Feb 20, 2013 9:17 AM

Sustainability is closely linked to profit in today’s public refrigerated warehousing (PRW) industry. After labor costs, energy is the second-largest expense for PRWs, according the 2012 International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW) Productivity and Benchmarking Report.

IARW and the World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO) will explore the dynamic relationship between sustainability and the bottom line at the 122nd IARW-WFLO Convention & Expo, set for May 5-8, 2013, in Hollywood FL. This year’s theme is “Profitable Sustainability.” The annual gathering is the world’s largest public refrigerated warehousing and logistics event and regularly attracts 700 attendees.

“Profitable Sustainability” has been a year-long theme for IARW and WFLO. The focus will continue at the convention with a keynote address, “Finding the Gold in Green,” to be delivered by Andrew Winston, author of the book Green to Gold and Green Recovery.

Winston will talk about what works—and what doesn’t—when it comes to sustainability. He’ll also talk about how companies used environmental thinking to survive the economic downturn, thrive when things get better, and dominate for years to come.

The event will also feature educational breakout sessions, including:

•Energy 101: A Primer for Executives, led by Marcus Wilcox of Cascade Energy

•Leveraging Energy Efficiency to Build a Sustainable Brand, led by Chris Covell and Danielle Marquis of SmartWatt Energy and Bernie Thomas of Nor-Am Cold Storage

•Improve Warehouse Productivity and Sustainability through Lift Truck Technology, led by Steve Raymond of Raymond Handling and Mike Bevers of Darigold

•Getting Customers to Adopt WMS Technology, led by Wes Jayne of Halls Warehouse

The event also features a 100-booth expo dedicated to the PRW industry.

To register or learn more, visit www.iarw.org/convention.