AMES, Iowa -- The nation's economy has forced many businesses to seek even greater supply chain efficiency and sustainability. And area business leaders may receive some sage advice on supply chain management in a turbulent economy by attending the 18th Annual Voorhees Supply Chain Conference -- sponsored by Iowa State University's College of Business, Jacobson Companies, Caterpillar Foundation and John Deere -- on Friday, April 9.
Held in the Scheman Building, Iowa State Center, the event will begin at 8:15 a.m. with Rosalyn Wilson, senior business analyst, Delcan Corp. and author of the annual "State of Logistics Report" by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. She'll discuss "Riding Out the Recession," which will examine how supply chains are being redefined and processes changed so that the logistics industry will emerge from the recession more efficient and resilient.
A 30-year veteran of the transportation and logistics field, Wilson became president of Delcan -- a transportation consulting firm -- earlier this year. She previously spent six years with an information technology security firm that operated primarily in the defense and intelligence market spaces. She also was a senior consultant with Booz|Allen| Hamilton's transportation group, and served for more than 11 years at the Association of American Railroads.
Gary Whicker, senior vice president of engineering services at J.B. Hunt Transport, will give the 9:30 a.m. presentation, "It Makes You Stronger." He will discuss transportation strategies that have worked during the recession and will continue to be effective in more robust economic times.
An Iowa State industrial engineering graduate, Whicker leads J.B. Hunt's Delta Center, which creates innovative, integrated customer solutions. He also has worked in the transportation and logistics field with Target Corp. and Northwest Airlines.
Joel Zeller, director of corporate logistics, Polaris Industries Inc., will discuss how Polaris adjusts to a tough economy and prepares for the future at 10:45 a.m.
Zeller joined Polaris -- a recognized leader in the snowmobile industry and one of the largest manufacturers of ATVs in the world -- in October 2005. He has responsibility for international and domestic inbound transportation, domestic outbound transportation, production scheduling and international compliance.
Prior to Polaris, Zeller worked at Maytag Corp. for 23 years -- spending his last 11 years in logistics focused on warehousing and transportation.
Lisa Cotter, director of demand planning, Best Buy Co. Inc., will discuss how Best Buy's supply chain adapts to uncertain demand in the 1 p.m. session.
An Iowa State industrial engineering graduate, Cotter has been an executive in various supply chain roles with Best Buy since 2001, including developing a supply chain vision for alternative network designs and product flows.
Prior to Best Buy, she was managing director of logistics at Musicland, and worked in distribution and manufacturing at Hewlett Packard.
The conference's final speaker will be Scott Temple, president, transportation and logistics services at Jacobson Companies, presenting "Diversity Wins in a Downturn" at 2 p.m. He will discuss how Jacobson has succeeded in the face of difficult market conditions, and how the company's relationships with clients have helped bring in new business.
Temple has 16 years of experience in warehouse operations management, transportation management, supply chain integration and purchasing. In his current role, he oversees Jacobson's 173 warehouse sites with 31 million square feet of space in 30 major markets.
He was previously director of supply chain for Invacare Supply Group, and director of distribution and transportation for ACH Food Companies. He also has worked for Exel Logistics and Fed Ex Ground.
Advance registration for the Voorhees Supply Chain Conference is $140 and includes all materials, speaker sessions and lunch. ISU students, faculty and staff may attend free, but must register. Students and faculty from other institutions may attend at the reduced cost of $25. The registration fee for walk-up attendees is $175 on the day of the conference.
Additional information, including online registration, is available at http://www.business.iastate.edu/events/voorhees. The conference was established to honor the career of Iowa State Professor Emeritus R. Dale Voorhees, who taught at the College of Business for more than 20 years.
