2025 Spring Meeting
The 2025 Spring Meeting will be held April 15–17 at the Westin Book Cadillac in Detroit, Michigan.
Registration
Registration Fees
| Registration Type | Before March 18 | After March 18 |
|---|---|---|
|
Member ($100 member discount with 2 or more registrants) |
$665 |
$720 |
|
University Researcher |
$200 |
$255 |
|
Spouse/Guest Registration |
$200 |
$255 |
|
Non-Member |
$979 |
$1,043 |
Advance Registration Deadline: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Registration Cancellation Policy: Registrations canceled after March 18, 2025 will be charged a $100 processing fee plus the cost of meals.
Spouse Registration Includes: Welcome Reception, Spouse/Special Guest Breakfast, Grand Reception, and Breakfast Session on Thursday (OPTIONAL ADD-ON Spouse Tour)
Substitutions: Attendee substitutions may be made at any time prior to the event, provided that the substitute is from the same organization.
Photo/Film Policy: PPI may take photographs and film the event. By participating in the event, you authorize PPI, without limitation, the right to reproduce, copy, exhibit, publish or distribute any such film or photograph, and waive all rights or claims you may have against PPI and/or any of its Affiliates, Subsidiaries, or Assignees.
Data We Collect: By completing the following event registration form, PPI collects your name, email, address, company affiliation, personal preferences and payment information so that PPI can facilitate, process and confirm your registration for the meeting.
Registration Questions/Group Registrations: If you have any questions, please contact Rebecca Soloway at 202-331-2456 or [email protected].
Hotel Information
The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit
1114 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48226
Phone: (313)442-1600
Website: The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit
The group rate is $279.00 per night plus taxes and fees. All reservations must be accompanied by a first night room deposit guaranteed with a major credit card.
Book your group rate for PPI 2025 Spring Meeting
The group rate is available until noon (ET) on March 24, 2025. PPI recommends you make your room reservations as early as possible to ensure rooms are available.
Check-in time is at 4:00 PM and check-out time is at 12:00PM.
Valet Parking is $35.00/day. (the hotel does not have electric vehicle charging stations)
Hotel cancellation policy: For guest rooms, the cancellation policy is 48 hours prior to arrival
Off-Site Parking: Park Rite – 150 Michigan Ave. 0.1 Miles
Schedule of Events
Focusing on the Research Activities of Michigan State University
Tuesday April 15, 2025
Arrival Day and Committee Meetings
10:00 am – 5:30 pm
Registration & Information Desk Open Times
Drop by to pick up your nametag, say hello, ask questions about the meeting.
Noon – 2:30 pm
Manufacturing & Technology Committee (includes lunch)
The Manufacturing & Technology Committee supports association members through research, education, and government relations. This meeting is open to all member company representatives, but registration is required.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Future Leaders Committee Meeting
Meetings of the Future Leaders Committee are open to any PPI member company representatives interested in becoming more familiar with PPI programs and services. The Committee explores outside-the-box ideas for future PPI programs and events.
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Supplier Advisory Committee
The Supplier Advisory Committee advises PPI on matters related to the Associate membership category, including the Annual Meeting Product Showcase. The Supplier Advisory Committee is also actively involved in new member recruitment. This meeting is open to all Associate member company representatives.
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Welcome Reception
Venetian Ballroom
Westin Book Cadillac
Re-connect with pickle industry friends at the ’25 Spring Meeting Welcome Reception conveniently located at the Westin.
The Book Cadillac Hotel, now called the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel, is a historic building located on Washington Boulevard in downtown Detroit. Brothers J. Burgess Jr., Herbert, and Frank Book, Detroit-born entrepreneurs and real estate developers, believed a fine hotel would make Washington Boulevard “the Fifth Avenue of the Midwest.” In 1918, the Book brothers purchased the Cadillac Hotel at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Michigan Avenue. When it opened on December 8, 1924, the hotel was the tallest building in the city and the tallest hotel in the world.*
*Credit: Detroit Historical Society
Evening
Explore Amazing Detroit Restaurants
List of local restaurants walking distance from Westin Cadillac Detroit
Wednesday April 16, 2025
Technical Education Sessions and the Grand Reception at The Brakeman
7:30 am – 1:00 pm
Registration & Information Desk Open Times
Drop by to pick up your nametag, say hello, ask questions about the meeting.
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Buffet Breakfast
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Spouse/Special Guest Breakfast
9:30 am
Spouse/Special Guest Cooking Class
Registration Required – Please note that transportation is not included.
Partake in a cooking class at the historic Eastern Market led by Chef Evelyn. Featuring fresh farm to table ingredients, this multi-course lunch will be an incredible treat!
8:30 am– 11:30 am
Educational Programming
8:30 am- 9:15 am
Detroit: Always in a Pickle
Joe Grimm
Author & Journalist
College of Communication Arts & Sciences
Michigan State University
Welcome to the roller coaster town with the coney dog feud, where that bubbly beverage is called “pop” and where Lions can fly. Detroit built the auto industry, yes – is everything in this town named after a car? All this happened close by. Also, the Maurice salad was invented here, the Detroit pizza was developed, you can find gluten-free sandwiches made with big pickles instead of bread, and some of the best dill pickle soup you can eat is in America’s first majority Muslim town.
Joe Grimm co-authored The Faygo Book, a book about pop, after developing a tremendous thirst on his previous book, Coney Detroit. Grimm is a journalism professor at Michigan State University. His family has lived here more than 300 years and knew the original Cadillac, who did not have a car or a hotel.
9:15 am – 9:45 am
Cucumbers and Plant Growth Regulators
Ben Phillips
Vegetable Specialist
Southwest Michigan Research & Extension Center
Ben Phillips works with commercial field and greenhouse vegetable growers who target the fresh, wholesale, and processing markets in Southwest Michigan. He has been running pickle trials for 10 years under a variety of conditions and treatments.
9:45 am – 10:15 am
Downy Mildew: What’s New and What’s Next?
Mary Hausbeck, PhD
University Distinguished Professor and Extension Specialist
Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences
Michigan State University
Dr. Mary K. Hausbeck is a University Distinguished Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University. She has worked at Michigan State University since 1990 and has statewide extension and research responsibilities in plant pathology of vegetables, greenhouse ornamentals, ginseng, and hop. Her current research emphasis includes downy mildews and Phytophthora spp. Her overall program goal is to develop novel and integrated disease management strategies for growers and to train graduate students in plant pathology.
10:15 am – 10:45 am
Spray Drones 101
Michael Reinke
Viticulture Specialist
Michigan State University Extension
Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center
Benton Harbor, MI
Spray drone technology has advanced rapidly over the last 10 years. This presentation discusses the current state of the art around spray drones as well as some of the best practices that have been developed as a result of spray drone research in specialty crops in Michigan.
Michael Reinke is the Michigan State University Extension Viticulture Specialist located in Berrien County. When not focused on his grape and wine extension activities, his research work revolves around incorporating tools and techniques from various production systems with the goal of improving specialty crop growers’ resilience and future sustainability. One particular avenue of research is looking at the potential for high-precision crop spraying using unmanned aerial spraying systems (spray drones) in temperate specialty crops.
10:45 – 11:15 am
Improving Irrigation Management Through Sensor Monitoring Technology
Nawab Ali, Ph.D.
Research Associate
Michigan State University
Effective irrigation management is crucial for maximizing yield, water use efficiency and sustainability in agriculture. This presentation will explore the advanced sensor technologies monitoring real time data collection, enhancing irrigation efficiency and crop health for vegetable growers. This will enable growers to learn how real-time monitoring and data driven strategies optimize water use, improve crop yield and support sustainable production.
11:15 – 11:45 am
Trump Transition News Affecting Pickled Vegetables
Martin Hahn
PPI Legal Counsel
Hogan Lovells
Martin Hahn is a partner in the Washington, DC office of international law firm Hogan Lovells. Martin is chair of the Hogan Lovells Food and Agriculture Practice Group, assisting numerous companies and trade associations with complying with the requirements of the U.S. FDA, USDA, and other agencies. Martin graduated from the Ohio State University and his law degree is from Northwestern.
Afternoon
Free Time to Explore Detroit
3:15 pm – 4:15 pm
Tour of Detroit City Distillery: Historic Tour & Small Batch Spirits Tasting
Registration Required
Step back in time with an engaging tour of a historic working spirits factory! On this walking tour, you’ll discover the fascinating history of Detroit during prohibition and explore the science and artistry of distillation. Learn how spirits are crafted, from grain to glass, while uncovering intriguing stories from the city’s past. Along the way, you’ll have the chance to sample a variety of our small-batch spirits, including vodka, gin, and whiskey, with a focus on artisanal cocktails.
The first group tour will begin at 3:15pm. If the number of registrants requires a supplemental tour group, this tour will begin at 2:00pm. Please check-in with the registration desk to confirm your tour time. Additionally, please note that transportation to this tour is not included. Detroit City Distillery is located at 2462 Riopelle St., Detroit, (10 mins. ride from the Westin).
4:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Grand Reception
The Brakeman
22 John R. Street (8 minute walk from Westin)
Detroit, MI
The Brakeman is an American beer and rec hall featuring rotating draft of craft beers and serving up buckets of fried chicken, honey-butter biscuits, and local farmstand sides from its adjoining neighbor, Penny Red’s.
This downtown Detroit hangout is stocked with big screen TVs, foosball, table shuffleboard, and beer pong, with garage doors that open into Parker’s Alley and Farmer Street in the warmer months.
Dinner with Pickle Industry Friends
See list of local restaurants
Thursday April 17, 2025
President’s Breakfast & Closing Session
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Registration & Information Desk Open Times
Drop by to pick up your nametag, say hello, ask questions about the meeting.
8:00 am – 9:00 am
President’s Breakfast
9:00 am – 9:45 am
Tank Yard Risk Assessment
Donald W. Schaffner, Ph.D
Chair, Department of Food Science
Rutgers University
The Tank Yard Task Force of PPI’s Manufacturing & Technology Committee has been working with Donald Schaffner to address regulatory questions about the tank yard environment. Donald W. Schaffner, PhD, is Extension Specialist in Food Science and Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University. He is the current Chair of the Department of Food Science. His research interests include handwashing, cross-contamination, and quantitative microbial risk assessment. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and educated thousands of food industry professionals. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists, the American Academy of Microbiology, the Society for Risk Analysis and International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). He served as president of IAFP in 2013-2014. He was an Editor for the ASM journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology from 2005 to 2020. He began serving as a Contributing Editor for Food Microbiology and as Associate Editor for Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety (CRFSFS) in 2020 and as Scientific Editor for CRFSFS in 2023. He has been the Editor-in-Chief of Microbial Risk Analysis since 2022. In his spare time, he co-hosts the Food Safety Talk and Risky or Not podcasts.
10:00 am
Door Prizes and Meeting Adjourns
PLATINUM
GOLD
BRONZE
