Best-Selling Author Charles Fishman, Top Researcher John Langley Headline Supply Chain Leadership Forum

Consortium event focuses on benchmarking as starting point for economic recovery

Raleigh, NC, July 13, 2009 -- Charles Fishman, award-winning investigative journalist and author of The Wal-Mart Effect, will give the keynote speech on September 1 during the 2009 Supply Chain Leadership Forum at the InterContinental Chicago O'Hare in Chicago, IL. Fishman is a senior writer with Fast Company magazine and covers the hard-hitting business and supply chain issues that are critical to economic survival.

John Langley, Ph.D., Professor of Supply Chain Management and Director of Supply Chain Executive Programs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, will deliver the forum's closing address on September 2. He will debut results of the 2009 Third-Party Logistics Study: The State of Logistics Outsourcing, revealing the steps that 3PL users and providers are taking to combat today's adverse business environment.

Bruce Tompkins, Director of the Supply Chain Consortium, says that they are thrilled to have Fishman and Langley contribute to the event. "The Leadership Forum brings together some of the best and brightest supply chain executives in the world, and speakers of this caliber can only enhance our interactions on benchmarking and best practices and help attendees further map out their short- and long-term business strategies," Tompkins notes.

Sponsored by the Supply Chain Consortium, the 2009 Leadership Forum offers groundbreaking education and networking opportunities for supply chain professionals. The agenda includes discussion of issues in every component of the supply chain, specialty topics such as direct store delivery, service supply chains, and how to best prepare for economic recovery during a downturn. The event will kick off on August 31 with a networking reception focusing on how to help your company make the most of "The Great Comeback" of the global economy.

"While there are signs that the economy is on the mend, it's been proven that a lot of companies do not have any type of solid recovery plan in place," Tompkins says. "Core benchmarks are the barometer of supply chain success and the key to mapping out a winning recovery strategy."

The 2009 forum is open to members of the Supply Chain Consortium. For companies that are interested in becoming members, there are several tiers of membership available, including a free contributing membership level. To learn more about joining and attending the forum, visit the Consortium website and choose the "new member" option.

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About the Supply Chain Consortium
The Supply Chain Consortium is the premier source for supply chain benchmarking and best practices knowledge. With more than 300 participating retail, manufacturing and wholesale/distribution companies, the Consortium sponsors a comprehensive repository of 17,000-plus benchmarks complemented by search capabilities, online analysis tools, topic forums and peer networking for supply chain executives and practitioners. The Consortium is led by the needs of its membership and an Advisory Board that includes executives from Campbell Soup Company, Hallmark Cards, Hewlett Packard, Ingram Micro, Kraft Foods, Miller-Coors, The Coca-Cola Company, Target, and True Value Hardware. To learn more about how your company can become a member of the Supply Chain Consortium, contact John Foley, 919-855-5461 or visit www.supplychainconsortium.com/new.