Winter Conference

USA Supply Chain Winter Conference

Each year in January, the USA Supply Chain Management Team hosts a Winter Conference for its Members and Supplier-Partners. We seek a unique and beautiful venue where participants can get away from the day to day grind to focus on strategy, collaboration and plans for the coming year to maximize the mutual benefits available through Fleet participation and partnership. The Conference is unique in that in addition to outstanding informational presentations and networking opportunities, a significant part of the agenda is devoted to face-to-face meetings between utility members and suppliers. The intent of these break-out sessions is to provide focused time to discuss successes and opportunities to grow the relationships and maximize the benefits offered by USA Fleet Agreements with our world-class Supplier-Partners.

Why Attend The Winter Conference?

The Utilities Service Alliance (USA), Inc., Winter Conference offers a rare opportunity to step away from daily demands to focus on strategic collaboration that drives real results. Bringing together utility members and world-class supplier-partners, the conference is built around meaningful discussions, not just presentations. From one-on-one meetings to high-impact group sessions, attendees gain valuable insights, strengthen key relationships, and uncover new opportunities for cost savings and operational improvement. It’s focused, results-driven, and designed to maximize the value of USA Fleet participation and set the stage for the year ahead.

SPEED-DATING

Scheduled thirty-minute meetings between USA Utility Member Supply Chain Managers and Supplier-Partners provide Members focused time with individual Supplier-Partners to discuss successes and opportunities to grow relationships.

VALUE CONCEPT PRESENTATION

Presentations to a group of 6–8 Member Site Representatives, USA staff, and utility personnel, designed to share value-driven solutions, deepen relationships, and expand business opportunities across the USA Fleet.

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

USA Supply Chain Management are sessions open only to USA member site supply chain leaders to collaborate on USA Fleetwide spend and savings initiatives, benchmarking, supplier performance, procedures and best practices.

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Supply Chain Management Meeting

USA Supply Chain Management (SCM) sessions to collaborate on USA Fleetwide spend and savings initiatives, benchmarking, supplier performance, procedures and best practices sharing. (open only to USA member site supply chain leaders)
General Session SCM Conference features expert speakers, regulatory guidance and diverse panels from across the nuclear industry.

300+ Speed-Dating Sessions

25-minute “Speed Dating” sessions provide USA Members focused time with individual Supplier-Partners to discuss successes and opportunities to grow the relationships and maximize benefits offered by USA Fleet Agreements.
Rigorously scheduled 25-minute meetings between USA Utility Member Supply Chain Managers and Supplier-Partners
Supplier-Partners get at least 7 face-to-face sit down sessions with Supply Chain decisionmakers.
USA Member and Supplier-Partners are surveyed for their top meeting choices and matched to ensure the most impactful spend categories and savings opportunities are prioritized.

The USA Winter Conference kicks off annual goal setting and alignment featuring 25-minute Member-Supplier Speed-Dating meetings and Supplier Value Concept Presentations.

18 Value Concept Presentations

Value Concept Presentations are 40-minute presentations to a small group of 6–8 Member Site Representatives, USA staff, and utility personnel
Designed to:
- Share value-driven solutions and proven savings
- Deepen Supplier–Member relationships
- Expand business opportunities across the USA fleet
This is a high-impact opportunity to showcase innovations, savings, and strategic value directly to USA Member decision-makers.
Submit your request for a Value Concept Presentation slot to:
- Jessica Harper, Director Supplier Relations JHarper@usainc.org
- Deadline: Applications accepted annually Nov. 1-Dec. 1 (Earlier expressions of interest encouraged. Space Is Limited — Act Quickly!)
- Required Submission Details Please include the following in your email:
  - Supplier Name
  - Presentation Title
  - 2–3 Sentence Presentation Summary
  - Total Savings for USA Members (USD$)
- First-Cost, Rebate, and/or Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings
Specify scope/time period (e.g., annual USA 1-unit reactor savings)
- Key Benefits for USA Members
- Presenter Name(s)
- Primary Target USA Member Sites (if any)
- Primary Target Functions
- e.g., Engineering, Radiation Protection (RP), Supply Chain, Ops, Maintenance, etc.

Presentations that clearly demonstrate measurable value and relevance to USA member needs will be prioritized.

We look forward to your innovative proposals — and to strengthening partnership success across the fleet!

Presentations that clearly demonstrate measurable value and relevance to USA member needs will be prioritized.

We look forward to your innovative proposals — and to strengthening partnership success across the fleet!

2027 Winter Conference

The 2027 USA Member & Supplier-Partner Winter Conference brought members and partners together in Tucson, Arizona for three days of collaboration, innovation, and strategic discussion. The event featured a strong lineup of speakers, peer team meetings, and supplier presentations focused on delivering value and identifying new opportunities. A hallmark of the conference, USA’s “speed-dating” sessions facilitated hundreds of one-on-one meetings, strengthening relationships and advancing key initiatives. The conference once again demonstrated the power of collaboration in driving performance, efficiency, and long-term success across the USA network.

2026 Winter Conference

Sinatra once sang about doing things “My Way,” and even performed at the beautiful JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa — the setting for the 23rd annual USA Member & Supplier Partner Winter Conference in warm, sunny Palm Desert, California.
But even Frank couldn’t outshine approximately 200 attendees and guests who gathered for networking, collaboration, speed dating sessions, and activities designed to strengthen relationships between USA members and Supplier Partners. The week kicked off with USA Innovation, Site Reps, Procurement Engineering, and Supply Chain team meetings, along with 18 Value Concept Presentations from our Supplier Partners.

The energy continued into the Wednesday and Thursday General Sessions, featuring an outstanding lineup of speakers. USA President & CEO Karen Fili delivered a strong USA Update, and Marc Tannenbaum, Sr. Technical Executive at EPRI, returned to share insights on EPRI’s 2026 activities and opportunities. Additional highlights included a Supply Chain panel focused on embedding the USA vision — Simple, Cost Effective Excellence — into daily work to drive usage, efficiency, and savings. Presentations from Richard Burroni (CNO) on the Palisades startup and Jenni Hayes (Cook) on inter utility plant sales rounded out a robust agenda.

A signature hallmark of the USA conference — Speed Dating — once again set us apart, with more than 300 structured meetings keeping suppliers, utilities, and USA staff engaged and on the move.

We strive to deliver exceptional value for our guests, and this year’s feedback reflects that commitment, with over 98% of respondents rating the Conference as an “excellent” or “good” investment of their time and resources. Planning is already underway for 2026, and we look forward to welcoming everyone to Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Like Sinatra, we charted every course and took every careful step — and in the end, we did it our way: the USA Supply Chain Management Winter Conference.

2025 Winter Conference

The 2025 USA Member & Supplier-Partner Winter Conference brought members and partners together in Tucson, Arizona for three days of collaboration, innovation, and strategic discussion. The event featured a strong lineup of speakers, peer team meetings, and supplier presentations focused on delivering value and identifying new opportunities. A hallmark of the conference, USA’s “speed-dating” sessions facilitated hundreds of one-on-one meetings, strengthening relationships and advancing key initiatives. The conference once again demonstrated the power of collaboration in driving performance, efficiency, and long-term success across the USA network.