Organizers of the 10th Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE), scheduled for April 16-17, 2026 at the Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park in downtown Atlanta, Ga., have announced a second wave of speakers and three special panel sessions.

Previously, PELICE announced four keynote speakers on tap, including David Neal, executive vice president, Georgia-Pacific Building Products; Rob Johnson, senior vice president of manufacturing operations, Boise Cascade Wood Products; Jay Galloway, president, Hood Industries; and Chris Beard, vice president, building products research, John Burns Research and Consulting.

Additional speakers now include Jim Salchenberg, director of Strategic Products, Roseburg; and Matthew O’Malia, president and CEO, TimberHP.

In addition, three panel sessions will address “Navigating Through Catastrophe,” “Mass Timber Today & Tomorrow,” and “Wood Fiber Due Diligence.”

Jay Galloway, president, Hood Industries; Charles Bradford, vice president of Procurement, Scotch Plywood Co.; and Ken Carter, vice president, Winston Plywood & Veneer will each speak on catastrophic events in the past decade that destroyed one of their mills in the South and how their companies navigated through and recovered from those setbacks with new operations, re-gathered workforces and how their companies overall benefited not only with modern technology and product recovery but also with regard to opportunities to reemphasize company culture and safety practices.

Following their individual presentations, the three speakers will participate in a panel session and field questions.

Another panel session, “Mass Timber Today & Tomorrow,” will offer a similar format, and include Derek Ratchford, CEO, SmartLam North America; Thomas Mende, chief sales officer, Binderholz Timber LLC; and Pat Schleisman, engineered wood specialist, APA—The Engineered Wood Assn. Again, the participants will deliver individual presentations and then participate in a panel session and discussion. An additional participant in this panel session will be announced soon.

“We continue to piece together the 2026 PELICE agenda,” comments Rich Donnell, co-chairman of PELICE and editor-in-chief of Panel World, which serves as the media host of the event. “It is coming together nicely, and I believe that with many wood products markets in challenging situations it becomes even more imperative to attend an event like this to gain some new insights into global issues and trends, and really just to hear other people’s perspectives.”

Another presentations/panel discussion combo is  “Wood Fiber Due Diligence,” which will address the status and growth of raw material as it pertains to the development of new wood products manufacturing plants and the ongoing pertinence of existing ones. Joe Dahlen, professor of Wood Quality & Forest Products, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, will participate along with Amanda Lang, president & COO, Forisk Consulting, LLC. Also, an additional participant will be announced soon.

Donnell adds that an always important component of PELICE, new machinery and equipment technologies, is also currently being placed into the agenda, and will include speakers addressing topics such as resins development, safety and fire prevention, air emissions control and others.

“One thing that was very noticeable at Ligna in Germany this year, and that I’m sure will transition to PELICE as well, is that the equipment community, soft markets or not, haven’t let up in the development and manufacturing of technologies, especially complemented with Artificial Intelligence, whether used in their own manufacturing process, or to be used in mill applications, or both.”

Approximately 100 exhibitors are expected to set up shop in the Grand Ballroom North of the Omni Atlanta Hotel, either as Gold, Silver or Bronze sponsors. The event will recognize those exhibitor companies that have participated in all 10 PELICE events. Also, an anniversary celebratory dinner will be held on the first evening.

Chris Beard

Vice President
John Burns Research and Consulting

Jay Galloway

President
Hood Industries

Video Spotlight PELICE 2024: Jessica Johnson, Panel World, and Dan Shell, Panel World, give a recap of Day 1.