(WNY News Now) – On June 3rd, Western New York’s manufacturing sector will turn its attention to the future of energy, sustainability, and innovation as Retool’25 convenes thought leaders and industry pioneers at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel.
Jamestown, NY ― Retool’25, a one-day conference scheduled for June 3rd at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel, will focus on sustainability, energy efficiency and energy innovation for small and medium manufacturers and businesses. The conference, organized by the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities (BPU), is part of the BPU’s Retool WNY initiative.
Keynote speakers will include Denise Coogan, retired Environmental Partnership Manager for Subaru of America, Inc. Coogan is known for her work in developing the principles that are the basis of most zero waste programs in existence today. She uses her extensive knowledge of manufacturing facilities to build sustainability programs that reduce the collective environmental footprint, while balancing fiscal responsibility. Coogan has worked recently with the National Park Service in helping that organization with their sustainability efforts.
A second keynote speaker will be D. Evan van Hook, the Chief Sustainability Officer for Viridi Parente, a lithium-ion battery pack manufacturer with a production facility in Buffalo. In his position, van Hook helps customers deploy fail-safe battery storage systems that support corporate goals for resilience, energy transition and decarbonization. Viridi is focused on fail-safe scalable energy storage options. Van Hook formerly was Chief Sustainability Officer at Honeywell International and served as Assistant Commissioner of the Environment for the State of New Jersey.
The conference will feature a number of panels, all focused on opportunities in energy innovation that include new supply chain paths for regional manufacturers; and connections to companies that have tools to aid businesses in reducing their carbon footprint and increasing energy efficiency.
Co-presenting partners for this year’s event include non-profit NextCorps and the Scale for ClimateTech program, which is administered by NextCorps and SecondMuse. These two organizations are helping to scale up manufacturing in New York State, with a focus on commercializing clean technologies and solutions.
Jamestown BPU General Manager David L. Leathers noted the importance of this year’s conference themes and their alignment with regional manufacturers.
“The Retool conference is focused on sustainability, energy efficiency and energy innovation, all topics of critical importance to our Western NY manufacturers and commercial entities. We are excited about sharing information with and receiving input from a regional audience on ways to improve their bottom line through energy innovation and cost savings,” Leathers said.
BPU Business Development Coordinator Ellen Ditonto, who is organizing the event, said she is excited about this year’s speakers and themes.
“This conference will be a wonderful way for our regional manufacturers and businesses to learn first-hand about energy innovation success stories and how these can apply to their particular business,” she said. “Energy innovation can help positively impact the bottom line in businesses and could open doors for new supply chain opportunities as well.”
“An extended vendor fair and networking event will help with matching opportunities for our contract manufacturers and companies looking for new suppliers,” Ditonto added.
Tickets for Retool’25 are available at: Retool25.eventbrite.com with early bird pricing available through May 14th. In addition to the Jamestown BPU, NextCorps Manufacturing Accelerator and Scale for ClimateTech, sponsors include the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency, Live CHQ, Shults Subaru, Buffalo Manufacturing Works and Sanfilippo Solutions.
There are still sponsorship and vendor opportunities with more information available by contacting the Ditonto at 716-661-1686 or by email: businessdev@jamestownbpu.com.
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