Jim Carroll to keynote polyurethane conference

LSRUNQI

Jim Carroll to keynote polyurethane conference
% r; h  [1 U* T1 EWednesday, August 24, 2011

8 M" y1 X9 Y9 Y$ C: H( p  B! f3 uWashington, DC - Speakers at the Polyurethanes 2011 Technical Conference will offer their expert insights into the state of the economy and the polyurethanes industry. Hosted by the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), this year’s conference will take place September 26-28 in Nashville, TN. As part of the conference’s opening session, trends and innovation expert Jim Carroll will deliver this year’s keynote address. A leading international futurist, Carroll is widely recognized as a thought leader and authority on global trends, rapid business model change, business transformation during economic uncertainty and the necessity for fast-paced innovation. He is an author, columnist, media commentator and consultant with a focus on linking future trends to innovation and creativity. On the final day of the conference, the closing session will feature Kevin Swift, ACC’s chief staff economist, who will focus on the future of the polyurethanes industry and the broader U.S. and global economies. Swift will explain how larger macroeconomic trends could impact the polyurethanes industry, with a focus on specific end-use markets for polyurethanes. The business of polyurethanes directly generates nearly $22 billion in output and is a key element of the U.S. economy. Employing nearly 220,000 people and operating in more than 650 locations in the country, the industry helps create nearly four indirect jobs for each direct job in the polyurethanes industry. Each year, the industry directly pays approximately $2 billion is wages to U.S. workers. This year’s closing session will unveil the findings from CPI’s biennial end-use market survey. The 2010 End-Use Survey presents historic trends by market segment and identifies new applications and uses. In addition, the survey presents data on product use, opinions on market drivers regulatory and other issues that affect the industry on both a domestic and global scale. IAL Consultants, which collects the data and prepares the report, will present the survey’s findings. -