USIFI announces Outlook Conference 2008: The Power of Innovation

PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 19, 2008 -
Businesses today need innovation to survive, and smart companies are creating a culture of innovation enabling them to engineer products to meet marketplace needs and channel customer trends.

Operating under the theme “Power of Innovation,” the Outlook Conference 2008 has been carefully crafted to reveal the process of innovation in company culture and decision making. Two days of fascinating speakers will share their ideas and insights with business leaders from all walks of the specialty fabrics industry. Outlook will be held May 5-6 at the Grove Park Inn, Asheville, N.C.

The Outlook organizers are proud to present three of the speakers who have championed innovation in their own careers.

William E. Coyne, retired Senior Vice President of Research and Development, 3M, devoted his entire career to innovation. Coyne will speak on “Encouraging and maintaining a culture of innovation.” His long and distinguished experiences at 3M make him uniquely positioned to speak on how to “institutionalize rebellion” and create what couldn’t be done before. Coyne was responsible for 30 technology platforms, and was the senior architect of Research and Development where 3M invested more than $1 billion per year in research. 3M now markets 50,000 products.

Louis J. Foreman, founder and Chief Executive, Enventys, started his company to help other companies bring their ideas into reality. During his presentation, “Results-based innovation,” Foreman will discuss how to develop a habit of innovation. Foreman has created five successful start-up companies, and has participated in the creation of over 10 more. He holds nine registered U.S. patents, and his firm has developed and filed over 150. Foreman is the executive producer for the national PBS program, “Everyday Edisons,” a reality show that takes new inventors through the product creation process. Most recently, he was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez to serve for a three-year term on the nine-person Patent Public Advisory Committee of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The Committee was created by Congress in 1999 to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office on matters relating to the policies, goals, performance, budget, and user frees of the patent operation.

Alasdair Carmichael, President for the Americas, PCI Fibres, will share his market expertise during his presentation, “Global Information for Innovative Decision making.” Carmichael has over 35 years of experience in the synthetic fibers industry, and has been based in Europe, Asia and the U.S. during this time. He joined the PCI Group in 2000, adding to their focus on market research and consulting in the petrochemical industry. Carmichael is a vice president of the Synthetic Yarn & Fiber Association and a past president of the Textured Yarn Association of America.

Every year, leaders in the specialty fabrics industry gather at the Outlook conference to hear respected speakers, network, and discuss important issues, including trade and legislative actions, and innovations in the industry. Download Outlook registration materials at http//www.usifi.com. The Outlook Conference is organized by the United States Industrial Fabrics Institute (USIFI) and the Narrow Fabrics Institute (NFI), both divisions of the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI). http://www.usifi.com, http://www.narrowfabrics.org