6:30am-5:30pm | Registration Open (Sponsored by Wipro)
7:00am-8:00am | Breakfast (Sponsored by Toll Solutions)
8:00am-8:20am | Welcome & State of the Industry

As the specialty chemical industry moves through 2026, many of the forces that once felt disruptive have become defining realities. New trade norms, cost pressures, workforce constraints, and customer expectations are now embedded in day-to-day operations. The question facing industry leaders is no longer what is changing, but how to compete and grow within it.

This State of the Industry session will examine current market conditions and emerging inflection points shaping the year ahead. SOCMA will present results from the 2026 Q1 Pulse Poll, highlighting member sentiment, investment priorities, and areas of opportunity across the specialty chemical sector. Attendees will leave with a grounded, forward-looking perspective on industry performance, risks, and momentum.

Speaker: Jenn Klein, President & CEO, SOCMA

8:20am-9:00am | Keynote Presentation from Andy Busch Future Economy: Growth Opportunities

The world is going to see more economic change in the next 5 years than we have seen in the last 100 years. Trump wins, Middle East conflict, volatile interest rates, exponential advances in artificial intelligence, supply chains uncertainty are all examples of the speed of change. But how did we get here? More importantly, where do we go from here?

As a futurist and economist, Andy dives deep into exploring how innovation, policy changes and societal shifts (war/elections/population) drive opportunities for the specialty chemical industry. He provides context by doing a “where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going” for the economy. He takes economy, public policy & super charged trends, via a case study to show where money is flowing, and opportunities are growing.

Audience Takeaways:
· Update on Trump policy agenda, supply chain risks and the economy (inflation/interest rates/govt. spending)
· Key trends supercharged by AI, climate & population movements
· Future growth opportunities generated by accelerated change

9:00am-5:00pm | SOCMA Member Lounge Open
9:00am-5:30pm | Exhibits Open
10:00am-10:30am | Networking Coffee Break
12:00pm-1:30pm | Networking Lunch (Sponsored by VLS Texas Molecular)
2:00pm-2:45pm | Contracts, Capacity, and Collaboration: Trust is the New Constraint

We’re operating in a market defined by unprecedented supplier choice, abundant capital, and significant nominal capacity. On the surface, the ingredients for secure, resilient supply chains have never been stronger. Yet this abundance has also reshaped how risk shows up. Greater choice can sometimes obscure where true strengths lie, making it harder to distinguish resilience from redundancy until systems are tested.

Traditional constraints still matter, but they no longer tell the whole story. Capacity exists, but consistency and follow-through differentiate partners. Capital is available, but outcomes depend on how well it’s stewarded. Contracts help frame expectations, yet performance is ultimately revealed when conditions shift and assumptions are challenged.

In this environment, trust has emerged as a defining advantage. Trust isn’t built abstractly or incrementally — it’s earned in pivotal moments, when pressure, uncertainty, or tradeoffs require decisions that reveal real priorities and capabilities.

Through a candid conversation between customers and manufacturers, supported by live audience polling and real-world examples, this session explores how those critical moments can be identified earlier, how trust is intentionally built, and why it increasingly determines which relationships endure — and lead — when the system is under stress.

Moderator: Bryan Kitchen, President & CEO, Ascent Industries Co.
Speakers: Cameron Whaley, President, Southern Chemical & Textiles; Amanda McCraw, Contract Manufacturing Manager, BASF; Jessica Whitsitt, Head of External Manufacturing Americas, Evonik

2:45pm-3:00pm | Networking Break
4:30pm-5:30pm | Networking Reception (Sponsored by Chevron Oronite)