• April 16-19
  • Columbus, OH
  • Hilton Columbus Downtown
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Session

Find ’em, Train ’em, Keep ’em: 21st Century Flexographer

Monday, April 17

8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Grand Ballroom

Full Event Schedule

About This Session

Join Bobby Congdon and Hank Welter as they lead a blended session with panels and presentations, together designed to get you thinking about all of the interlaced pieces that will help find new employees, train them for success and retain them as vital pieces of your company long term.

Presentations & Speakers

FORUM 2023 headshot Claudia St. John

Re-Imagining the World of Work: Adjusting to a New Normal

Claudia St. John, Founder and President at Affinity HR Group Inc

Presentation Details
Historically low unemployment rates vexing you? The Great Resignation got you down? Demands for hybrid work creating frustrations? Baby Boomers heading off on retirement while Gen Z and Millennials force you to re-evaluate how you attract and engage employees?
Welcome to the new World of Work. It’s not going away anytime soon. Join Claudia in re-imagining your human capital strategies to help those in the print packaging and flexographic space find and keep talent, maintain profitability and grow.
Speaker Bio
About Claudia: Claudia is founder and president of Affinity HR Group Inc, a national human resources and management consulting firm specializing in hiring and recruiting, HR compliance and employee engagement. Affinity HR Group is endorsed as an HR partner and resource for numerous print and label associations.
As a consultant and frequent speaker, Claudia has given hundreds of presentations and workshops on such topics as how to recruit like a pro, common management mistakes, employee engagement and multi-generational workplace challenges. She is the author of the Amazon.com bestselling book Transforming Teams – Tips for Improving Collaboration and Building Trust. Her weekly HR Minute emails and monthly articles are followed by thousands of business leaders nationwide.
FORUM 2023 headshot Sheri Hudachek

Toss Out That Three-Ring Training Binder!

Sheri Hudachek-Lantz, Senior Corporate Manager – Continuous Skills Development at TC Transcontinental Packaging

Presentation Details
Sheri will share her training journey in moving a manufacturing organization from the familiar to the unknown—and beyond!
Learn what works to create a lifelong learning culture that will help attract, develop and retain employees in today’s and tomorrow’s competitive labor market.
Speaker Bio
About Sheri: Sheri is the senior corporate manager for continuous skills development for TC Transcontinental Packaging. As an M.B.A. graduate in industrial relations from the University of Iowa, she has worked in HR and training development for more than 40 years, splitting her career between consumer products and pharmaceutical industries. She has developed national recruiting strategies and designed career paths for multiple science- and technology-related disciplines for Fortune 100 companies, created DOL-approved apprenticeships, and managed multiple HR recruiting, applicant tracking and training system implementations.
Sheri currently manages the Continuous Skills Development program for TC Transcontinental Packaging and oversees its learning management system, working with all TC Packaging facilities to strengthen its culture of lifelong learning.
FORUM 2023 headshot Shawn Oetjen

Employee Retention (aka Keep ’em)

Shawn Oetjen, Packaging Manufacturing Manager at AWT Labels & Packaging

Presentation Details
In this new world where finding employees is difficult, it is even more critical to keep the employees that you have. Join Shawn as he discusses employee retention and shares some tips and tricks on how to keep ’em.
Speaker Bio
About Shawn: Shawn Oetjen, manufacturing manager for AWT Labels and Packaging, graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in graphic communications. Shawn possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience from working in various capacities within the flexographic industry including education, production and sales. He has a keen knowledge and understanding of the flexographic process from start to finish. Shawn is active in various industry committees and is FIRST Press Operator Certified.

Panelists

FORUM 2023 headshot Kevin Dittman

Kevin Dittman

Director, Operations at Graphic Packaging International

Panelist Bio
About Kevin: Kevin has more than 30 years in the printing and packaging industry and is currently responsible for all aspects of carton operations in the GPI Foodservice division. Before joining the GPI team, Kevin worked in the printing/packaging industry in increasing roles of responsibility. Trained and experienced in multiple printing disciplines, he has always been a champion of the use of flexographic technology in converting operations.
Kevin holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Strayer University and holds multiple certifications in both printing and prepress. He is an FTA FIRST Certified Implementation Specialist, a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, and an experienced commercial pilot who enjoys traveling with his family.
FORUM 2023 headshot Jason Barrier

Jason Barrier

Director, Graphics Services at Printpack

Panelist Bio
About Jason: Jason has oversight responsibilities for Printpack Graphic Services, Printpack’s in-house, full-service tradeshop/prepress provider in addition to their print quality efforts, providing prepress and printing support to manufacturing, internal sales and Printpack customers. He also supports Printpack’s efforts in research, evaluation and implementation of appropriate prepress innovations.
Jason has been in packaging for more than 28 years. He has a B.A. from the University of South Carolina in journalism and mass communications and a master’s degree from Clemson University in industrial education in graphic communications. Jason is active with industry trade associations, having served on the boards of the FTA as well as the GAA. Outside of work, he enjoys family time with his wife and two daughters.
FORUM 2023 headshot Sabrina Baez

Sabrina Baez

Lab Tech II at Sun Chemical

Panelist Bio
About Sabrina: Sabrina Baez is currently a Lab Tech II at Sun Chemical. She graduated from Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) in the spring of 2021 with her associate degree in graphic arts and imaging technology/flexography. Sabrina was also president of the Phoenix Challenge at CPCC, and won third place both years she participated.
FORUM 2023 headshot Regan Mercado

Regan Mercado

Student at California Polytechnic State University

Panelist Bio
About Regan: Regan Mercado is a senior from California Polytechnic State University, pursuing a degree in graphic communication (GrC), concentrating in design reproduction technology, and minoring in packaging. She is involved in a GrC social, professional development club as the treasurer and freelances in social media marketing. She received a shoutout from the Paperboard Packaging Alliance for her collaborative work in the 2022 Student Design Challenge. Moving forward, she is interested in packaging design and marketing as possible career paths after graduation.
FORUM 2023 headshot Josh Sigmon

Josh Sigmon

VP of Sales for Canada, Europe, Asia and Corporate Accounts at Harper Corporation of America

Panelist Bio
About Josh: Josh began his career at Harper in 2010 as a full-time quality assurance inspector, while attending Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) in Charlotte, NC. Since then, Josh has managed Harper’s customer accounts as a technical account manager over the Central Plains. Currently, Josh successfully manages Harper’s customers and agents throughout Canada, Europe and the Asia Region, and been a leader on all fronts. Today, he is the VP of sales for Canada, Europe, Asia and corporate accounts.
Josh has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Missouri in graphic technologies and A.A.S. degrees from CPCC in graphic arts and imaging technology with a flexography concentration.

Session Chair

FORUM 2023 headshot Bobby Congdon

Bobby Congdon

Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics at Clemson University

Session Chair

FORUM 2023 headshot Hank Welter

Hank Welter

TC Transcontinental Packaging

Session Chairs

FORUM 2023 headshot Bobby Congdon

Bobby Congdon

Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics at Clemson University

FORUM 2023 headshot Hank Welter

Hank Welter

TC Transcontinental Packaging

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For more than 60 years, FTA has been enabling flexographers to grow their skills, connect with likeminded individuals, expand their reachable market and drive flexography to package printing dominance.

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