Only a handful of seats remain available for the Rack Manufacturers Institute’s second annual RMI Education Summit. Held October 20–21, 2026, the event will take place at MHI World Headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“We’re excited to share the agenda and the speaker list,” said Jonathan Hirst, Vice President and General Manager at North American Storage Equipment Company (NASECO), a member of RMI. Hirst also serves as Co-Chair of the RMI Education Committee. “We are unveiling three separate educational tracks for attendees to ensure participants have access to the content that best suits their needs.”
Attendees can now choose among:
- Fundamentals: These foundational sessions will repeat and grow annually. This approach gives newcomers a reliable entry point into rack design and safety concepts.
- Advanced Concepts: Highly technical engineering content, including deep dives into the newest ANSI standards.
- Non-Technical: Presentations targeting salespeople, managers, and operations professionals who work alongside rack engineers.
Agenda for 2026 RMI Education Summit Released
The Summit will feature several general sessions open to all attendees, including opening and closing remarks, an overview of ANSI standards, a discussion about ethics, and moderated panel discussions.
Fundamentals presentations include:
- Rack Systems Overview
- Rack Design for Seismic Conditions
- Hands on Demonstration of Rack Design
- Under the Hood: The Fundamentals Behind Modern Structural Analysis Software
- Best Practices Regarding Wire Mesh Decking and Accessories
- The Evolution of Decking and Other Safety Solutions
- Fire Code Requirements for Storage Rack Projects
Advanced Concepts session topics will feature:
- Uniformly Distributed Beam Load Requirements in MH16.1
- The Hidden Pitfalls of Drive-In Rack Systems
- Section Properties of Combined Open Roll Formed Shapes
- Overstrength Factor for Rack Frames
- Critical Design Requirement Updates for Cantilevered Storage Racking in MH16.3-2025
- The Relationship Between Structural Analysis and Physical Testing
- Rack Supported Structures
- AS/RS Overview of Types and Terminologies, Review of Design and Installation Considerations
Non-Technical presentations include:
- Leading with Questions, an Introductory Course on Leadership
- Managing Multi-Service Projects
- Sales and Engineering Alignment
- The Fundamentals of a Rack Inspection Program
Summit Speakers to Share Insights
Presentations at the 2026 RMI Education Summit will feature insights from a diverse group of industry leaders, engineers, and subject matter experts. Currently slated to speak are:
- Andrew Bishop, Principal Engineer, Unarco Material Handling LLC
- Edward Choi, Lab Director, S.M.H.E. Lab
- Jim Crews, P.E., Consultant
- Patrick Davison, Director of Standards, MHI
- Roy Farrow, Senior inspecting Engineer, Seizmic, Inc.
- Sal Fateen, Founder, Seizmic Inc.
- Michael Fuller, P.E., Senior Project Manager, Nucor Warehouse Systems
- Jonathan Hirst, P.Eng, Vice President and General Manager, North American Storage & Equipment (NASECO)
- Steve Johnson, Vice President of Sales, Nashville Wire Products
- Andrew Johnson, P.E., Engineering Manager, Nucor Warehouse Systems
- JW Jones, Director of Business Development, Rack USA LLC
- Amit Kutumbale, Director of Engineering, Steel King Industries Inc.
- Tyler Leintz, Director of Sales, ITC
- Roy Lin, Engineering Manager, Advance Storage Products
- Wayne Lyall, Custom Project Director, ITC Manufacturing
- Amie Martin, Director of Engineering, Engineered Products Pallet Rack
- Cris Moen PhD, P.E., Run to Solve
- Mustafa Najeeb, Senior Structural Design Engineer, Advance Storage Products
- John Paxton, CEO, MHI
- Steve Riege, Founder & President, Ovation Leadership
- Marc Rousseau, Vice President, Damotech
- Thomas Ryder, Senior Industrial Engineer, Frazier Industrial Company
- Scott Sherman, P.E., Engineering Supervisor, Nucor Warehouse Systems
- Gary Smith, Fire Code Consultant, Gary Smith Consulting
- Jordan Tlumak, Principal Engineer, Epiq Engineering
- Ronald Ziemian, Consultant, Professor, Bucknell University
Registration and Logistics
Event registration remains open at mhi.org/rmi-education-summit. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about this essential material handling equipment.
RMI develops and publishes several American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards covering the design, testing, and utilization of industrial storage rack. The group also provides additional resources to support safer rack system design and use. These include presentations, a glossary, case studies, and FAQs. Visit mhi.org/rmi for more information.
