Ohio Manufacturers' Annual Forum and Government Affairs Committee 2026

The Ohio Oil & Gas Association’s principal business meeting covers current issues impacting Ohio’s oil and gas industry through business sessions, breakout sessions, and a trade show. Agenda topics include the Debrosse Memorial Report on 2026 oil and gas activity in Ohio; an Ohio Natural Energy Institute program update; a Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management regulatory update; a Federal Political Perspective; and a State Legislative Leadership Discussion. The program also lists an Ohio Geological Society session and legal continuing-education sessions. Several session titles and breakout presentations remain TBD. The program includes the Oilfield Patriot Award ceremony and the Thomas E Stewart Legacy Award presentation.

OMA's Manufacturing Day at the Capitol brings industry leaders from across Oklahoma together for face-to-face conversations with legislators and state officials. Discussion topics include workforce challenges, supply chain needs, and long-term investment. Participants meet directly with policymakers, build relationships, and share real-world insight on what it takes to grow and compete in Oklahoma; lawmakers hear how their decisions affect companies on the ground.

The agenda covers economic development, recent business expansions, and the future of energy production and costs. Sessions address women's experiences and challenges in manufacturing; the 2026 General Election and its potential effects on the 2027 legislative session and WVMA legislative agenda; and Helsing, an autonomous systems manufacturer based in Berkeley County. Other discussions cover long-term employer-employee relationships and retaining a multigenerational workforce; moving a new plant from prototype to full-scale production, including permitting, supply-chain challenges, and workforce development; and West Virginia University's NSF RETI grant, an industrial energy innovation hub focused on grid management, storage, cybersecurity, and reliability, along with programs from the WVU Industrial Extension. A final energy-sector discussion examines policy and public opinion on maintaining versus pursuing new markets and the effects of an anti-growth stance on development and economic growth in West Virginia.

The program covers specialty chemical business strategy, regulatory developments, and manufacturing operations across three tracks: C-Suite Executive Leadership, Regulatory & Policy, and Manufacturing & Operations. Sessions address the U.S. economic outlook and chemical industry impacts; AI in commercial operations and supply planning; domestic pharmaceutical supply chains; process safety; workforce succession and knowledge transfer; mergers and acquisitions; TSCA and the CMAS RTR final rule; trade policy and supply-chain resilience; operational disruption; and contract manufacturing partnerships and market trends. The program also includes an economic outlook briefing, an analysis of the 2026 election’s implications for manufacturing and chemicals, SOCMA’s Annual Meeting and update, and the Awards & Safety Recognition Dinner.

The program includes keynotes, panels, breakouts, and interactive roundtables on steel-industry conditions; fabrication businesses, leadership, and industry outlook; AI and digitization in manufacturing; shop-floor equipment use cases and return on investment; and manufacturing’s economic and financial outlook. Sessions also address profitability, capital investment, business growth, tariffs, steel, leadership development, recruitment, small- and midsize-manufacturer growth, and potential changes to tax policy, OSHA and EPA regulations, and tariffs. Roundtable topics include culture, marketing, AI, and operations.

Member-only annual legislative-affairs event connecting IMA members with elected officials. The briefing covers legislation expected during Indiana’s 2027 legislative session and legislative and regulatory matters affecting manufacturers. The event also releases results of the 2026 Indiana Manufacturing Survey. The reception gives members an opportunity to discuss business and community concerns with elected officials.

With the Indiana General Assembly entering a budget-writing year, the program examines election results and voter polling in relation to Indiana’s policy agenda, business climate and advocacy efforts. It also presents the Indiana Prosperity 2035 playbook and the Chamber’s 2027 legislative priorities. A bipartisan conversation among House and Senate caucus leaders previews their priorities, emerging policy issues and anticipated debates. The budget outlook session covers state revenue, spending pressures, preparations for the 2027 budget, early gubernatorial budget priorities, potential effects of federal policy changes, and legislative caucus perspectives. The Legislative Champions Luncheon recognizes lawmakers for leadership on business and economic policy and explores coordinated messaging and partnerships among employers, advocates and stakeholders. A panel on data centers, energy and other growth initiatives considers infrastructure, energy supply and policy needs for data centers, advanced manufacturing and other large-scale projects, including reliability, affordability and long-term planning.

The conference addresses legal and regulatory challenges for manufacturers, with sessions on tariffs, trade policy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforcement, supply chains, labor and employment policy, and generative AI intellectual property issues including training data, copyright, ownership and licensing. Other sessions examine Suncor Energy v. Boulder and Supreme Court decisions affecting manufacturers; coordination of litigation defense with regulatory compliance and enforcement; professional responsibility, ethics and AI governance across legal and manufacturing functions; PFAS regulations and litigation; local-government lawsuits targeting manufacturers and products; and emergency-response practices covering evidence preservation, site control, internal investigations, liability management, stakeholder communications and reputational protection. The program offers CLE-accredited educational content. Registration is reserved for in-house manufacturing counsel.

Sessions cover manufacturing profitability; securing operational technology on the plant floor; legal issues facing Georgia manufacturers; leadership, culture, and continuous improvement in high-performance plants; and AI, marketing, and relationship strategies for business growth. The program also features a Georgia Manufacturing Workforce Forum focused on building the workforce manufacturers need.