More than 300 United Group Member and Supplier companies attended the group’s 2015 National Conference in Orlando, Florida last month. Held at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes from Jan. 30 through Feb. 2, The United Group Conference featured its successful Tabletops meeting format and traditional Awards Banquet along with a festive, no-holds-barred Super Bowl party and a best ball golf tournament.

The event was enthusiastically received by over 750 attendees who were positive about everything, from the promotional t-shirts to event food and resort staff to the ease and convenience of the new United Group App, created especially to provide Conference event tools and information at the touch of a finger. The app features event agendas, links to individual schedules, hotel and Conference room floor maps, instant messaging, QR capture, and a fun seek-and-find photo game for which the prize was an iPad mini.

Business was conducted amid the fun during the two days of scheduled Tabletops meetings, a Stockholders meeting and market segment breakout sessions for Jan-San, Industrial Packaging and Foodservice members. The United Group presented 12 Member companies and 10 Supplier partners with honors during the Awards Banquet, with Western Plastics taking Supplier of the Year and Tarheel Paper & Supply (Winston Salem, NC) receiving the Member of the Year award. The United Group recognizes those companies that have been with the group at least one calendar year and have shown growth in the number of group Suppliers or Members they support and an increase in revenues generated over the previous year.

United Group President Tobie McKown, speaking at the Stockholders meeting, predicted continued steady growth for the group after announcing that 2014 revenues for the group had increased by 6% over 2013. Those gathered addressed the specter of growing industry competition from “big box” stores and online retailers like Amazon, and McKown asserted, “Together, we can take on this challenge.” The 2016 United Conference is scheduled for March 28-31 at the Wynn Las Vegas.