Pump Industry Professional Program

Stay Ahead of What’s Next in the Pump Industry! Open to all.

October 20, 2026

Pump Industry Professional Program Overview:

Stay Ahead of What’s Next in the Pump Industry

This program is open to all and brings together key insights shaping the future of the pump industry—from regulatory and economic trends to market growth, workforce development, and emerging technologies. Designed for industry leaders, the sessions provide a forward-looking perspective on critical business drivers, policy developments, and innovation opportunities. Attendees will gain actionable intelligence to inform strategy, strengthen operations, and position their organizations for long-term success in a rapidly evolving global landscape.

Tuesday Sessions

Industry Program Lunch: Pump Knowledge Workshop – Turning Pressure into Power: Energy Recovery with Pumps as Turbines (HPRT) – 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Andrew Bishop, Mechanical Engineer at Turbines & Pumps Group & USBR (US Bureau of Reclamation), Clint Zentic, Head of Core Technology Design Methodology at Sulzer and Tim Albers, Chief Technology Officer at Nidec Motor Corporation (Sponsor)

This Pump Knowledge Workshop explores how pumps can operate as turbines and generators, highlighting applications in power generation, oil & gas, and energy transition projects. Attendees will learn how Pumps as Turbines (HPRT) and expander train systems can improve plant efficiency, reduce operating costs, and lower CO₂ emissions through energy recovery. Pumps as Turbines (HPRT) provide a simple and effective way to recover energy from existing process systems by converting excess hydraulic energy into useful power.

Industry Program: Government Advocacy, Trade & Tariff and Policy Updates (PFAS) – 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Jeff More, Principal at Capital Solutions, LLC and Eric McClafferty, Partner at Kelley Drye

Comprehensive overview of key regulatory, policy, and trade developments, including trade and tariff dynamics, advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill, and updates related to PFAS.

Industry Program: Regulatory Update – 3:45 PM – 5:30 PM

Join the HI Government Affairs team for an update on the latest regulatory and legislative developments impacting the pump industry. Attendees will gain insights into current DOE regulations, PFAS initiatives, Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements, and other emerging policy issues shaping the industry.

Wednesday Sessions

Industry Program: Markets – 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

John Spears, President at Spears and Associates Inc. and Thomas E. Decker of Thomas E. Decker Consulting

Water/Wastewater Industry: The Water and Wastewater Market – One Door Closes. Will Others Open? The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provided a significant boost to the water and wastewater market for the past five years. But as the IIJA sunsets, will other factors and forces be enough to keep the market propped up or is a downturn inevitable? We’ll assess the best avenues for growth and opportunity such as drought induced water availability concerns, a pronounced rise in wastewater reuse, and regulatory drivers including PFAS, perchlorate, and microplastics. We’ll also look at inflation, interest rates, tariffs, and other economic trends and how they will potentially affect project costs and market momentum. Finally, we’ll assess the fiscal health of water and wastewater utilities, workforce issues, how artificial intelligence is working its way into the design and construction process, and possible ramifications from the upcoming November elections.
US Petroleum Industry: Key Trends and Drivers in 2027: A description of the forces shaping the US petroleum industry landscape in the year ahead — from macroeconomic trends and business strategy to the outlook for activity and supply chain dynamics.

Industry Program: Markets & Mergers and Acquisitions – 10:15 AM – 12:00 PM

Anthony Vlahos, Co-CEO/CRO at RAM Alloys (Sponsor) and Thomas Haan, Principal at Global Equity Consulting (Sponsor)

Mergers & Acquisitions: Industry expert, Tom Haan, Global Equity Consulting, will provide an update on the mergers and acquisitions affecting the Fluid Handling Industry.
Metal Market: Anthony Vlahos, Co-CEO/CRO of RAM Alloys (Sponsor), will provide a metals market update focused on the materials and supply chain trends impacting the pump industry. This session will examine current market conditions for stainless steels, nickel alloys, duplex grades, and other critical materials used in pump manufacturing.
Nuclear & Data Center Infrastructure: This presentation will include the outlook for the nuclear market, including sector specific forecast. In addition, the outlooks will cover the capital spending outlook for nuclear and discussion of recent trends.

Industry Program Lunch: Pump Knowledge Workshop – The Use of CFD in Pump Design and Applications – 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM

Boris Kubrak, PHD, Director of Computational Fluids Engineering at Mechanical Solutions, INC (MSI) and Ralph Peter Mueller, President at CFturbo, Inc.

A brief introduction into Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and how it is used in pump design and applications with real-life examples.

General Session: AI and the Pump Industry: Workforce Development and Opportunities Panel – 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how the pump industry designs, operates, and maintains systems. An interactive panel will explore practical AI adoption, including intelligent agents, use cases, and strategy development, with peer discussion on leveraging AI to enhance decision-making and innovation.

General Session: The Leadership Gap Nobody Talks About (But Every Leader Knows) – 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM

Craig Coyle, Founder & CEO at Operation Lead

Your organization has optimized nearly everything. Processes, systems, equipment. Yet there’s one variable most industrial companies have never actually solved for: the daily experience of the employee on the floor and the supervisor standing between you and them.The result shows up everywhere. In turnover you can’t explain. In safety incidents that shouldn’t happen. In engagement scores that never seem to move. The problem isn’t your people. It’s that nobody ever built the system that leads and engages them.In this keynote, West Point graduate and former U.S. Army Apache Pilot Craig Coyle invites an honest conversation about what your people actually need and how to provide it. The military doesn’t hope its pilots figure out how to perform under pressure. It built a system. Deliberate, proven, replicable. One that turns unexperienced individuals into confident aviators capable of performing in the most challenging circumstancesManufacturing and industrial organizations can do the same. The ones that do see it in their turnover numbers, their safety records, and their culture. The ones that don’t keep wondering why nothing sticks. This is the talk that changes how you think about the people already on your floor.

General Session: Oxford Economics Update – The Economic Tug of War – 4:15 PM – 5:30 PM

Ryan Sweet, Global Chief Economist & Managing Director at Oxford Economics

The global economy has proven resilient this year despite numerous headwinds, including the conflict in the Middle East, tariffs and volatility in financial markets. Headwinds won’t fade next year but there are reasons for optimism, particularly for North America. US exceptionalism is alive and well, and that won’t change next year as we expect the economy to strengthen in 2027, supported by wealth effects, AI- and non-AI-related business equipment spending, a deceleration in inflation and solid productivity growth. As always, we need to plan for the unexpected.

Registration Fee: $900*

*Includes access to sessions and meals on Tuesday and Wednesday as well as attendance at the Tabletop Display Reception on Tuesday evening.

Cancellation Policy: Full refund when received by September 4, 2026. Refund minus a $150 processing fee when received by October 2, 2026. No refunds after October 2, 2026 due to meeting guarantee requirements. To cancel, please send a written request via e-mail to Denielle Giordano, Director, Marketing & Events at dgiordano@pumps.org. Note that we cannot transfer cancelled registrations to future programs. We do not provide transfers, refunds, or substitutions for no-shows. As an alternative, you can transfer your registration to another member of your company prior to the first day of the meeting.

Videography & Photography Policy: Registration and attendance at, or participation in, HI meetings and other activities constitutes an agreement by the registrant to the use and distribution (both now and in the future) of the registrant or attendee’s image or voice in photographs, videotapes, electronic reproductions, and audiotapes of such events and activities by HI.

Location and Room Block Details:

Sheraton Charlotte Hotel
555 S McDowell St Tower
Charlotte, NC 28204
704.372.4100

Room block deadline: September 25, 2026

Discounted Room Block Rate: $229/night + tax. The Sheraton Charlotte Hotel room block is now officially full. Please provide your name for the waitlist here if any rooms become available.

Discounted Parking: $15/night per vehicle – self park only

Hotel Cancellation Policy: 72 hours before arrival