About APICS > Press Room > Press Release

For more information, contact:
Mary H. King
Senior Manager, APICS Communications Division
(800) 444-APICS (2742) or (703) 354-8851, ext. 2251

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

APICS 2003 Featured Conference Speakers
Transform Challenges into Opportunities

Alexandria, VA (January 10, 2003) APICS—The Educational Society for Resource Management announces its featured speakers for the 2003 APICS International Conference and Exposition, October 6-9, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The four business executives will offer solutions that will "transform challenges into opportunities," said Karen Alber, 2003 Conference Committee chair.

Lawrence J. Ellison, chairman and CEO, Oracle Corporation; Pat Croce, co-owner, Philadelphia 76ers; Barry J. Gibbons, former Burger King CEO; and Mark Baker, senior vice president, operations, Steelcase, Inc., will headline the four-day program with the theme, "Transform Challenges into Opportunities."

"The 2003 Conference Committee is very pleased about this year's general session speakers who bring a great mix not only in topic and delivery style, but also in areas of expertise. Croce is an engaging motivational speaker with his story to prove it-biker to boardroom, and Ellison's leadership of Oracle exemplifies his intense desire to win," said Alber.

Ellison, who will speak on the future of the technology-enabled supply chain, has served the Oracle Corporation as CEO since he founded the company in 1977. Oracle is the largest software enterprise company with annual sales of more than $10.8 billion offering database, tool, and application products along with related consulting, education, and support services. Ellison demonstrates exceptional leadership skills and has received numerous honors and awards including Entrepreneur of the Year from the Harvard School of Business.

Co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, Croce was featured in Success magazine acknowledging him as the first person to ascend from the training room to the boardroom of a professional sports team. Croce will emphasize the importance of clear communication and a positive attitude that inspired his "Ten Commandments of Customer Service." Using this philosophy, he took the NBA's last-place team and within five years his entrepreneurial spirit led to attendance, revenue, merchandise, and consecutive win records for the franchise that rose from last place to first.

Gibbons, former CEO of Burger King, was named the "Turnaround Champion" by Fortune magazine as a result of his performance during his five years as chairman and CEO, taking the failing company from growing obscurity to global prominence. His maverick business sense and practical experience led to bottom-line success.

Baker, Steelcase senior vice president of operations, will speak about how Steelcase, the world's preeminent designer and manufacturer of products used to create high-performance work environments, has transformed business through user observation techniques.

These executives will be joined on the conference program by the Afterburners, top military fighter pilots, whose seminar team will demonstrate that combat-proven pilot skills can be used to achieve victory in today's business world by using the flawless execution model: plan, brief, execute, and debrief.

In addition to the featured speakers, APICS will present more than 100 educational sessions that address supply chain management, quality management, project management, the theory of constraints, small business, and professional development management issues. Several sessions titled, "Advanced Supply Chain Management: An Interactive Learning Experience," will offer an in-depth look at APICS' advanced supply chain management principles.

The exposition showcases the leaders in software, systems, services, and information technology for e-commerce and c-commerce solutions, supply chain management, MRP/ERP, electronic data collection, planning and scheduling, training, CRM, systems integration, human resources, and business consulting.

For more information regarding the 2003 APICS International Conference and Exposition, visit www.apics.org.

APICS—The Educational Society for Resource Management provides lifelong learning for lifetime success through its certification programs, training tools, and networking opportunities. The society supports nearly 60,000 members in 20,000 manufacturing and service industry companies worldwide. To learn more about the APICS community, visit www.apics.org.

#########

Members of the press receive complimentary registration to the 2003 APICS International Conference and Exposition, October 6-9, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Please contact Michael Nuckols, APICS publications manager, at (800) 444-APICS (2742) or (703) 354-8851, extension 2279, for information regarding press registration.