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AHFA Expands Manufacturing Summit Program
March 5,
2013 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Special Events on March 6, 2013
The American Home Furnishings Alliance has expanded its March 27 manufacturing summit at Mississippi State University's Franklin Furniture Institute.
In addition to the existing program, another panel discussion will bring a broad range of perspectives accelerating manufacturing growth through public/private collaboration.
The panelists for How Collaboration Between the Private Sector and Federal Agencies Can Accelerate Manufacturing Growth" include: Matt Erskine, U.S. Department of Commerce; Doug OBrien, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Earl Gohl, Appalachian Regional Commission; Chris Masingill, Delta Regional Authority; Hassell Franklin, Franklin Corp.; Bruno Policicchio, Max Home Furniture; and David Rumbarger, Community Development Foundation.
The other panel, moderated by Jay Moon of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, Obamacare: Implementation Concerns for Manufacturers, includes panelists Mike Chaney, Mississippi Insurance Department; Rusty Berryhill, Kevin Charles Furniture; Jim Taylor, Huntington Ingalls Inds.; and Pepper Crutcher, Balch & Bingham LLC.
The 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. program also includes: Lessons Learned in the Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index, Jack McDougle, senior vice president, Council on Competitiveness, Washington, D.C.; Consumer Buying Attitudes and Behavior, Nicole Ponder, Mississippi State College of Business; Solutions for Surviving the Skilled Labor Shortage, Bill Renick, Workforce Investment Area Director for Three Rivers Planning and Development District; and Where Are We Now? TB 117-2013 and Prop 65, Bill Perdue, AHFAs Vice President of Regulatory Affairs.
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant is expected to welcome attendees to the March 27 event and share his vision for manufacturing in general and the states furniture industry in particular.
The one-day program is being co-produced by AHFA and the Franklin Furniture Institute on the campus of Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss. Sponsors of the event include CertiPur-US, the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, the Mississippi State University College of Forest Resources and the MSU Extension Service.
Registration is $99 for AHFA members and $139 for non-members, including light morning refreshments and lunch. Registration is available at ahfa.us on the EVENTS page.
AHFAs second Manufacturing Summit is slated for August 22 at the Greensboro, N.C., Airport Embassy Suites. Program details will be announced at a later date.