ProMat 2017: Women in the Supply Chain Industry Forum to be held on April 4

Presented by ProMat show sponsor MHI, the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA) and Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management and Education (AWESOME), the Women in the Supply Chain Industry Forum will be held Tuesday afternoon, April 4.

The forum includes lunch, education, discussion and networking, and will be held in room S102BC in McCormick Place’s South Hall. Priced at $99 for MHI and MHEDA members and $119 for non-members, registration also includes a free ticket to MHI’s Industry Night on Wednesday. Pre-registration is required and can be completed as late as Monday, pending availability, online at promatshow.com/women.

Programming throughout the afternoon was driven by the response to the MHI Young Professional Network’s (YPN) education track held last year at Modex 2016, reports Devon Birch, MHI’s director of membership. “The most heavily attended sessions in that track were by far the ones targeted to women,” she reported. “Women are growing in numbers within the supply chain industry, and we wanted to ensure they had a specific opportunity to connect and learn at ProMat.”

That said, men are more than welcome to attend the forum, added Birch. “Men-bashing is not on the agenda. Rather, we’re creating an interactive event to address common issues faced by women in the supply chain force today and to discuss ways to overcome those challenges.”

“MHEDA has already been developing our own programming specific to helping women establish, build and grow careers in the supply chain industry. When MHI offered us the opportunity to participate in the presentation of the Women in the Supply Chain Industry Forum, it fit perfectly with some of the other initiatives and events we have planned as well,” said Rebecca Hein, networking coordinator and meeting planner for MHEDA. “In fact, we’re looking forward to partnering together again for a second event later this fall.”

The event kicks off at noon for registration and check-in, with a networking luncheon beginning at 12:30 p.m. Immediately after a welcome address from the event sponsors and emcee Judy Hoberman, president of Selling in a Skirt, a panel discussion begins at 1:30 p.m.

Moderated by Nancy Nix, executive director of AWESOME, the panel is entitled “How to Influence your Company and the Industry.” From 1:30 to 2:15 p.m., panelists will share personal experiences and advice on how to break down walls within a company and a male-dominated industry. They will address issues facing women today, as well as how they can help themselves and clear the path for next generation of women. Slated to participate are:

• Nancy Nix, (Moderator) executive director, AWESOME
• Shana Relle, global marketing and product management - logistics and material handling, Intralox
• Shari Altergott, corporate director of marketing and business development, Associated & Peach State Integrated Technologies, Inc.
• Cheryl Rossborough, chief financial officer, Ace Industries
• Kelly Furstoss, senior director, warehouse and logistics operations, Glanbia Performance Nutrition
• Holly Busalacki, district sales manager, Komatsu

After a short break, at 2:30 p.m. Hoberman will present “Equal Not Identical,” a talk about how women and men differ, as well as the traits they share, when it comes to their leadership approaches. As a consultant, sales trainer, coach, radio host and author with a 30-year background in sales, Hoberman’s objective is to help both genders embrace their leadership differences and learn to support each other’s successes in a productive and positive way.

“I prefer to talk about the assets, rather than the liabilities, that both men and women bring when they work together. That said, women want to be treated equally, not identically,” she explained. “We want the same opportunities, the same advancement potential, and the same ability to tackle interesting and challenging projects—but we do not want to be treated the same as men.”

While the topic of leadership is often connected to ensuring women have a seat at the table, speak up and negotiate for equal pay, continued Hoberman, “there’s also courage, passion, resilience and generosity—all of those things tied together are what set women apart in a male-dominated industry. And it can be challenging for women to connect with that when they’re in an environment where they have to prove themselves every day.”

That’s what makes communication and education through events such as this forum so critical, she added. “Women have a lot more opportunities today than ever before, but we also have a lot more work to do—especially in a male-dominated industry,” said Hoberman. “Men in supply chain have much more experience, while women have different leadership qualities. Both sides need to share those insights, and look to each other for even better approaches to work than just how it’s always been done.”

Upon the conclusion of Hoberman’s presentation, participants will have engage in roundtable discussions from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. This additional networking opportunity gives attendees a chance to reflect upon the afternoon’s presentations and connect with their peers about business and professional challenges. The forum concludes at 4:30 p.m. after a brief question-and-answer session.

ProMat 2017 is scheduled to be held April 3-6 in Chicago’s McCormick Place. The tradeshow will showcase the latest manufacturing, distribution and supply chain solutions in the material handling and logistics industry. Modern’s complete ProMat 2017 coverage.