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118 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2024 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE by Tracy Riggan • IPC T he jam-packed agenda of this year's EMS Summit on Monday, April 8, gave the 48 EMS leaders in attendance plenty to think about. The highlights of the day were certainly the roundtables in which peers discussed attracting and training workforce, technology implementation, and KPIs. They also enjoyed a fabulous network- ing dinner to end the day. Another popular takeaway was the opportunity to participate in regional EMS leader roundtables throughout the year, with several leaders offering to get involved in the planning. Spurred by an informative presentation from Cory Blaylock, Victoria Hawkins, and Carlos Plaza on the structure of IPC's apprentice- ship program and the funding opportunities, as well as the lively roundtable discussions that followed, participants commented that the key action item upon return to their office would be to consider and reach out to IPC about apprenticeship program funding opportunities. The favorite speaker of the day was EMS peer David Hollingworth, who recently retired from Ascentron. The recent acquisi- tion of Ascentron by Emerald EMS provided the perfect opportunity for Hartmut Liebel, CEO of Emerald Technologies, and Holling- sworth to share firsthand experiences of an acquisition from both perspectives. Panel moderator Joe O'Neil of OAA Ventures led the very open and honest discussion, which provided a realistic view of the consider- ations, challenges, and timelines that go into a merger or acquisition. Hollingsworth also provided a concise, detailed, and thought- Frank Talk at the EMS Leadership Summit