On May 1st, 2013, the 2nd Annual West Coast Manufacturing Conference took place in downtown Los Angeles at the Biltmore Hotel and brought together business owners, industry leaders and educators to discuss the manufacturing sector in apparel, consumer products, the future of the manufacturing workforce and aerospace & defense. The event drew Southern California’s private and public companies along with the investment community to share experiences, discuss challenges and opportunities and brainstorm ideas for continued growth in the sector.
The morning commenced with an hour-long breakfast which provided abundant networking opportunities along with an exhibit area that hosted several city organizations and business sponsors. Simultaneously, NACD along with Acacia Wealth Advisors also held their annual pre-conference Corporate Governance Roundtable during the networking session. The viewing of the Sundance Film Festival trailer for “Detropia” led way into Mina Trujillo’s welcoming remarks and official conference introduction. The featured keynote speakers this year included Jim Glassman with J.P. Morgan Chase who gave a presentation on the most current economic outlook in California for the manufacturing sector. Vice Admiral Lou Crenshaw with Grant Thornton presented thoughts on Washington’s sequestration and Vu Pham, Ph.D. with Spectrum Knowledge shared insights on leadership and persuasion.
At 10:30am, attendees had the option to attend expert-led panels in Consumer Products/ Retail or Training the Present & Futures Manufacturing Workforce. In the Consumer Products/ Retail breakout panel, industry executives from thinkThin, Northgate Supermarkets, Chef LaLa Homemade and Intrepid Investment Bankers came together to discuss current trends and the retail landscape. The Workforce panel led by the Centers for Applied Competitive Technologies, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, Space X and Project Lead the Way discussed the direction of the current workforce and the necessary recruitment and training we must act upon to secure America’s future in competitive manufacturing.
The final two breakout sessions focused on Fashion/Apparel and Aerospace and Defense industries.
Panelists from Tokidoki, Charlotte Tarantola, and CFA came together to address the current state of apparel manufacturing in the US. The Aerospace and Defense breakout session were led by representatives from Boeing Defense, Duccommun, Frontier Associates, The Aerospace Corporation and Janes Capital.
The West Coast Manufacturing Conference once again served as a catalyst for a movement which will bring both national and local attention into the economic impact of this vital industry. The conference was produced and presented by Chraft PR, a local public relations, brand marketing and conference production agency.
Click here to enjoy a conference recap featured in Apparel News
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