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Photos & Testimonials | Forum 2007
(As of Feb. 3, 2006)
ON INNOVATION
Sohrab Vossoughi of Ziba Design Inc. in Portland, Ore., was recently dubbed an "innovation guru" by BusinessWeek. Ziba works with such firms as Chinese computer giant Lenovo Group, Whirlpool Corp., Procter & Gamble Co., Black & Decker, Sony Corp., Hewlett-Packard, Samsung and Nike, among others, and Vossoughi will discuss how to foster a culture of innovation and creativity in a corporation.
ON RESIN MARKET TRENDS
Senior officials with two resin producers – Equistar Chemicals' Vaughn Deasy and BASF Corp.'s Joe Venner – and a pair of seasoned industry consultants – Townsend Polymer's Dave Durand, and CMAI's Steve Zinger – separately will assess the supply/demand and market prospects for polyethylene, nylon and polypropylene resins as well as global olefin feedstocks and energy trends. Additionally, Snehal Desai of NatureWorks LLC will provide an update on corn-based polymers such as its own NatureWorks PLA.
ON CRISIS MANAGEMENT & DISASTER RECOVERY
Paul Horton manages a 100-press injection molding plant in New Orleans for Intralox LLC, the world's largest maker of modular plastic conveyor belts. Horton will tell how Intralox and its employees coped with Hurricane Katrina – and bounced back. He'll share the hard lessons learned about what worked and what didn't – and why.
Noel Ginsburg heads injection molder and blow molder Intertech Plastics Inc. He lived through some dark days of bankruptcy after a large customer stiffed him, the local market imploded and then 9/11 happened. He'll offer a case study on how Intertech rose from the dead to thrive again.
ON STRATEGIES FOR COMPETING GLOBALLY
Dr. Ernest Preeg, a senior fellow in trade and productivity at the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI think tank in Washington, brings a seasoned perspective to the debate about China and global trade. The Ph.D. economist argues in his recent book, The Emerging Chinese Advanced Technology Superstate, that the U.S. is reacting inadequately to China's aggressive move into high-tech sectors. At the Forum, he will suggest what that might mean to U.S. manufacturers.
Chris Morton, the top global plastics official for Flextronics, oversees operations for this $15.9 billion, Singapore-based electronics contract manufacturer that runs 1,400 injection presses in plants around the world. He will discuss the process for developing "technology road maps" – a systemized approach to identifying, understanding and exploiting the emerging technologies that will impact your customers and the markets they serve.
Ron Kirscht of Donnelly Custom Manufacturing will demonstrate how the Alexandria, Minn., injection molding company has created and applied a clearly defined, narrowly focused business plan to carve out a successful niche in a cutthroat market. Donnelly excels at "how short run is done."
Mike Sullivan oversees R&D and international projects for Rosti Technical Products, a diverse molder with more than a dozen plants worldwide. He will tell how his company manages its global growth – from the southern U.S. to northern Europe to China, where it is about to open its third plant.
ON END MARKET PROSPECTS
Melanie Cook, global marketing director of transportation for GE Plastics, will discuss the latest trends and advances related to consumer preferences, design, processing and materials choice in the thermoforming-intensive aviation and recreational-vehicle sectors.
Dr. Rose Ryntz, Visteon Corp.'s materials guru, will offer her vision of global material trends and requirements for interior as well as exterior automotive components. She'll assess some of the sector's key market drivers by geographical region, and consider the role that fluctuations in petroleum-based commodities play on plastic use and selection.
Salvador "Chiry" Vassallo, CEO of Industrias Vassallo Inc. in Puerto Rico, will offer his views on the North American PVC pipe and building construction markets that have been so roiled recently by natural disasters. He also will share insights into how his 43-year-old firm has established plants in Florida and Kentucky and diversified successfully into injection molded resin furniture (via the acquisition of Syroco Inc.) and even rotomolded kayaks.
ON MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
This high-powered panel – moderated by Goldsmith Agio Helms Managing Director Jerry Caruso – will team the top executives of two major processors with a pair of financial experts to explore who's buying what, and why, and how firms can leverage M&A as a means to growth. As chairman of holding company HPC Industries LLC, Leon Farahnik presides over a fast-growing bag-making and film-extrusion empire, while Phil Martens moved recently from Ford Motor Co. to assume the top spot at billion-dollar automotive supplier Plastech Engineered Products Inc. Timothy Dumond of Stout Risius Ross Advisors LLC will discuss the handling of distressed and bankrupt operations, and explore when such situations offer growth opportunities. And Rob Newbold of Graham Partners Inc. has been involved with several major plastics deals recently. He'll discuss the rationale behind his firm's ongoing success in purchasing plastics-related companies.
ON STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Bemis Manufacturing Co. co-owner Peter Bemis is a primary architect of the 105-year-old company's latest initiative – to create a "management development road map" to help with succession planning, employee appraisal and staff development. Hear his insights on the results from this ambitious effort.
ON MARKETING & BRAND BUILDING
Mary Scheibel, principal owner of Milwaukee-based marketing communications specialists Scheibel Halaska Inc., will share insights into why building a brand, even for plastics processors, is vital to asset growth. If you want an example of her handiwork, look no further than Donnelly Custom Manufacturing, whose president Ron Kirscht is speaking elsewhere on the program.
ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Steven Auvil, a partner at Cleveland law firm Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP, will bring attendees up to speed on strategies for exploiting and protecting their IP assets. Auvil will discuss procedures for identifying valuable IP; securing its protection in light of associated costs and benefits; and for enforcing and exploiting property rights cost effectively, both in the U.S. and abroad.
MARCH 8 – BONUS SESSIONS & AWARD FINALISTS PANEL
The following three firms again have joined forces to organize, sponsor and present a Wednesday-morning session that complements the two-day Forum program. For the first time, these sessions are included in the Forum registration fee. Be sure to sign up for this program when you register. Following a "Breakfast with the Stars" panel discussion involving the presidents of the three Plastics News Processor of the Year finalists companies.
ON BUILDING VALUE STRATEGIES
Jeff Mengel and Dennis Graham, partner and senior manager, respectively, at accounting and consulting company Plante & Moran PLLC, will draw on results from the firm's 2005 North American Plastics Industry Study to suggest ways of monitoring the health of your business with key performance indicators.
Megan Mehalko, partner at Cleveland-based law firm Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP, will discuss protecting business value, and the impact of contract terms and conditions during these volatile times of force majeure declarations and several recent high-profile bankruptcies.
Matt Jamison, a director with Plante & Moran's financial services arm, P&M Corporate Finance LLC, will offer practical advice on developing and executing successful merger and acquisition strategies.
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