Plastics News' Executive Forum is where plastics industry leaders gather to talk business, share best practices, gain vital competitive intelligence and network in a casual, relaxed setting. Join in the discussions on such hot-button topics as resin and energy prices, end-market prospects, disaster recovery, spurring innovation, global competitiveness, M&A trends, and more.
| Sunday, March 5 | 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Registration (refreshments sponsored by Paulson Training Programs) |
| Optional Activities | |
| 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Bass fishing |
| 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | Wilderness canoe experience |
| 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Round robin tennis |
| 11:30 a.m. | Lunch for golfers |
| 12:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Golf (sponsored by CBW Automation) |
| 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Sporting clays |
| Opening Event | |
| 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. | Business "Glows" in Georgia networking reception (sponsored by Georgia Allies) |
| Monday, March 6 | 7:00 a.m. … | Continental breakfast (sponsored by Goldsmith, Agio, Helms & Lynner LLC) |
| 8:00 - 8:45 a.m. | Leveraging Innovation for Strategic Advantage Sohrab Vossoughi, Founder/President, Ziba Design |
| 8:45 - 9:30 a.m. | Market Dynamics: Solving the Resin Riddle Steve Zinger, Director - Global Olefins Practice, Chemical Market Associates Inc. |
| 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. | Growing the Bio-Resins Market Snehal Desai, Global Commercial Director, NatureWorks LLC |
| 10:15 - 10:45 a.m. | Break (sponsored by the North Alabama Industrial Development Assn.) |
| 10:45 - 12 p.m. | Lessons from Katrina: Disaster Planning & Recovery Paul Horton, Plant Manager, Intralox LLC |
| 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. | Lunch (sponsored by Blaige & Co. LLC) |
| 1:30 - 5:00 p.m. | CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS |
| 1:30 - 2:15 p.m. | TRACK 1: Polyethylene Resins Outlook Vaughn Deasy, VP - Polymer Sales, Equistar Chemicals LP |
| TRACK 2: Trends in Pipe & Construction Salvador Vassallo, CEO, Industrias Vassallo Inc. | |
| 2:15 - 3:00 p.m. | TRACK 1: Polypropylene: A Resin for All Seasons Dave Durand, Director - Global Polypropylene Consulting, Townsend Polymer Services & Information |
| TRACK 2: Protecting & Exploiting Your Intellectual Property Steve Auvil, Partner, Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP | |
| 3:00 - 3:30 p.m. | Break (sponsored by the North Alabama Industrial Development Assn.) |
| 3:30 - 4:15 p.m. | TRACK 1: What's New in Aircraft Interiors & RVs Melanie Cook, Global Marketing Director - Transportation, GE Plastics |
| TRACK 2: Your Brand: A Vital, Yet Underutilized Asset Mary Scheibel, Principal Owner, Scheibel Halaska Inc. | |
| 4:15 - 5:00 p.m. | TRACK 1: Nylon: The Auto Market & Beyond Joe Venner, Director - Product Management & Product Development for Engineering Plastics, BASF Corp. |
| TRACK 2: Survival Story: Back From the Brink Noel Ginsburg, President, Intertech Plastics Inc. | |
| 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. | Progressive 500 networking reception (sponsored by Progressive Components) |
| Tuesday, March 7 | 7:30 a.m. … | Continental breakfast (sponsored by Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin) |
| 8:00 - 8:45 a.m. | The Emerging Chinese Advanced Technology Superstate & Its Impact on U.S. Manufacturers Dr. Ernest Preeg, Senior Fellow in Trade & Productivity, Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI |
| 8:45 - 9:30 a.m. | Technology Road Mapping as a Competitive Tool Chris Morton, Senior Director - Plastics, Flextronics International Ltd. |
| 9:30 - 10:00 a.m. | Break (sponsored by Sterling) |
| 10:00 - 10:45 a.m. | Competing in a Global Environment Mike Sullivan, VP - International Projects, R&D and Marketing, Rosti Technical Products |
| 10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m. | Mergers & Acquisitions: The Latest Trends & Dynamics PANEL MODERATOR: PANELISTS: |
| 12:00 - 1:45 p.m. | Lunch (sponsored by Conair) |
| 1:45 - 2:30 p.m. | Automotive Market: Global Material Trends & Requirements Dr. Rose Ryntz, Sr. Mgr. & Staff Technical Fellow - Advanced Engineering Materials, Visteon Corp. |
| 2:30 - 3:15 p.m. | Mapping Your Workforce of the Future Peter Bemis, President - Contract Group & Co-owner, Bemis Mfg. Co. |
| 3:15 - 3:45 p.m. | Break (sponsored by Sterling) |
| 3:45 - 4:30 p.m. | Narrow Your Focus & Expand Your Business Ron Kirscht, President, Donnelly Custom Manufacturing |
| 4:30 - 5:00 p.m. | PN Processor of the Year Award Preview An introduction to the finalists |
| 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. | Happy Hour in exhibit hall (sponsored by Wittmann) |
| 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. | Plastics News Processor of the Year Awards ceremony & reception (Co-sponsored by Ernst & Young) |
| Wednesday, March 8 | Bonus Sessions |
| 8:00 - 11:30 a.m. | Building Value Strategies: Best practices for distinguishing, retaining & adding value Sponsored & presented by Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP; Plante & Moran PLLC, and P&M Corporate Finance LLC. |
| 8:00 - 9:15 a.m. | Breakfast With the Stars Hot buffet breakfast with a panel and Q&A featuring executives from the Plastics News Processor of the Year Award finalists. |
| 9:30 - 10:10 a.m. | Distinguishing Value: Monitoring the Health of Your Business With Key Performance Indicators
More than 160 companies participated in Plante & Moran's 2005 North American Plastics Industry Study. From these extensive surveys, P&M has been able to identify several key performance indicators that appear to drive success, as well as those regrettable indicators that appear in struggling companies. Mengel and Graham will highlight and define the key performance indicators that are most strongly linked to performance as well as present some of the potential actions to improve the health of a business. |
| 10:10 - 10:50 a.m. | Protecting Business Value: The Impact of Contract Terms & Conditions
Megan Mehalko, Partner, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP Many of us have recently experienced the impact of contract terms and conditions in a very real way - whether as a result of force majeure declarations following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita or as a result of defending preference claims following several recent high-profile bankruptcies. Mehalko will take a very practical look at several key terms and conditions as well as some business practices, and discuss how they can impact value protection in the event of crisis - be it a natural or financial disaster. |
| 10:50 - 11:30 a.m. | Adding Value: Developing & Executing Successful M&A Strategies
Matt Jamison, Director, P&M Corporate Finance LLC Driven by the need to differentiate, grow, globalize, innovate and reduce costs, successful companies in the plastics industry are creating and capitalizing on opportunities that exist in today's challenging business environment. A key value-building strategy employed by these companies is a well-articulated and effectively executed acquisition strategy. Jamison will discuss the state of the M&A, credit and private equity markets, outline key acquisition strategies, describe the steps in the acquisition process, and highlight the factors that should be taken into account when planning an acquisition. |