SMC³’s 48th Annual Summer Meeting Has Highest Attendance To Date
Key industry topics and speakers cited as major draw
Peachtree City, GA - June 25, 2003 - SMC³, the leading provider of Technology Tools for Transportation®, today announced that its 48th Annual Summer Meeting experienced record attendance levels. The annual conference was held June 18th through 20th at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Each June, the three-day conference incorporates personal and professional development seminars into a well-rounded learning experience for transportation industry professionals. The most recent Summer Meeting took an inside look at key issues facing both shippers and carriers, such as economic and legislative changes, rising insurance rates and threats to security.
“SMC³ strives to make its Summer Meeting one of the most informative meetings in the transportation industry, not only on a business, but also a personal level,” said Jack E. Middleton, president and CEO of SMC³.
“My experience at the SMC³ meeting far exceeded the expectations that I had going in,” said Tom Tappe, marketing analyst for Con-Way Transportation Services (Ann Arbor, MI) and a first-time Summer Meeting attendee. “The speakers were of high quality and the topics applied well to our industry.”
The Summer Meeting officially kicked off with a keynote presentation by Mike Schlappi, the only wheelchair basketball player to compete and earn medals in the past four Olympic Games. Mike inspired attendees through his presentation, “If You Can’t Stand Up, Stand Out,” proving that the best way to predict your future is by creating it. Meeting attendees received a complimentary, autographed copy of Schlappi’s book, Bulletproof Principles for Striking Gold.
The morning sessions continued with two valuable personal development seminars: one, entitled “Multitasking: Good, Bad or Ugly?” and the second, “Applying Technology To Your Life.” SMC³’s multitasking seminar, conducted by Dr. Phillip L. Ackerman, professor of psychology at the Georgia Institute of Technology, demonstrated how to multitask effectively, as well as how to recognize and avoid the symptoms of burnout.Daniel Klaussen, founder of Golden Gate Associates (Arlington, VA), led the special technology workshop that followed, which showed attendees how to apply the latest innovations to their personal and professional life to make it easier, more enjoyable and productive.
The Honorable Roger Nober, chairman of the Surface Transportation Board and the meeting’s special guest speaker, expressed his long-held view that classification making and the establishment of a baseline of class rates for competitive ratemaking purposes may not require antitrust immunity. Nevertheless, Chairman Nober acknowledged the importance of antitrust immunity to carrier participation in those collective activities. He also agreed that collective ratemaking activities serve a useful purpose as a pricing baseline and aid small- and medium-sized carriers in their competitive pricing efforts.
The future of energy was a key industry topic discussed by Dr. Michael J. Economides, professor of chemical engineering at the University of Houston. Economides spoke about how the Middle East factors into the world oil supply, and discussed the difficulty and importance of managing oil production in postwar Iraq. He went on to cover the worldwide energy mix forecast from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Another industry expert, James Millar, senior vice president of Wachovia Insurance Services (Wayne, NJ), covered insurance and risk programs for the transportation industry. Millar emphasized the importance of understanding “total cost of risk”, or TCOR, and its role in the current insurance market. A claims management discussion centered on roles of the insurance company, third-party administrator, motor carrier administration and personnel, and covered on-site investigation abilities, systems, and result quantification.
Donald Ratajczak, Ph.D., renowned economist and CEO of Atlanta-based BrainWorks Ventures, presented his economic forecast for the remainder of the year and also took a look ahead into 2004. Ratajczak’s presentation focused on the specific informational needs of the shipper and carrier.
Also presenting with both the shipper and carrier in mind, John Bagileo, principal of The Law Firm of John R. Bagileo (Washington, DC), outlined the latest legislative initiatives as well as future legislation that will affect the transportation industry.
The Summer Meeting is also host to SMC³’s General Rate Committee (GRC). At its May 21, 2003, GRC meeting, SMC³ presented the results of specific economic data collected from its carrier members, the LTL (less-than-truckload) industry and other data sources used in developing SMC³’s Carrier Cost Index (CCI). SMC³ then held a public GRC hearing, attended by carriers, shippers and other members of the transportation community, on June 18th and 20th in St. Petersburg, FL.
The 49th annual Summer Meeting is scheduled to take place in Williamsburg, VA, June 16th through 18th, 2004. SMC³ also has an annual Winter Meeting; the next Winter Meeting will be held in Atlanta, GA, January 19th through 21st, 2004. For more information about SMC³ and its annual meetings, visit www.smc3.com or call 1-800-845-8090.
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About SMC³
Founded in 1935, SMC³ has become a leading provider of Technology Tools for Transportation®. SMC³ enables its customers to achieve greater success in the marketplace by supplying advanced technology tools, superior data management services and smart processes that ensure the accurate and timely availability of pricing information throughout the transportation community.
SMC³ presently serves more than 5,000 customers throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The company is headquartered in Peachtree City, Georgia, and has a satellite office in Louisville, Kentucky.