Looking Back, Planning Forward

As we reach the midpoint of the year, many of us find a natural moment to pause — whether it’s through a summer getaway or simply enjoying longer evenings with friends and family. For others, the summer months may bring a rare opportunity to focus on work and reflect while colleagues are away.

Regardless of how you’re spending the season, mid-year offers a valuable opportunity to assess progress and adjust course. Looking back at a dynamic first half of 2025, one thing is clear: change continues to be the only constant. But with that change has come some much-needed clarity.

We now have a better understanding of the policy directions and regulatory shifts shaping our industry — ranging from trade and tax to environmental policy, a manufacturing-first agenda from the current administration and the growing patchwork of PFAS regulations at the state level. For many of our members, these developments have required adjustments to supply chain strategies, workforce planning and customer engagement.

At VMA, we’ve embraced this evolving landscape. Throughout the first six months of the year, we’ve actively engaged with policymakers to ensure the interests of our members are represented in policy discussions and legislative provisions impacting our industry. Further details on these efforts can be found in the VMA News section, where we highlight recent government affairs initiatives.

Equally important has been our continued commitment to education and community. The first half of 2025 saw strong participation in in-person events such as the Valve Forum: Conference & Exhibits, the Energy + Hydrogen Summit and the Valve Repair Seminar. We also hosted a series of member-exclusive webinars and delivered timely updates through our monthly eNewsletters. These activities were all designed to share knowledge, showcase case studies and provide benchmarking opportunities across the industry.

With the path ahead becoming clearer, now is the time to begin charting a new course — one shaped by new policy, creating a new market and global paradigm. The second half of 2025 offers the opportunity not just to react, but to plan, adapt and lead.

And VMA is here to support you every step of the way.

We encourage you to take full advantage of two upcoming events designed to help members make informed, strategic decisions:

• The Market Outlook Workshop, held virtually September 9–11, 2025, will feature economic and market forecasts from leading industry analysts. This virtual format enables broader team participation and provides ongoing access to presentations throughout the year.
• The Annual Meeting, scheduled for October 13–15, 2025, in Naples, Florida, will bring together executives to explore the high-level trends shaping our industry — from evolving supply chain strategies and automation to technology’s growing influence on energy and infrastructure, as well as economic and workforce headwinds.

These are more than just events; they are essential touchpoints for executive learning, peer engagement and long-term planning.

VMA will also continue to provide timely insights and tools through our Members-Only Resource Library, ongoing webinars and monthly eNewsletters. No matter your market focus or operational structure, our mission remains the same: to help you lead with clarity and confidence in this rapidly changing world.

As we move into the second half of the year, I encourage you to reflect on what’s been accomplished, realign your strategy if needed with this new paradigm and take bold steps toward the future.

I hope to see you at one or both of our fall events.

Let’s move forward together.