You're Invited to Join Us!
Thursday, October 17th

Don't miss your opportunity to attend the next Fortis Solutions Summit in Merced, CA.

We'll be hosting our event at:

The El Capitan Hotel.
609 W Main St, Merced, CA 95340

Be prepared for a fun and informative day. During the day, you will have time to visit our mini-trade show booths featuring new innovations, quality control, sustainability, and all Fortis packaging products, go on a plant tour, and listen to educational sessions.

Interested in joining us? RSVP by completing the form and we'll keep you posted on all the updates.

AGENDA

SUMMIT LOCATION: The El Capitan Hotel (609 W Main St, Merced, CA 95340)

• Doors Open at 9:00 am
• Open Trade Show Room: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
• Guided Tours: To Be Scheduled
• Welcome to Fortis | 9:45 am - 9:55 am
• Session 1 | So Fresh and So Green | 10:00am - 11:00am
• Lunch (Open 11:45 am to 1:15 pm) | In the El Capitan Courtyard
• Session 2 | The Evolving Packaging Industry Report | 2:00 pm - 2:45 pm
• Thank You & Raffle | 2:45 pm - 2:55 pm

+ Sessions

• Welcome to Fortis
  • Hosted by Carlos Tapias, Fortis CEO, and Steve Powers, Fortis CCO.
  • Carlos and Steve welcome you to the Summit and provide a high-level view of Fortis.
• Session 1 | So Fresh and So Green: Navigating the Pitfalls of Environmental and Nutritional Claims
  • Hosted by Natalie E. Rainer and Avril G. Love
  • Consumer demand and new laws are driving significant interest in clean and natural ingredients with recyclable, compostable, and greener packaging for food, cosmetics, and other consumer products. Newly enacted Extended Producer Responsibility laws go far beyond the Green Guides to not only regulate the claims brands can make but set waste management goals for single-use disposable packaging, specifically plastic. Consumer attorneys are taking note and adding sustainability claims to the litany of nutrition- and composition-based claims that have been staples of consumer class action targets. We will discuss brands’ legal obligations and how to craft effective and risk-mitigated marketing claims to avoid regulatory enforcement and consumer litigation.
• Session 2 | The Evolving Packaging Industry Report
  • Hosted by CPA's Carl Melville.
  • Carl will provide an update on the State of the Packaging Industry with insight into new CPA programs and how to find a good co-packer.

MEET OUR SPEAKERS BELOW

+ Plant Tours

You can tour our print location and see label, shrink sleeve and flexpack presses in action! With flexographic and digital presses running, this is a great chance to view print platforms up close. When you register, check the "I'd like to Schedule a Plant Tour" box and we'll get you signed up.

Coming in on Wednesday or staying on Friday? Check the box to schedule a tour on Wednesday before or Friday after the Summit, so you won't miss any of the planned sessions or miss out on the trade show room. We'll reach out to schedule after you've registered.

+ Trade Show

As a premier supplier of high-impact packaging, including labels, flexible packaging, shrink sleeves, folding cartons, extended content labels, and label applicators with locations across North America, you can explore our offerings at the mini-trade show at the Summit. You can tour the trade show area to see innovative samples in each product line and have our category specialists supply you with solutions to your "What if?" problems.

• Fortis Product Offerings 
• Coupons & Booklets
• Graphics, Proofing & Customer Portal
• Intelligent Labeling with Customization & Security
• Sustainability
• GlobalVision & Quality
• Vendor Booths
• And More!

+ Welcome Reception

Join us for drinks and food the night before the Summit!

October 16, 2024, from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

The Mainzer (just down the block from the El Capitan Hotel)
655 W Main St, Merced, CA 95340

+ Book Your Hotel Room

We have a room block available at the El Capitan Hotel (609 W Main St, Merced, CA 95340) which is where we are hosting our Summit.
 

Meet Our Speakers

About Avril G. Love

Avril Love is counsel in the firm’s Los Angeles office. She is a member of the Commercial Disputes practice group. After spending years defending medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, particularly in the context of recalls, Avril has considerable knowledge of FDA’s regulatory regime and enforcement activities. She has defended companies in numerous industries facing consumer and e-commerce claims based on products liability, advertising, marketing practices, website accessibility, consumer contracts, data security, and privacy issues. She also has defended clients facing regulatory enforcement over quality and import/export issues, as well as business-to-business disputes involving antitrust, fraud, trade secrets, and other torts. 

Avril has developed significant experience serving personal care and consumer product companies facing these very issues. She acts as both a coach and a line of defense, observing clients’ field position to anticipate and identify risks, training internal teams to independently navigate legal and reputational risks in their daily decision-making, and proactively developing regulatory compliance and risk mitigation strategies that position clients to defend lawsuits long before they reach the courtroom.

About Natalie E. Rainer

Natalie Rainer is a partner and a member of the Health Care and FDA practice. She focuses her practice primarily in the food and beverage industry. Natalie practices food and drug law, advising clients on regulatory requirements for foods, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and food and drug packaging in jurisdictions around the world, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Natalie has in-depth experience in evaluating the regulatory status of food additives, color additives, and food-contact materials. She counsels companies on advertising and labeling requirements, including claim substantiation, nutrition labeling, menu labeling, and environmental claims. She also provides guidance regarding compliance with U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations, including the Bioengineered Labeling rules, organic rules, and regulations related to additives in meat and poultry products. Natalie enjoys public speaking and also provides clients with customized training on labeling, claims, and regulatory frameworks for foods and other FDA-regulated products.

About Carl Melville

Carl Melville is a 25-year industry veteran and founder of TMG, an industrial marketing agency and industry advisor exclusively serving Food and CPG contract manufacturers. Founded in 2008, TMG helps those firms and their private equity owners generate superior revenue and create long-term enterprise value. 

Carl is also the author of the Contract Packaging Association State of the Industry report, the leading research report on the contract manufacturing and packaging industry. A noted strategist, speaker, advisor, and author, he also hosts the CoPack Insider podcast. 

Not Sure What to Expect?

Check out this video below from one of our past Summits.