PCPs/ EDCs and not others?

Will the nitrate-laden concentrate meet disposal requirements? Attend this session to get the answers to those questions, plus a basic overview of RO operation.

SEP/OCT 2015

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EDUCATION SESSIONS

sources of environmental impacts?

How has the industry’s environmental performance progressed since 2009 (the publication date of IBWA’s first LCI study)? Where do we go from here? Join this session, led by a Quantis International representative, who will present the results of the latest industry-wide study.

37

Washington State Capitol in Olympia

A Poetic Lesson in Government Relations

By James Toner, IBWA Director of Government Relations

As the poet John Donne so eloquently wrote, “No man is an island”—an appropriate phrase for the unique world of government relations. Advocacy efforts are similar to work conducted in any other business arena: both are results-oriented and heed the mantra “do more with less.” If you are going to be productive in such an environment, “not being an island” will come in handy.

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For example, let’s review IBWA’s recent advocacy work in Washington State. For the last several years, Governor Jay Inslee (D) and Democratic leaders in the state have pushed hard to remove the sales tax exemption for bottled water. (Bottled water is a packaged food product and, as such, is currently exempt from a sales tax in the state.)

While previous attempts were credible, the 2015 effort was the most serious

threat yet. The legislature’s regular session ended without a budget, and that included the issue of no funding for the state’s transportation and education programs. Thus, special sessions were necessary to finalize everything—and that meant the option of a bottled water tax was still on the table.

In previous attempts to impose a tax on bottled water (e.g., one 2010 bill passed out of both chambers but was

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS ultimately voted down by Washington citizens in 2011), IBWA worked closely with the Northwest Bottled Water Association (NWBWA), the Washington Retail Association (WRA), and the Association of Washington Business (AWB). This year’s threat seemed more viable than ever, even with the state’s new Republican-led Senate. Washington was under pressure to provide sufficient funding for schools, and elected officials were looking at all options to increase revenue.

A Call to Arms IBWA and NWBWA were able to defeat the tax in the last two legislative sessions without in-state counsel; thus, we stayed the course and opted to work closer with state allies again to stop the 2015 proposal. This year, however, the issue lingered much longer than in 2013 and 2014. In addition, new polling showed that Washington State voters might be willing to allow a bottled water tax over other options to raise funds.

Often, you can be more productive when you tie your fate to the fate of others. So, IBWA and NWBWA, together with the WRA and AWB, developed a collaborative effort that included a mix of businesses and industries involved on the same issue: denouncing the bottled water tax. That effort culminated when representatives from IBWA, NWBWA, and WRA went together to the state capitol to discuss the tax with elected officials. It was the first time this particular collective had shown such a considerable presence in Olympia. We met with House Appropriations and Finance chairs, Senate leadership, and even representatives from the governor’s office. The visual and vocal effect of the collective, working in tandem, made a difference.

Supporters of the tax on bottled water had suggested that an incredible amount of funds would be raised by the

(From left) Rudy Zarfas (Sierra Springs), Jim Connelly (Lodi Springs), Tim Dougherty (NWBWA executive director and H2Oregon), Ross Rosette (H2Oregon), Washington State Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler, and J.P. Toner (IBWA)

tax: $44 million—all paid by bottled water consumers and industry. As we visited with legislators, we posed the same question to each: Why single out the healthiest packaged beverage?

That strategy worked, for a brief period of time. Legislation that included the tax stalled in the House because the bill didn’t have the votes for passage. When both chambers couldn’t agree on a budget by the end of the regular session, legislators began the special sessions. New bills were introduced at that time, which included the bottled water tax. Those bills moved swiftly through the House committees, but they were met with continued opposition from the bottled water industry and members of the WRA and AWB. In a coordinated effort, we sent out a round of letters to educate lawmakers more on our position.

Those educational efforts bolstered the negotiations between the allies and the legislative offices and fought back the efforts by tax supporters.

After three special sessions and a rapidly approaching budget deadline (which would have forced government to layoff numerous employees and shutdown needed services), both chambers came to a budget agreement. And

the bottled water tax? The topic never came up for a vote in the House. An outcome that elected officials and WRA and AWB representatives attribute to the educational efforts of IBWA and our allies on that one, long day in Olympia and the follow-up that ensued.

For Whom the Bell Tolls John Donne concludes his famous “No Man Is an Island” poem with these words: “because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” If you are part of the bottled water industry and an IBWA member, I say to you the following: When IBWA sends out a member alert email requesting assistance, you should never question for whom is that email meant: it is meant for you. The collective voice of our membership, combined with other interested parties, can accomplish more than any individual company effort. In Olympia, Washington, we worked with NWBWA, WRA, and AWB—and our efforts were rewarded with a success. What happens when the next important issue we face occurs in your state? Who will help us in our educational efforts then?

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TELL THE

TRUTH Quality Control: Fact-Checking the Media

By Chris Hogan, IBWA Vice President of Communications

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Bottled water critics have shown themselves to be opportunists when it comes to spreading doubt about bottled water. Rather than engage with industry in a science- and fact-based discussion, they opt to capitalize on a single event (which may or may not be of actual consequence) and thrust upon it their own anti-bottled water narrative. As it happens, this occurs more often than you may think. Here’s an example.

Food and Water Watch (FWW), a long-time critic of the bottled water industry, recently took advantage of a voluntary product recall by one bottled water company and attempted to use it as an opportunity to scare and confuse consumers. But after an initial flurry of negative press, media reports started to accurately state what we already knew: laboratory tests confirmed no contamination of any kind was detected in either that company’s finished bottled water product or the spring water delivered to its bottling facility.

Yet, out of an abundance of caution, the facility immediately shut down operations, disinfected bottling lines, and initiated a voluntary recall.

The facts reinforce why consumers can continue to be confident about the safety and reliability of bottled water.

Perhaps not surprisingly, FWW issued a press release that not only made numerous false and misleading claims about this scenario but also cited unproven assertions from a 2008 Environmental Working Group (EWG) study, a previously discredited report.

To counter FWW’s blatant falsehoods and provide consumers with fact-based information, IBWA issued a press release (bit.ly/BWConfidence). We also created a proactive online story that was posted on BottledWaterMatters.org (bit.ly/BWproductsSafe) and uploaded to Facebook and promoted via Twitter posts.

COMMUNICATIONS Reinforcing Bottled Water’s Robust Regulation Message A key point in our messaging was one that is often lost on many consumers: the fact that bottled water is comprehensively regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a packaged food product. Although federal law requires that the FDA regulations governing the safety and quality of bottled water must be at least as protective of the public health as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for tap water, not many people are aware of that regulation.

Groups like FWW either neglect to disclose that fact—or worse, they mislead consumers altogether.

Consumers also seem to be unfamiliar with how bottled water products are produced. Whether from groundwater or public water sources, bottlers use a multi-barrier approach to produce bottled water. That process helps prevent possible harmful contamination to the finished product, as well as to storage, production, and transportation equipment. A multi-barrier approach includes one or more of the following: source protection, source monitoring, reverse osmosis, distillation, micro-filtration, carbon filtration, ozonation, and ultraviolet (UV) light. But such detailed, regulation-focused information doesn’t exactly make for exciting headlines.

established regulatory limit or no standard has been set—then it is a health concern. The truth is the report did not show any correlation between the levels of substances found in the bottled water brands tested and any potential adverse health effects.

Research has shown, however, that the public should continue to be vigilant about verifying the quality of their tap water. In a 2013 Drinking Water Research Foundation (DWRF) report, “Microbial Health Risks of Regulated Drinking Waters in the United States,” researchers estimated that more than 500 boil alerts occurred in the United States in 2010. In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that waterborne diseases, such as cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis, cost the U.S. health-care

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The Faulty Use of a Discredited Study When FWW made the patently untrue assertion that bottled water is “dangerous,” it revealed itself as an organization that emphasizes anti-bottled water hype over science. That isn’t a surprise, as the group also touted the discredited and misleading 2008 EWG study. FWW cited results from that study that were based on the faulty premise that if any substance is present in a bottled water product—even if it doesn’t exceed the

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COMMUNICATIONS

WE DON’T PLAY FAST AND LOOSE WITH THE TRUTH. system as much as $539 million a year in hospital expenses. In 2006, EPA researchers reported an estimated 16.4 million cases of acute gastrointestinal illness per year are caused by tap water.

Subsequent research has estimated that number of illnesses to be closer to 19.5 million cases per year, resulting in as many as 1,000 deaths annually. In contrast, a June 2009 survey of FDA

and state bottled water regulatory authorities conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the latest available data, found zero outbreaks of foodborne illness from bottled water over a five-year period. Moreover, in testimony before a July 9, 2009 congressional hearing, an FDA official stated that the agency was aware of no major outbreaks of illness or serious safety concerns associated with bottled water in the past decade. Those facts come in handy when IBWA is forced to answer fabricated claims about bottled water’s safety.

Support for Public Water Systems The truth is the bottled water industry supports a strong public water system,

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an important necessity to provide citizens with clean and safe water for many tasks—laundry, showers, and, yes, drinking. In fact, many bottled water companies use municipal water sources to produce their purified bottled water products. But it’s important to make a distinction: once any municipal water enters a bottled water plant, the multibarrier measures described previously are employed to ensure that the finished product meets FDA standards for purified water. In addition, that water is then placed in a bottle under sanitary conditions and sold to the consumer.

Bottled water critics frequently engage in the practice of trying to pit bottled water against tap water. But to claim that the availability of bottled water in the marketplace somehow affects the infrastructure, funding, development, and maintenance of municipal water systems is completely unfounded.

Keep Calm and Tell the Truth IBWA and our members need to keep a watchful eye on the news. When we see false or misleading stories printed or online, we need to take action and share the positive bottled water story if we are to have any effect in countering the numerous falsehoods leveled against our industry. While critics of bottled water may opt to play fast and loose with the truth, we will continue to take the opposite approach: let the facts speak for themselves.

DID YOU KNOW? On the IBWA website– www.bottledwater.org– members have access to webposters they can use on their social media platforms to promote pro-bottled water messaging?

The Best Food Safety Programs Are No Guarantee

By Bob Hirst, IBWA Vice President of Education, Science, and Technical Relations

In the last two years, two recalls of bottled water have occurred. Each was issued for different reasons, but both cases showed alleged positive test results for Escherichia coli (E. coli). Although the evidence in each case strongly questioned the legitimacy of those test results, the response was the same: a recall. The lesson industry can learn from those episodes is that, regardless of the quality of the food safety programs in place at bottling facilities, circumstances outside the immediate control of your in-house food safety programs can make you vulnerable.

The Problem With (Required) Off-site Labs The first external weak spot: the off-site laboratories bottlers are required to use for routine compliance testing. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 44

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regulations (21 C.F.R. 129) state that bottlers must use “approved” laboratories. That typically means a bottler will use a laboratory certified under such programs as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP), which is usually administered by the states. NELAP is a rigorous program that involves regular on-site inspections by state certification agencies. It requires testing of proficiency evaluation samples prepared by an EPA-contracted company that evaluates the laboratories’ abilities to test for contaminants at known concentrations in those prepared samples. As someone who worked with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) laboratory certification program and managed a state-certified bottled

water plant lab, I can attest to the effectiveness of the program’s ability to measure laboratory proficiency.

Still, off-site laboratories are not perfect. Bottlers have no control over the day-to-day operations at off-site labs. A Pennsylvania-based laboratory was fined $220,000 last year by the state’s DEP for improper use of coliform test methods. Just prior to receiving that fine, that same lab performed the analysis on one of the samples that tested positive for alleged E. coli contamination and resulted in a bottled water recall. A recall investigation concluded that positive hit may have been due to laboratory error because the results were not able to be reproduced in any other samples. (And that investigation concluded before the fine was levied against the lab by Pennsylvania’s DEP.)

TECHNICAL UPDATE At a minimum, a bottler should monitor the certifications status of its testing laboratory. You can find basic information about a lab’s status on the EPA’s NELAP website: lams.nelac-institute. org. If you need assistance interpreting any of the information you find there, contact me (bhirst@bottledwater.org).

For more detailed information, you can contact the state accrediting agency.

Someone Else’s Collection Samples Another source of vulnerability for bottlers is the weekly source samples that are collected by someone other than an employee of your bottled water facility. Many natural water sources are privately owned and operated. Bottlers purchase water from those owners, and that water is often transported to the plant by either a company-owned or privately-owned tanker. The cleanliness of that tanker can and should be checked directly by the bottler upon arrival at the plant by collecting and analyzing water samples from the tanker.

In fact, upcoming regulations under the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) will require tanker owners to provide bottlers with information on the last three shipments transported by each tanker. Yet, there’s a question that still remains about source water samples collected by source owners and delivered to the laboratory by those source owners: Do you have any control over the integrity of those samples? In most cases, the answer is “no.”

If you have not already done so, IBWA strongly suggests that, if you purchase natural source water from a privately-owned source, you have a written contract with the source owner that includes the following: • The name and certification status of the laboratory that does the daily/ weekly/annual source water testing for total coliform and E. coli. You should

verify that the lab is indeed certified to perform all required testing.

• A complete list of all FDA, state, and IBWA requirements for testing.

• A requirement that copies of all weekly/daily/annual test results be delivered to you immediately upon receipt by the source owner.

• A requirement that the source owner provide you with a written protocol for sampling and sample-handling/ storage/transport.

All of the above should be included in your food safety plan (FSP). Remember, FSMA covers the safety of your products more broadly than any former set of regulations. The more you address in your FSP (supported by records), the less likely you are to become involved in a recall based on questionable practices by others outside your jurisdiction. Nothing is a guarantee,

but you should always be aware of the practices of others in which you have no day-to-day control (e.g., laboratories, suppliers, or vendors).

What IBWA Is Doing The IBWA Technical Committee’s Regulatory Task Force is discussing the possibility of addressing these matters in the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice. If it is the consensus that the Code should include more requirements intended to protect bottlers, it will be vetted through the full Technical Committee and IBWA Board of Directors. IBWA staff is also reviewing the current FDA bottled water regulations with FDA staff to check for inconsistencies between FDA and state bottled water regulations to eliminate any regulatory conflicts that could result in unnecessary actions.

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CPO QUIZ

IBWA

certified plant operators (CPOs) are encouraged to complete the following quiz for ½ IBWA continuing education unit (CEU). The questions are derived from material presented in this issue of the Bottled Water Reporter, the IBWA Plant Technical Reference Manual, and the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice. Submit this quiz to Claire Crane, IBWA Education and Technical Program Coordinator, 1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 650, Alexandria, VA 22134. Look for additional quizzes in future issues and earn additional IBWA CEUs! Name______________________________________________________

Company_ _________________________________________________

Address____________________________________________________

City_______________________________________________________

State/Province_ _____________________________________________

ZIP/Postal Code_ ___________________________________________

Check your selection for each question

1|

FDA currently considers a finished bottled water product to be adulterated if ___________.

OO It is labeled spring water after it is treated by reverse osmosis.

OO It contains heterotrophic plate count (HPC) bacteria in excess of 500 CFU/ml.

OO It is confirmed to be positive for E. coli.

OO It is more than 2 years beyond the production date.

2|

Bottlers are required by FDA in 21 CFR 129 to use _____ laboratories for weekly testing of total coliform and E. coli.

OO OO OO OO

testing certified forensic approved

3|

A bottled water label’s statement of identity is required to be located ___________.

OO OO OO OO

on the principal display panel on the information panel on the bottle cap on the nutrition facts panel

4|

On your annual testing report for purified water, you note a detection of bromodichloromethane. Which treatment process should you investigate with additional samples or maintenance?

OO OO OO OO

ozone contact tank granular activated carbon UV 0.5 um filters

5|

The Safe Food Transportation rule under FSMA will require a third-party tanker transport company to report the following to you ___________.

OO fuel mileage OO the contents of the tanker for the three most recent shipments OO the age of the tanker OO the names of the last three drivers 46

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6|

Which of the following is not currently found on a typical bottled water nutrition facts panel?

OO OO OO OO

calories nitrate total carbohydrate protein

7|

The term applied to the capacity of water to resist a change in pH is called ___________.

OO OO OO OO

buffering hardness fluidity alkalinity

8|

Contractual agreements that address water quality and testing at a privately owned water source should be included in your ____________.

OO OO OO OO

lawyer’s office purchasing archives food safety plan food defense plan

9|

The federal agency that regulates plant practices such as an employee entering a storage tank to sanitize it is ___________.

OO OO OO OO

FDA OSHA IRS US EPA

10|

Which of the following does not originate from a subterranean source?

OO OO OO OO

surface water spring water artesian well water groundwater

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OCTOBER 2

Mid-America Bottled Water Association Fall Education Seminar Hyatt Place Fort Worth, TX

OCTOBER 16 - 17

Central States Bottled Water Association Fall Educational Conference Hilton Milwaukee Center Milwaukee, WI

OCTOBER 22 - 23

Southeastern Bottled Water Association Fall Education Seminar High Bridge Springs Wilmore, KY

NOVEMBER 2 - 5

2015 IBWA Annual Business Conference and Trade Show (co-location with NAMA’s CoffeeTea&Water Show) Gaylord Resort and Convention Center National Harbor, MD

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Help IBWA Push Out Positive Bottled Water Messages Via Social Media IBWA has developed a Social Media Communications Toolkit to help promote positive stories and news items about the bottled water industry. In the toolkit, you’ll find Facebook posts, Instagram images, Pinterest pins, and Twitter tweets (with URLs to YouTube videos) you can share with your customers, legislators, friends, and family to educate them about bottled water. (Or use them as inspiration and write your own!) When more IBWA member companies push out this content, the more IBWA’s pro-bottled water messages will be amplified. If you are an IBWA member and you’d like to receive the toolkit via email, let us know: IBWASocialMedia@bottledwater.org.

MARCH 16 - 18

Central States Bottled Water Association 8th Annual Convention and Trade Show St. Louis, MO

JUNE 6 - 9

IBWA June Board of Directors and Committee Meetings Hilton Old Town Alexandria, VA

NOVEMBER 7 - 11

IBWA Annual Business Conference and Trade Show (co-location with NAMA CoffeeTea&Water Show) Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center Nashville, TN

If IBWA members and bottled water professionals don’t spread the positive messages about bottled water, who will?

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VALUE OF IBWA MEMBERSHIP RYAN SCHWANER VICE PRESIDENT OF QUALITY AND FOOD SAFETY NIAGARA BOTTLING LLC ONTARIO | CALIFORNIA ALL ABOUT RYAN Ryan has a master’s degree in microbiology and is currently pursuing his PhD in food science and technology.

When not working, Ryan and his fiancé Megan are getting ready for their wedding this fall.

Ryan was a child actor, mostly TV commercials.

(He credits one M&M’s commercial for helping to cover his college education.)

As the largest private label bottled water supplier in the United States, Niagara has been selling water for 52 years but was not well known until recently due to the private label nature of its business. In the past decade, however, Niagara has grown to 19 facilities nationwide. Ryan Schwaner, the company’s vice president of quality and food safety, has spent more than 11 years with the Niagara family.

“Being a nationwide company, we deal with all of the regulatory issues across the country and the differences in regulatory standards from state to state. IBWA has helped us navigate and learn how to manage those differences appropriately,” says Ryan.

Ryan first worked as a quality assurance manager, then in regulatory and compliance, and, since 2014, as vice president of quality and food safety. But his experience with IBWA predates Niagara’s membership. Niagara customers who were members of the association introduced him to IBWA: “I started to learn what IBWA was about, what was going on at the Technical and Government Relations Committees—the areas of interest for me in my role at Niagara—and we started learning more and more about the benefits of IBWA membership. As more [employees] began to attend the meetings, it became clear that we needed to be a part of this group.”

One clear benefit for Niagara was that IBWA represents the collective voice of the bottled water industry: “IBWA gives us additional voices. It’s not easy to be heard on your own, but, when you have all these different companies coming together with the same voice on topics, it’s much easier to communicate with regulatory agencies. The things that matter to Niagara matter to other IBWA members.”

In addition, Ryan states that IBWA’s Certified Plant Operator (CPO) program allowed Niagara to get staff up to speed quickly. He says, “The CPO program has been a huge benefit. Not having to write our own program and technical manual in regards to all the things that are important to running a bottled water plant has saved us a lot of time, and it has ensured we are meeting the standards that the bottled water industry expects.”

Family-owned and operated since 1963, Niagara Bottling has engineered some of the lightest and strongest bottles in the industry and is committed to driving product innovation and environmental sustainability efforts in PET manufacturing. Niagara’s customers include global retailers; traditional grocers; and dollar, club, and convenience stores throughout the United States. Niagara produces a variety of beverages, including water, tea, sports drinks, vitamin waters, and sparkling beverages.

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