All of us at Benchmark Gensuite® want to thank the 200+ attendees who joined us in Washington D.C. for the 2023 Impact Benchmark Gensuite Conference. In only a few short days, we covered a wide range of topics including EHS, Sustainability, ESG Disclosure Reporting, Quality, Product Stewardship & Supply Chain Risk, including real-world, results-driven applications of Benchmark Gensuite’s Advanced Tech and AI.Â
With so many amazing speakers, so many remarkable success stories, and informative training sessions, it’s hard to narrow it all down to just 5 takeaways, but we wanted to share a few of our favorite insights from our speakers… and one key announcement.Â
1. GennyGPT
You’ve heard of ChatGPT. Now, it’s time to meet GennyGPT! Benchmark Gensuite is thrilled to introduce our own generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot, and we can’t wait to share more about it in the coming months.
While GennyGPT is still in development, you’ll definitely want to stay tuned for release notes and schedules soon!Â
2. “Management Programs are the Foundation.” 
When asked what was top of mind for private companies these days, Ann Klee (Board Member, Sotera Health LLC & Wabtec Corporation) said:
“Management programs are the foundation. They are now enabling us, whether at an early-stage start-up or more mature company, to think differently and be more risk-focused. If I think about it from a board perspective, where you are in that journey may differ, but a common thread is reliability, transparency, and risk focus. The tools Benchmark’s developed, they’re the holy grail in getting ahead of the risk, ahead of the curve.”Â
3. “We Needed a System.” 
During Thursday’s speaker panel, Jay Small (VP Global EHS, JELD-WEN, Inc.) shared this need echoed by others in the panel— unifying subscribers in EHS, Sustainability, Quality & ESG: 
“I came to JELD-WEN because there was no global EHS function in 2019…The first thing I recognized was we needed a system. We were using an antiquated worker’s comp system globally…using spreadsheets to manage all our data and needed a solution that would help us come together as an organization and align our goals… We knew we needed very sophisticated modules, we created a list of our must-haves, got the funding approved, developed a core team, and then worked with great partners at Benchmark Gensuite.
4. “Safety Isn’t Proprietary.” 
Ensuring worksite safety is the prime directive of everyone, both across the enterprise and across industries & businesses. Leveraging sophisticated, cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technologies like Benchmark Gensuite® Executive AI and our other AI Advisors to provide foresight, prevent incidents, and save lives is the ultimate path forward. 
As Liz Hackett (EHS Executive, Cytiva) further explained:  “Safety isn’t proprietary. We all have something to learn from each other. We still have a journey to go and that’s the beauty of Benchmark Gensuite… it evolves, it grows, it learns.”
5. “Building Relationships for Success.” 
Deploying an outstanding digital solution— or suite of solutions— to an enterprise is only part of the success story. As explained by Mary Ann Polad (Director, EHS, Security & Sustainability, The Boston Beer Company) when retelling her implementation journey with Benchmark Gensuite; fostering a deep, close-knit relationship between the two teams is a major part of this success:
“Olivia [Salatin of Benchmark Gensuite] became part of our team and I bet if she walked into the Cincinnati brewery, they would confuse her as a [Boston Beer Company] EHS team member. We’ve established a relationship with her and the team and found having a dedicated amount of time to have Benchmark Gensuite people accessible to us to answer even the smallest questions or larger problems, has been immeasurably valuable.”Â
These 5 takeaways are just a small portion of the engaging mix of presentations, collaborative sessions, and shared insights from leaders in the EHS & Sustainability industry. To explore it all, including full session recordings, check out our Impact 2023 Resource Hub and don’t forget to save the date for our 2024 Customer Conference while you’re there. To learn more about what Benchmark Gensuite’s digital EHS and cross-functional management systems can do for your organization stay tuned for our upcoming two-part webinar series in June!
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