VMW Exclusive: Carla Balakgie on the growth & future of the PPC

Oct. 9, 2014
NAMA CEO Carla Balakgie sits down to discuss this year's Public Policy Conference with VMW Assistant Editor Adrienne Zimmer and answer questions on how the conference has grown and where it is headed in the future.

This podcast has been transcribed below for your convenience.

VMW: We are joined by NAMA CEO Carla Balakgie to discuss the outcome of this year’s Public Policy Conference that took place in Washington, D.C. from September 29 to October 1, 2014. Carla, welcome.

Carla: Thank you, Adrienne, always a pleasure and happy to have the opportunity to talk with you.

VMW: Let’s jump right in. This year marked the third public policy conference for you. Looking back can you tell me about the ways in which this year differed from the first year?

Carla: Absolutely. In 2012, which was my first public policy conference under my direction, the conference has existed since 2010, but 2012 like many things at NAMA at that point, was about reestablishing our presence, particularly in Washington, and beginning the process of making our visibility, our profile—and when I say NAMA I’m interchanging that with the ‘industry’, because really that’s what we do, we represent the industry—so it was reestablishing NAMA as a spokesperson and our representation of the industry in Washington. So, what we did there reflected a lot of that. We were raising our flag. We were making the legislative body, the executive branch of the government aware of who NAMA is and who we represent. We were putting forward the issues that we managed—and there were many of them—and so in that case we were putting out our policy positions and just trying to establish, or reestablish, a prominent footprint in D.C.

And that’s all the transition of the CEO and the government affairs positions, both of which had been vacant for about a year as the organization made that transition. So fast-forward to a few years later, I believe that NAMA’s reputation, our mission and our representation and voice of the industry is much more well-established. So in that regard: mission accomplished. And we are much more well-known and I can make those claims, but what is the evidence of that? So the evidence of that and how it manifests in the Public Policy Conference was that we had much greater access to much more influential people and entities that affect our issues. And we had much greater engagement by a broader cross-section of people. For example, partnerships with other associations and other groups where we share common issues, much more of that, they were lobbying with us.

It was larger and yet more inclusive at the same time. We had all of our board members, our government relations committee, the Maryland, D.C. and Virginia state council representatives. We had the members of the Emerging Leaders Network and others who represent other associations or other groups all with us in this merry band and yet we were having more pointed, more meaningful and more issue-based discussions because of the work we had been doing the past couple of years. It sounds like juxtaposition: how could you be bigger and have more people involved, yet be more focused and inclusive? It’s all because of what has transpired in the two intervening years.

VMW: What other strengths of the Public Policy Conference do you see that continue to make it grow and continue to be an industry staple?

Carla: The Public Policy Conference by design is very issue-focused. So in 2012 we told everybody about all of our issues and in 2013 we focused on specific issues, but we hadn’t yet built all the relationships and all the access to some of the key influencers. In 2014 we took our top-three issues such as calorie disclosure, coin and currency and other issues surrounding nutrition and wellness. We spoke with influencers at the FDA. We spoke with the deputy director, but he is the top person who is determining what form calorie disclosure will take in vending. We spoke with the acting director of the Mint and again, this is the person who is overseeing the creation of the regulation that will determine whether coins are changed and how acceptance will be managed in the vending space. The list sort of goes on.

The Public Policy Conference is very issue-focused. It is smaller, more impactful lobbying. It showcases NAMA, not to the broad, general public as much, perhaps not so much about all the great things we’re doing, but for example we had the White House chef, Sam Kass, who is also the director of nutrition policy for the First Lady’s Let’s Move! Initiative, we had him come speak at our event and we were able to show a video about FitPick and about all the things our industry is doing around nutrition and wellness. So that’s the kind of media platform that we have in this very focused, issue-based event. And it gets our top leadership involved; it gets our future leaders involved. And I’d like to think it helps to impress and engage some of our partner organizations with what we’re doing.

VMW: Not all vending, micro market and OCS operators have the chance to attend the public policy conferences and I wonder, if there is a message you could relay to operators on NAMA’s legislative work, what would it be?

Carla: We are working very hard for you. Everyday. The result of that is the continued growth and influence that we are now experiencing. The ability to get an amendment to the appropriations bill that protects an industry and recommend to the FDA that they accept industry efforts when it comes to calorie disclosure. That’s a result of the very good work that we’re doing and the PPC is just another big tool or lever that we pull. I think the next thing I would want our members to know is that it’s just a point of the spear or if you want to think about it as the tip of the triangle that all politics are still local and it all starts from the bottom up. Call it grassroots, call it whatever you will, you will never know when your relationships with your elected officials in your district will be needed or when that person will be in a decision-making role that impacts our industry. You may not be able to be at the point of that spear, you may not be in the PPC, but everything that you can do matters.  And I just encourage our members to get involved. We will help you learn how to do grassroots advocacy, we will help you build those relationships, we will help you tell your story. And pay it forward, because it all comes up to that point.

VMW:  Where do you see the public policy conference heading in the next three to five years?

Carla: You know what they say, you do a great thing and then that becomes the norm. We will continue to work to make the Public Policy Conference our annual D.C., issue-based event and I would think that the discussions will become more pointed. I can see us leveraging that a little bit into perhaps, things like a summit where we convene voice on issues that are ours and like ours and we have more of a dialogue ground, including contrary voice and views around our issues as another way of magnifying what’s important to us. And that would bring in a different kind of media attention, and who knows whether that would be press conferences, or just a focus on these dialogues that we would be facilitating. So that’s where I see the public policy conference going, but there’s another thing that we are looking to potentially do in 2015 and that is to showcase NAMA in D.C. in a different way with a legislative fly-in. I call that the “ya’ll come” and that will be open to all NAMA members. So they might not get to be at the PPC, but we would welcome participation at the legislative fly-in. You’ve all heard about these kinds of things where members come to Washington and we take them en masse to Capitol Hill to introduce them to their elected officials, where they talk about the things that are important to them in terms of ensuring growth and things that are a burden and we create those relationships for them so they can take them home to their district and manage at an on-going basis. The other thing that it does is it gives us a platform to showcase the industry to a broader…it’s the good story, the good work that we’re doing. So something like where we would set up all facets whether it be vending machines or OCS or micro markets and invite public officials and members to come together and showcase the industry to consumers and general media. I think we’ll be able to do that in the coming year and we will be reaching out through you and through our own outlets to encourage our members to participate.

VMW: Fantastic Carla, I look forward to hearing more about the fly-in as details transpire.

Carla: Thank you, well yes we’re excited and my door and my phone remain open to members who have questions about what we’re doing and who want to get involved, more importantly.

VMW: Thanks very much Carla. We’re joined by NAMA CEO Carla Balakgie discussing the 2014 Public Policy Conference.

Carla: Thank you.

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Associations

National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA)

May 7, 2009
Executive Staff Carla Balakgie, FASAE, CAE, President & CEO Dan Mathews, NCE5, CCS, Executive Vice President & COO Bill Meierling, Senior Vice President, External Affairs...