CPSC Chair to Keynote AHFA Regulatory Summit

April 5, 2017  by Larry Thomas in Industry, Special Events   

Buerkle will be joined on the program by fellow Commissioner Joseph Mohorovic, who will discuss evaluating and managing risk in product safety. Both Buerkle and Mohorovic have been at the forefront of product safety issues important to the home furnishings industry.

Buerkle's presentation is expected to offer a broad update on CPSC activities.

“The 2017 program specifically will address the complexities of current furniture regulations,” said AHFA Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Bill Perdue, “including the tangled web of state versus federal rulemaking, voluntary versus mandatory regulations, and manufacturer versus retailer responsibility.”

The 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. program will be held at The Conference Center on the Cameron Campus of Guilford Technical Community College in the facility’s state-of-the-art, 250-seat auditorium.

The facility is located on Highway 68, less than seven miles from Piedmont Triad International Airport and minutes off Interstate 40.

In addition to the CPSC commissioners, confirmed conference presenters are:

• Chris Andresen, vice president in the Washington, D.C. office of Grayling, a global communications firm and AHFA’s government relations partner. He will present an overview of the legislative and regulatory climate in Washington.
• Allyson Azar, manager of state affairs and political mobilization for the American Chemistry Council. She will address the unpredictable landscape of state regulation, focusing on the growing patchwork of state efforts to regulate chemical use in consumer products.
• Mark Fellin, worldwide regulatory intelligence manager for Amazon, responsible for leading the development, promotion and implementation of regulatory policies for Amazon Direct Imports. He will address compliance and risk management from an e-commerce perspective.
• William Guerry, partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Kelley Drye, chair of the firm’s environmental practice, and a nationally recognized legal expert on Clean Air Act issues. He will review the Trump Administration’s impact on environmental regulations.
• Amy Lally, partner in the Los Angeles office of Sidley LLP, and AHFA’s go-to expert on Prop 65. She will outline details of the new “furniture safe harbor” carved out in the latest revision to Prop 65’s “clear and reasonable warning” rules.
• Michael Sullivan, managing partner in Womble Carlyle’s Winston-Salem, N.C., office and an expert on product liability matters. He will cover risk mitigation, specifically with regard to furniture tip-over.
• Christine Zanella, compliance manager in the legal department at Wayfair. She will address how the online furniture giant is tackling compliance issues today.

The Regulatory Summit is open to all manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and retailers whose regulatory compliance efforts rely on accurate, up-to-date guidance and authoritative answers to industry-specific questions. The event will conclude with a cocktail reception from 5:30-6 p.m., giving attendees the opportunity to meet Commissioners Buerkle and Mohorovic.

Registration is $99 for AHFA members and $299 for non-members and will include a light breakfast and lunch. Details are available at http://www.ahfa.us/events.