Patrick Curran

Vice President of Procurement & Logistics - Kehe Foods

Kehe Food Distributors supplies the supermarket and mass market food industry with over 30,000 specialty grocery products. Patrick is responsible for building and developing a well-oiled procurement and logistics function for this very fast growing marketer and distributor. He is also in charge of the leadership and operation of the supply chain functions of procurement, cost-of-goods, inventory management, capital investment, inbound freight logistics, management information systems, business process, warehouse and distribution logistics.

Ann Drake

CEO - DSC Logistics & Supply Chain

Ann Drake is Chief Executive Officer of DSC Logistics, an integrated logistics and supply chain management company.  Ann serves on the Board of Governors and as Co-Chair of the Transportation Committee for Chicago’s Metropolitan Planning Council, on the Board of Governors for The Committee of 200, and is Vice Chairman of the Business Advisory Council for the Northwestern University Transportation Center.  She is a member of the Board of Directors of A.M. Castle & Co., a global distributor of specialty metal and plastic products. A native of Chicago, Ann received her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and her MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University.

Tim Feemster

Sr. Vice President & Director of
Global Logistics - Grubb & Ellis

Over 35 years of experience have provided Tim Feemster with a variety of hands-on problem solving situations in logistics, distribution, and marketing.  Before joining Grubb & Ellis Company, Feemster was a senior manager in three manufacturing companies, a general manager, a consultant, and an executive in two third-party logistics providers.  His responsibilities have included warehouse layout and design, logistics systems development, warehouse network analysis, strategic planning, quality management and private fleet management in the US and internationally.

Ted C. Fishman

Ted C. Fishman's bestselling book China, Inc., How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America and the World, has helped describe for the world the effects of China's momentous change on the lives and businesses of people everywhere.  In addition to its success in America, the book, translated and published in 24 languages, is an international bestseller.

His essays and reports appear in many of the world's most prominent journals, including The New York Times Magazine, USA Today, Harper's, Esquire, INC, and The Times of London, among many others. His commentaries have been featured on Public Radio International's This American Life and American Public Media’s Marketplace.  He has been featured on ABC World News Tonight, NBC’s Today Show, CNN, Fox, NPR, and the BBC. Fishman has testified before Senate and Congressional committees and commissions and consults on China with a wide range of government officials, including some of America’s most influential office holders.  As a public speaker, Fishman has addressed a wide range of audiences around the world, including corporate and trade gatherings, large civic gatherings and universities.

Fishman's writing is noted for taking seemingly vastly complex topics and making them understandable and meaningful for a general audience. Fishman is particularly interested in how big global economic trends bear on people's everyday experience. A former floor trader and member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, he ran his own trading firm until 1992.  Fishman is a graduate of Princeton and in 2007 was a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University.  Fishman is also a faculty director at The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, for which he helps run immersive programs on China for global executives .  He has lived and worked in Japan and Indonesia. He is currently at work on a book about how the changing age demographic of the world will affect the way we raise families, how we work and act as citizens in our communities and the world.

Eric Pitcher

Regional Manager, Economic Development -

BNSF Railway Company

Eric Pitcher manages economic development sales for BNSF RR in the Midwest states of Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Kentucky.  Eric is responsible for location of large distribution and industrial facilities to locations served by the BNSF RR network.

Prior to BNSF RR, Eric managed sales and economic development groups for Fortune 500 energy companies and the State of Illinois.  He received his MBA from the University of Chicago, is a member of the Urban Land Institute and CoreNet, and former president of the Illinois Development Council.

Steven D. Rawleigh
Director, Customer Fulfillment
Alberto-Culver Company

As Director, Customer Fulfillment, Steve is responsible for the ownership of the order cycle for Alberto Culver. In his role, Steve has led the implementation of Vendor Managed Inventory, Transportation Procurement, Distribution (four U.S. DCs), Export, Transportation Planning, Corporate Travel, Inventory Deployment and most recently Demand Planning for his organization. Prior to his current role, Steve was the first director of the consolidated Customer Service Department for Alberto Culver where he instituted a “one-stop shopping environment”. Steve has also held the position of Manager of Credit and A/R for Alberto Culver and similar finance and customer service positions at Helene Curtis from 1985-1992. He earned a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MBA from DePaul's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. He also attended the Center for Creative Leadership's "Developing the Strategic Leader" program. Steve also serves on the board for the National Group Management's Customer Service and Supply Chain Group as well as their Deduction Resolution Group.

Jim Robbins
Director - Illinois Corn Marketers

Jim Robbins is a fourth generation farmer currently farming 3,000 acres in a family partnership with his brother and father raising corn, soybeans and wheat in Manhattan, Illinois. Serving his sixth year, Jim is a member of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board representing the nine northeast counties. As a Corn Marketing Board member, he serves on a state level Industrial committee and the Research Committee on the National Corn Growers Association. As a member of the Corn Marketing Board, Jim had the opportunity to travel to China, Taiwan, and Vietnam in 2005 with the U.S. Grains Council visiting feed mills looking at quality of Dried Distillers Grain (DDG’s) shipped via containers.

Adam D. Roth
Senior Associate -NAI Hiffman

Director - NAI Global Logistics

Adam is a Senior Associate with the Industrial Services Group at NAI Hiffman.  He specializes in industrial real estate including land assemblage and development, building sales, and tenant representation.  Additionally, as a Director of NAI Global Logistics, Adam's focus is providing real estate and supply chain solutions to distribution and warehouse companies throughout the world including corporate relocation, site search analysis, build-to-suit alternatives, acquisition, disposition, and leasing services.

Mr. Roth is a licensed real estate salesperson and is a board member of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and the Warehouse Education and Research Council (WERC).  Adam is also involved with the Association of Industrial Real Estate Brokers (AIRE) and the Young Industrial Brokers (YIB).  In addition, he is currently pursuing the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) accreditation.

Thomas Shurstad

President - Pacer International

Tom began his career working for Burlington Northern as a Switchman and a Conductor and then steadily progressed through various management positions with APL, Southern Pacific Lines, the Belt Railway

Company of Chicago, and MUSB.   In June, 2006 Tom Shurstad was appointed President of Pacer International.  Tom joined Pacer Stacktrain in 2002 and served as President & CEO from January 2002 to May 2006.  Mr. Shurstad holds a BA in Accounting from Western Washington University.

Mara Swan

Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources - Manpower

Mara Swan joined Manpower as Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources in 2005. She is responsible for the organization’s overall HR strategy for its full-time, contract and contingent workforces across 73 countries. In addition, she leads the development of leadership within the Manpower family of companies.  A veteran of the human resources profession, Swan joins Manpower from the Molson Coors Brewing Company where she served as Chief People Officer for its global operations. Prior to her tenure with Molson Coors, she was Human Resources Manager for Miller Brewing Company. Swan holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Buffalo and a master’s degree in industrial relations from the University of Minnesota.

Nick Taro

President - Hudd Distribution Services, Inc.

A Maersk Logistics company responsible for overseeing the operations in North America, which specializes in transload, cross-docking and drayage.

For more information, please contact Nicole Puracchio at (815) 774-6069