Monday Keynote

Michael WaltonHead of Manufacturing, Google Enterprise
BIO

Game-changing Innovation that is Revolutionizing Manufacturing
Michael will discuss how he collaborates with Fortune 500 manufacturers to introduce game-changing strategies and technologies into their manufacturing operations. Learn how he helps manufacturers capture and leverage their data to revolutionize every aspect of their processes and production, including systems integration, product lifecycle management, ease of use and management visibility.

Monday Keynote

John Kao Chairman, Institute for Large Scale Innovation,
CEO and Founder, EdgeMakers, Inc.
BIO Interview

Jamming: The Art of Getting Innovation Done
Jazz music is innovation made audible. In this presentation, John Kao brings innovation to life on stage using speech, music, and audience engagement. Using a piano to demonstrate how jazz is a guiding metaphor for business, Kao "jams" on stage and shares the keys to innovation that he taught at Harvard. John leverages his status as Yahama’s first-ever “Artist in Innovation” to combine state of the art technology and leading edge concepts of innovation to create a unique and memorable experience.

Tuesday Keynote

Jason SchenkerPresident, Prestige Economics
BIO Interview

Economic Outlook for Material Handling, Logistics and the Supply Chain Industries
What challenges and opportunities does the U.S. and global economic outlook pose for your company? Join top-ranked economist, Jason Schenker, who will share his short-term and long-term economic forecasts. This presentation will cover the growth outlook, as well as the outlook for interest rates, foreign exchange rates, energy prices, and industrial metals prices.

Tuesday Keynote

Jeff GallinatSenior Vice President of Supply Chain Operations, Cisco
BIO

The Internet of Everything and the Cisco Connected Supply Chain
Jeff will share the importance of an Internet of Everything approach that delivers more value to companies than just the Internet of Things. The number of connected devices, sensors, objects and other “things” are expected to grow to over 50 billion by the year 2020.  The Internet of Everything, which includes People, Process, Data and Things, brings new opportunities and value in the manufacturing industry through automation, sensors, and data, to name a few.  As the executive sponsor of Cisco Supply Chain Innovation, he will also share the current approach for Cisco’s Connected Supply Chain and the value to Cisco’s customers and shareholders.

Joel SutherlandManaging Director, Supply Chain Management Institute, University of San Diego
BIO Interview

Producing, Growing & Retaining the Right Supply Chain Talent
As supply chain management takes on greater strategic importance, organizations are seeing that their pool of talent is dangerously low and not necessarily aligned with their needs. This presentation will provide valuable insights into what industry can do to better acquire, develop and retain supply chain talent to meet current and future needs.

Jim RiceDeputy Director - MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics
BIO Interview

Demystifying Supply Chain Innovation
This presentation will demystify emerging supply chain innovation to help you properly take advantage of them in your organization. Jim will clarify what is supply chain innovation, versus product innovation, and share his observations on key innovations and their impact on supply chains now and in the future.

Dwight KlappichResearch VP, Gartner
BIO Interview

The State of Supply Chain Management Technology
With 35 years of experience, Dwight Klappich has become an expert in research focusing on the strategic role logistics plays in leading-edge supply chain organizations and how leaders, technology strategies, and tactics are differentiated from their peers. His primary focus is on the role that technology plays in transforming logistics operations. Learn how supply chain organizations leverage technology to respond to the business challenges they face every day.

Bill FerrellPhD, PE, Professor of Industrial Engineering, Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Clemson University
BIO Interview

Jim CrowellDirector, Supply Chain Management Research Center (SCMRC), University of Arkansas
BIO

Innovative Strategies for Industry, Academic, and Government Alliances
Who is impacted by the challenges we are facing with the supply chain workforce? Who is best positioned to address the challenges effectively? In many cases, effective long-term solutions emerge from collaboration between non-traditional partners. This session will highlight examples of collaborations between Industry, Academics, and Government Agencies, and show how these relationships have produced benefits for the entire supply chain community.

Jeff LeClairGlobal Logistics Development Manager, Global Network Operations at Caterpillar Logistics Services, Inc.
BIO Interview

Caterpillar’s Integrated Supply Network
Material handling and logistics are critical elements of effective supply chain management. This session will highlight the complexities of building and supporting machinery all around the world, and how Lean processes and supply chain technology are working together to make progress possible for Caterpillar.

Al MastrangeloInnovation Advisor - Business Growth and Innovation, NC State University Industrial Extension Service

BIO

Innovation – From Random Gamble to Reliable System
In our hyper competitive, rapidly changing global economy, a sustainable and cost-effective innovation strategy is essential to the survival and prosperity for every type of organization. However, research has shown that only 10 percent of companies have an innovation strategy . Innovation allows companies to restart the business lifecycle and is one of the most effective methods for improving profitability. This workshop will show you what it takes to put in place a process to “ideate,” test, maintain and sustain an innovation system.

Mike RobinsonDirector of National Accounts, Big Ass Solutions

BIO Interview

Nick WilliamsHuman Resources Manager
BIO

Show Us Your Fanny: Recruiting and Other Tales from Big Ass Solutions
Mike Robinson and Nick Williams will detail how MHI member Big Ass Solutions developed a successful employee recruitment strategy that helped bring on hundreds of employees and sustained rapid growth of more than 30 percent annually. Learn how they hire curious, positive employees and offer rewarding work that attracts the best of the best. While other companies remain slow to hire, the Big Ass Solutions workforce more than tripled to 481 between 2009 and 2013. And once they arrive, employees rarely leave the company with a retention rate, of 88%, that far outpaces the national average of 62%.

Retail Innovation Lab: The Backroom of 2020
“From anytime to anywhere, anytime,” is but one of many ways to describe the supply chain needed to accommodate today’s connected consumer.  Traditional brick and mortar retailers have responded with a variety of store formats and sizes.  Meanwhile, their Ecommerce business is growing at a tremendous rate. What works best when, for which categories, how do we maximize all available assets and locations; these questions and more are the inspiration for the University of Arkansas’s Sam M. Walton College of Business Retail Innovation Lab.  Attend this session and learn more about the vision and how to become a part of it. 

Joanne CleaverContent & Communication Strategy Consultant, Coach and Developer
BIO Interview

Hector JaramilloCategory Manager-New Product Development Procurement, NACCO Materials Handling Group

Jeff RedmonGlobal Engineering Talent and Competency Manager
BIO Interview

Talent Development Strategies
Businesses throughout the supply chain are looking for better ways to develop talent. Our three panelists will share their unique perspectives on the impacts that outdated talent strategies can have on business, and the innovative approaches that they have developed to drive effective change.

Joel SutherlandManaging Director, Supply Chain Management Institute, University of San Diego

BIO

Creating a Superior Supply Chain Through Innovation
Innovation is at the heart of driving supply chain improvements. In this presentation, Joel Sutherland will share an executive-level view on the value of supply chain innovation. Beyond understanding what innovation is and how to cultivate it, he also shares numerous examples of supply chain innovations that have translated into bottom-line benefits.

Amanda ReidAdjunct Accreditation Director, Applied Science, ABET

BIO

Nick LittleAssistant Director of Executive Development Programs at the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University

BIO Interview

Jim PattersonAssistant Dean/Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management, Western Illinois University
BIO Interview

Supply Chain-Management and Supply Chain Engineering
Supply chain is a broad and evolving field, which draws from many different academic disciplines. Our three panelists will discuss the importance of business and engineering skills in the supply chain, and how these academic communities are working together to align with changes in industry. The panel will highlight issues related to 1) Research Funding, 2) Publication, 3) Accreditation, and 4) Competencies, and how these issues are viewed in the world of academia.

Bill LamSenior Manager of supply chain strategy practice, Deloitte Consulting LLP
BIO

Supply Chain Leadership: Distinctive approaches to innovation, collaboration and talent alignment
Global supply chain leaders are at a cross-roads of near-overwhelming supply chain complexity and unprecedented opportunity that is being driven by more unpredictable and demanding customers. At the same time, advances in technology have allowed companies to redefine the way they work through increased transparency, automation, and collaboration.  Learn how truly leading companies are adjusting their operating models and building innovative capabilities across their entire value-chain.   This session will shed light on how leading companies are adopting new technologies and adapting their supply chains to not only meet the challenges ahead, but to disrupt the markets in which they compete.

Steve HarringtonIndustry Liaison for the National Center for Supply Chain Technology Education

BIO Interview

Nora Pollard NeibergallCPSM, CPSD, C.P.M., Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary, Institute for Supply Management

BIO

Laurie Hein DenhamCTL, CAE, President, American Society of Transportation and Logistics (ASTL)
BIO Interview

Supply Chain Certification Programs
Certifications in supply chain skills is gaining popularity as a way to validate the capabilities of employees and job candidates. Our panelists will present a number of certification options that are available to address different roles throughout the supply chain, as well as information on options for earning the certifications.

Larry Hagstrom3D Print Manager, UPS Store
BIO Interview

The Power of 3D Printing
Learn the latest advancements in 3D Printing from self-proclaimed 3D Printing goodwill ambassador, Larry Hagstrom. Larry will provide an up close and personal view of the latest 3D technologies and open your eyes to the possibilities that this technology has for manufacturing and the supply chain.