AFHA Finance Meeting Set For June In Myrtle Beach

Furniture World Magazine

A broad-based program touching on the economy, China, management issues, trends in information technology and global logistics is planned for home furnishings industry executives June 14-16 at the oceanfront Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The event is sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance and is open to all home furnishings companies. Dr. Albert Keidel, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a widely-recognized expert on issues relating to China’s economic system reforms and regional development, opens the program with an overview of China’s economic and financial prospects. Keidel, who earlier this year presented testimony before Congress on the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue, will review China’s remarkable economic record – both domestically and globally – but will also examine future possible patterns for China’s economy and how these might impact the United States. Keidel joined the Carnegie Endowment in 2004 after serving as deputy director of the Office of East Asian Nations at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Before joining the Treasury Department, he covered economic trends, system reforms, poverty and country risk as a senior economist in the World Bank office in Beijing. He holds a bachelor of arts from Princeton and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. Also on the agenda are Jack Cathey, Ph.D., CPA, from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte Department of Accounting, and Brian Allison, a technology industry consultant. Together they will present a session on current trends in information technology. They will address the interrelated topics of microcomputer technology developments and enterprise technology developments. A panel of industry executives is slated to address the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program, more commonly known as C-TPAT. Panelists include Rob Pisani, an international trade lawyer with over 25 years of government and industry experience; Bill Geib, director of logistics for Schnadig Corp.; Jim Chase, director of logistics for Hooker Furniture; and Cam Smith, director of logistics at Klaussner Furniture. These executives will discuss how to gain management support for joining C-TPAT and the costs associated with supply chain security and C-TPAT membership. Addressing the important issue of obstacles to U.S. competitiveness will be Jeremy Leonard, economic consultant for the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Inc., a business research organization located in Arlington, Va. Leonard will examine the degree to which nonproduction costs, such as health care, taxes, litigation and regulatory compliance, are eroding the competitive edge of America’s factories relative to developed and emerging trading partners. The two-day meeting also includes a session on how to build a stronger management team facilitated by Dave Allison of Allison & Associates. The Finance Meeting will open with a reception the evening of June 14. Business sessions will run from 8 a.m. to noon on June 15, followed by an optional golf outing at Arcadian Shores. The June 16 sessions are slated from 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. For hotel accommodations, call the Hilton Myrtle Beach resort directly at 843/449-5000 and mention the group code “AHF.” The cutoff date for reservations at the discounted group rate of $175 per night is May 15. Registration is $425 for AHFA members and $600 for non-members. The golf outing is an additional $62 per golfer. A complete agenda, as well as online registration forms, can be found at www.ahfa.us. Click on EVENTS, then “Finance Meeting.” AHFA is registered with the North Carolina State Board of CPA Examiners, as well as with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, as a sponsor of continuing professional education. CPE credit information for this conference is available in the registration form found online at www.ahfa.us. More information on the Annual Finance Meeting also is available by calling 336/884-5000, ext. 100.