Material World Announces U.S. Department Of Commerce Panelists For Americas Textile & Apparel Competitiveness Forum

Atlanta, GA - The U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Textile and Apparel (OTEXA) announces the names of the panelists confirmed for the Americas Textile & Apparel Competitiveness Forum - Realizing the Benefits of Western Hemisphere Trade. The forum will take place on Monday, April 7, 2008 at the Miami Beach Convention Center (Hall B) in room B118-119 from 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. The forum is being held in connection with the April 8-10, 2008 edition of Material World Miami Beach.

The forum will be moderated by Matt Priest, who is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles and Apparel at the U.S. Department of Commerce and Chairman of Committee for Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA). This presentation will bring together leading manufacturers, industry associations and regional government entities to discuss topics including: the benefits and challenges of textile and apparel trade within the hemisphere; textile trade policy initiatives and direction, preferential programs and free trade agreements; supply chain, logistics strategies and challenges (speed to market).

Participants confirmed for the Supply Chain, Sourcing and Logistics panel presentation include: Don Hire, director of business development, Crowley Maritime; Mike Todaro, managing director, American Apparel & Producers Network (AAPN); John Strasburger, vice president and managing director, VF Americas Sourcing, Vanity Fair Corporation; and Dan DeYoe, vice president, sourcing and quality assurance, Toys R Us. Also participating in the Manufacturers Panel presentation are: David Garcia Cosio, chairman, Canaintex (Mexico); Jim Chesnutt, president & CEO, National Spinning; Tony Malouf, export manager, Hilos y Telas (Guatemala); and Clara Echeverri, international trade director, InExModa (Colombia).

Admission to the event is free, however attendees must register for the program in advance. Attendees may visit the Material World website, www.material-world.com to pre-register for the trade-only event as well as the forum. Registration for the event will be held on Monday, April 7, 2008 from 3:00-3:30 p.m. Discussions will take place from 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Following the discussion, a reception will be held from 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. to allow further interaction and dialogue.

MATERIAL WORLD/TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS QUICKFACTS:

Hours: Tuesday, April 8: 10 AM - 5 PM
Wednesday, April 9: 10 AM - 5 PM
Thursday, April 10: 10 AM - 3:30 PM

Location: Miami Beach Convention Center, Hall B, Miami Beach, FL USA

SOURCE: Material World