The 16 members of the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) Planning Committee for the WERC 39th Annual Conference for Logistics Professionals represent a diverse group of industries. Led by Chairperson Deb Parmé, vice president of Amway Corp.’s Supply Chain Center of Excellence, the Committee is united by a common interest: sharing ideas that improve operations for more effective customer service. The Conference will be held in Providence, Rhode Island on May 15-18, 2016.
The WERC Conference routinely draws nearly 1,100 senior-level warehousing, logistics and supply chain professionals. Its three days are packed with educational sessions presented by Subject Matter Experts (SME) who share ideas for actionable strategies to improve processes and operation. Also included are off-site facility tours, intimate and relaxed networking, and a Solutions Center featuring the latest innovative products and solutions.
“The WERC Conference is all about solutions,” says Parmé. “The Planning Committee works year round to ferret out the best and most innovative ideas and thought leaders we can find to share their insights with attendees. We also actively review all the feedback from previous attendees to continue to make the event better.”
Feedback from past Conference participants has prompted Parmé’s Planning Committee colleagues to each focus on a specific aspect of the event, further ensuring that all activities and sessions maximize each participant’s time. They include:
- Vice-chair Annette Danek-Akey, Senior Vice President of Fulfillment at Penguin Random House
- Tours Chair Junior Jabbie, Executive Manager of Operations at Banneker Industries
- Peer-2-Peer Sessions Chair Andy Bass, Vice President of Supply Chain at McPherson Companies
- Equipment SME Ken Ruehrdanz, Warehouse & Distribution Market Manager at Dematic
- Systems SME Marvin Logan, Director of Consulting Services at Bastian Solutions
- Real Estate SME Kevin McGowan, President of McGowan Corporate Real Estate Advisors
- Transportation SME Matthew Harding, Vice President of Chainalytics
- Metrics SME Norman Saenz, Managing Director of St. Onge Company
- Reverse Logistics SME Troy Kubat, Senior Director of Specialty and Reverse Logistics for Walmart Stores
- People SME Brian Devine, Division Vice President of ProLogistix
- Health Care / Pharma SME Gordon Slade, Director of Supply Chain Logistics for Intermountain Healthcare
- Processes SME Jerry Pimental, Vice President of Supply Chain at Stop & Shop
- Retail SME Jack Horst, Partner at Kurt Salmon Associates
- Outsourcing SME Elijah Ray, Executive Vice President of Customer Solutions at Sunland Logistics Solutions
- Manufacturing SME Michael Mikitka, CEO of WERC
- Strategies SME Carl Poulter, Associate Director of Logistics Procurement at Mondelez International
