Supply Chain group sets Atlanta agenda

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, September 3, 2012

ATLANTA - More than 3,000 logistics and transportation specialists will gather here later this month for the annual global conference sponsored by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.
     The event, which takes place Sept. 30-Oct. 3 at the Georgia World Congress Center, features dozens of educational sessions, an exhibition highlighting the "supply chain of the future," and an array of speakers that includes legendary energy executive T. Boone Pickens.
     In his Oct. 2 presentation, Pickens will tout the benefits of natural gas in a presentation titled "How Natural Gas Can Positively Impact the Trucking Industry - And What That Means to Your Supply Chain."
     Conference organizers said Pickens will discuss how domestic natural gas can benefit the economy by replacing diesel fuel and gasoline - much of which is refined from imported oil - in truck fleets.
     Keynote speakers for Oct. 2 have an NFL pedigree, although football isn't the centerpiece of their presentation. Arthur Blank, co-founder of Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons, will join Shahid Kahn, founder of Flex-N-Gate and owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, to discuss how they built their companies and developed a vision that set them apart from the competition.
     It will include a discussion of their leadership philosophies and management styles, organizers said.
     The closing session speaker on Oct. 3 will be Erik Wahl, an artist and author who now heads the Wahl Group, a consulting firm.
     Wahl's presentation, "The Art of Vision," will discuss ways for company leaders to develop a strategic vision for the future.
     Educational seminars scheduled for Oct. 1 and Oct. 2 will cover a host of topics relating to current issues in logistics, infrastructure, finance, supply chain innovation and the like.
     To register or obtain additional information, visit www.cscmpconference.org.