Supply Chain Conference: 2010 Jump Start--Supply Chain's Look Ahead

Evan P. Armstrong

As president of Armstrong & Associates, Inc., Evan P. Armstrong oversees multiple market research initiatives and provides consulting services to supply chain participants in the areas of business planning, logistics outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions, market analysis and benchmarking, transportation management, and supply chain systems evaluation and selection. Prior to joining Armstrong & Associates in February 2000, Armstrong was vice president of pricing at Roadrunner Freight Systems, Inc. Additionally Armstrong has held sales and marketing and operations positions with major providers of small package transportation, LTL transportation, and third-party logistics services.

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John R. Bagileo

John R. Bagileo has been practicing transportation law for the past 43 years, representing the interests of carriers, shippers, and transportation intermediaries in regulatory matters. He has represented clients before state courts, federal district courts, the Court of Federal Claims, Courts of Appeal and the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as before federal and state transportation regulatory agencies. Bagileo earned the distinction of being one of the nation's leading transportation attorneys by representing shippers, motor carriers, railroads, and ocean carriers before state and federal courts, and over 20 public service or utilities commissions on diverse transportation issues. He has represented clients in rulemaking proceedings and litigation disputes on regulatory issues, contracts, sale and merger transactions, licensing, safety and legislative enactments that changed the face of transportation regulation.

Roger H. Bezdek, Ph.D.

Dr. Roger H. Bezdek has 30 years' experience in consulting and management in the energy, utility, environmental and regulatory areas, serving in private industry, academia and the U.S. Federal government; he is also the founder and president of Management Information Services, Inc. His consulting background includes energy technology and market forecasting, oil, coal, natural gas and nuclear energy analyses; estimating the impacts of renewable energy; assessment of the economic effects of environmental and energy technologies; and creation and management of Federal energy programs. He has served as a consultant to the White House, the Office of Al Gore, federal and state government agencies. During 2008, he presented energy briefings to the staffs of Senators Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Clinton.

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Diana Early

Diana Early is vice president of administration for Pitt Ohio Express of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Early has worked in the trucking industry for 28 years. Her career started as a dock supervisor for Roadway Express where she later held dispatch, sales, and operations management positions. Early was hired by Pitt Ohio Express in 1987 as the manager of credit and collections and she gradually took on additional responsibilities dealing with revenue management and information systems functions. In her current role, Early oversees freight billing, invoicing, accounts receivable, credit, collections, and EDI functions. She also serves as chairman of the National Association of Credit Management' s (NACM) Transportation Revenue Management Group.

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Alison Acosta Fraser

As director of the Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, Alison Acosta Fraser oversees Heritage Foundation research on a wide range of domestic economic issues including federal spending, taxes, energy and environment, retirement savings and regulation. One of the Roe Institute's priorities is reform of the federal retirement programs - Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. Under Fraser's leadership, Heritage research has helped define and communicate the long-term fiscal threats from spending and taxes and identify solutions for reforms. Fraser is a member of the Fiscal Wake-Up Tour to educate Americans about the nation's long-term financial condition and to encourage Americans to demand action.

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Peter I. Keller

Peter I. Keller is principal of Peter I. Keller and Associates, LLC, a consulting and advisory practice serving the international maritime industry. Keller specializes in port and terminal development, liner industry activities, labor relations, intermodal operations and supply chain economics and strategies. Keller, who began his transportation career as an Officer in the U.S. Army Transportation Corps, also served as vice president of information resources at Sea-Land Service, Inc; CEO of The CAST Group and COO at NYK Group Americas, Inc. Keller was inducted into the International Maritime Hall of Fame in 2006, and in 2007 he helped found the Coalition for Responsible Transportation (CRT), now an industry wide organization committed to environmentally responsible practices across the supply chain.

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Bruce A. Kennedy

As vice president of enterprise strategy for YRC Worldwide, Bruce A. Kennedy is responsible for the development and execution of client-centric strategies focused on improving domestic and global supply chains with both direct and indirect clients. In this role he works closely with supply chain leaders to build complete solutions that help achieve their companies' business objectives. To support these efforts he leads a team of supply chain engineers and analysts that develop the most effective business solutions. Additionally, Kennedy has responsibility for leading a dedicated team focused upon developing business partnerships across the 3PL (Indirect) Channel.

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Michael Levans

A 20-year newspaper, business-to-business (B2B) magazine and web-content veteran, Michael Levans took the helm of Logistics Management magazine' s editorial function in 2004. Before joining Logistics Management, he directed editorial efforts, launched publications and conferences, and built web communities covering business IT, medical device and high-tech manufacturing. Of the B2B markets he's covered, Levans says logistics and transportation is by far the most engaging: "We're helping logistics and supply chain managers drive the global economy, you simply can't find a more vibrant industry to cover."

Jack Levis

Jack Levis, director of package process management, is responsible for providing operational technology solutions that streamline UPS processes and maximize productivity. Under Levis' direction, UPS has completed integration of multiple operations systems, requiring extensive system engineering and usability provisions. These systems ultimately synchronize the flow of data throughout UPS, allowing the seamless movement of goods, funds and information. Levis has also been the business owner, process designer and project manager for UPS' award winning Package Flow Technology suite of systems, a suite of tools and process redesign that has been a breakthrough change for UPS.

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Steve Ludvigson

Steve Ludvigson is president and co-founder of Cerasis, Inc., which was established in 1997. The organization provides a Web-delivered solution for shippers to manage their logistics processes. Ludvigson has almost 20 years' experience in the logistics industry. After over 10 years in purchasing and distribution, he began his logistics career selling logistics software for Pitney Bowes. At Cerasis, a 3PL specializing in LTL freight, Ludvigson is primarily responsible for IT, finance and operations.

Donald G. Maltby

Donald G. Maltby is executive vice president of logistics services of Unyson Logistics, a Hub Group Company. He previously served as president of Hub Online, Hub Group's e-Commerce division and president of Hub Cleveland. Maltby came to Hub Group from Lyons Transportation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sherwin Williams Company, where he was the organization' s president. In his career at Sherwin Williams he held a variety of management positions including vice president of sales and marketing for their Transportation Division. Maltby earned a bachelor' s of science degree from the State University of New York and a master's in business administration from Baldwin Wallace College.

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Joseph J. Minarik, Ph.D.

As senior vice president and director of research at Committee for Economic Development (CED), Dr. Joseph J. Minarik leads policy research projects on CED' s agenda, including health care, the economy, the federal budget, globalization, trade, early childhood education and campaign finance reform. In 1993 Minarik became associate director for economic policy at the White House Office of Management and Budget, and worked on the formulation and adoption of President Bill Clinton' s 1993 economic program. When the federal budget became a leading issue in 1995 and 1996, Minarik worked on the Administration' s program to eliminate the budget deficit, which evolved into the bipartisan balanced budget agreement of 1997.

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Jack Porter

Jack Porter, who has invested over 30 years in trucking, co-founded Decisiv in 2002. Decisiv consults in every facet of the heavy trucking industry, utilizing a proven method of combining financial data collection and analysis with hands-on group meetings. At Decisiv, Porter establishes and leads Truck and Fleet 20 Groups for financial benchmarking. He also provides expert consulting and training services to individual dealers, dealer groups and fleets. Porter' s work with dealers, OE truck and component manufacturers, and fleets gives him a unique insight from within the supply chain.

John C. Rader

Regular SMC³ Conference attendees know John Rader as the "face and voice" of SMC³ Conferences. Effective May 1, 2010, Rader will retire from a 30-plus year career in the transportation industry that included sales and marketing, business development, pricing, strategic planning, logistics and administration. Since 2000 Rader has served as director of industry and educational services with SMC³. As part of his role with the company, he also served as executive director of the LPC (Loss Prevention Conference) and TSMA (Transportation Sales and Marketing Association) organizations from 2000 to 2008.

Donald Ratajczak, Ph.D.

Dr. Donald Ratajczak is emeritus professor of the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University and consulting economist for leading businesses and governmental agencies. Ratajczak is one of the world' s most celebrated economists and a primary source of economic forecasting information. His analyses of business cycles, international trade, economic forecasting and Federal Reserve policy are featured regularly on CNN, CNBC and in major print media. Hailed the nation's "top economic guru" by BusinessWeek magazine, Ratajczak is a recipient of the prestigious Blue Chip award for forecasting accuracy.

Diane Lim Rogers, Ph.D.

Dr. Diane Lim Rogers joined the Concord Coalition in April 2008 as the organization' s first chief economist as well as their first "blogger" (EconomistMom.com). At Concord she writes issue briefs, gives speeches and provides general expertise on the economic effects of federal budget and tax policy. Throughout her career, Rogers' research has focused on the behavioral, distributional and macroeconomic effects of U.S. fiscal policies. She continues to teach as an Adjunct Professor for the School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University. Rogers has also participated in the Concord Coalition' s Fiscal Wake-Up Tour.

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Page Siplon

Page Siplon is the executive director of the Georgia Logistics Innovation Center (LINC), and has served in this capacity since 2005. As an industry focused component of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, LINC is the state' s leading resource for fueling logistics competitiveness. Siplon initiated the state' s first statewide Logistics Summit in 2009 and created the first Georgia Logistics Report, which defined the state' s logistics industry and the resulting economic impact. He also served as the lead consultant on the Commission for New Georgia' s Freight and Logistics Task Force and has consulted with other state Departments of Transportation on leveraging public-private partners for comprehensive statewide freight transportation planning.

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Chris Timmer

Chris Timmer is senior vice president of business development and marketing for LeanLogistics, Inc. He is responsible for the company' s SaaS platform development and deployment, business strategy and the expansion of the company's international service footprint. Timmer has over 20 years of experience in transportation and logistics management holding multiple positions with 3PLs in transportation operations and supply chain management. He has also served as president of the Western Michigan CSCMP Roundtable, is a regular speaker at industry events and is recognized as a leader in the SaaS solution space.

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Walter E. Williams, Ph.D.

Dr. Walter E. Williams, John M. Olin distinguished professor of economics at George Mason University, is regarded as one of our nation' s foremost authorities on the history of American government. He has authored 7 books and more than 150 scholarly articles on a range of topics including liberty in America, economic concerns, racial injustice and minority issues. As an economist, Williams often speaks and writes in favor of free market economics and against socialist systems and government intervention.