Welcome Party
Sponsored by the Associate Supplier Section, the Welcome Party will have a unique twist this year. Come try your luck at a no-risk Casino Night complete with Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, and Texas Hold’em. Members will be allotted a set amount of chips. At the end of the night, convert those chips to raffle tickets to win prizes.
The New Normal: Leadership and Preparedness in the 21st Century
Lt. General Russel L. Honoré (Ret.)
Lt. General Russel L. Honoré (Ret.) helps organizations develop a culture of preparedness and initiates a mindset of problem-solving using strategies that create take-charge leaders. As the commander of Joint Task Force Katrina, LTG Honoré became known as “The Category 5 Gen.” for his striking leadership style in coordinating military relief efforts in post-hurricane New Orleans. He is a decorated 37-year army veteran and global authority on leadership. When Hurricanes such as Harvey, Irma, and Maria approach, news networks like CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and CBS consider him their go-to expert on emergency and disaster preparedness. As Commander of SJFHQ-HLS under NORTHCOM direction, Gen. Honoré planned and oversaw the military response to the Space Shuttle Columbia Tragedy and the DC Sniper Shootings. His uplifting dose of candor with real-world leadership lessons is designed to equip audiences with a preparedness mindset. He shares his no-nonsense approach to getting the job done and instills confidence in tomorrow’s leaders.
Sponsored by the Association’s Supplier Section
Honoré will speak at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday.
Learning From Legacies: Osmundson Manufacturing
Doug Bruce and Heather Bruce, Osmundson Manufacturing
The Association will bring back a series in New Orleans in which members learn from other members who have had extraordinary staying power in the industry. This year, we will hear from executives at Osmundson Manufacturing, which was founded in 1903 and joined the Association in 1977. They will share lessons learned in transitioning the family business from the fourth generation of leadership to the fifth and discuss how they are navigating universal challenges in the industry. Father-and-daughter duo Doug Bruce and Heather Bruce will be on stage.
Sponsored by KCoe Isom
Doug and Heather will speak at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday.
Economic Outlook: Finding Stability Amid Volatility
Jim Meil
Economist and analyst Jim Meil will offer an overview of what’s at play in the economy and what may come next. Meil was vice president and chief economist with Eaton for 29 years. He has served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Business Economics and has won recognition from both the Wall Street Journal and USA Today for top economic outlook from their respective panels of 50 economics forecasters.
Meil will speak on Friday at 9:00 a.m.
Manufacturing Outlook: Supply Chain, Technology, Labor
Baxter Saucier, Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana
Baxter Saucier is operations director for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana with a history in industries such as manufacturing and oil and gas. He will explore strategies for strengthening your supply chain, discuss technologies that will reduce your dependence on labor, and more.
Tillage Council: Ag Outlook: Technologies and Emerging Trends in Crop Management
Scott Shearer, professor and chair of Food, Agriculture and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University, will discuss equipment automation, precision agriculture, input logistics, sustainable ag policies, trends in crop management, and more during the Tillage Council session Friday morning. Among highlights of Shearer’s research career are development of methodologies and controls for metering and spatial applying crop production inputs, modeling of agricultural field machinery systems, and autonomous multi-vehicle field production systems.
The Tillage Council meets at 8:00 a.m. Friday.