SMU Steel Summit Adds “Fireside Chat” with CRU Executive Chairman

Other aspects of the CRU Group may be less known to SMU readers and to those attending the conference. CRU offers a wide range of steel, metals and fertilizer indices for global clients. The company has offices all over the world from which it produces data and analysis, provides consulting services and hosts conferences on a wide variety of topics.

About Robert Perlman:

Robert Perlman is Executive Chairman of CRU. In 1969, he founded the company, which is now among the leading economic advisory organizations in natural resources. With a network of offices across five continents, CRU employs some 260 staff, mostly consultants and researchers.

Prior to founding CRU, Robert was on the editorial staff of The Economist, focusing mainly on natural resource industries and commodities markets.

Robert has an MA in Economics from Cambridge University and was awarded the Adam Smith Prize. He is joint author of “Resource Conflict in International Relations” published by Oxford University Press for the Royal Institute of International Affairs where he was on the governing council and the finance committee until the 1990s. He chairs the Institute of Archaeo-Metallurgical Studies at University College London, which focuses on the role of metals in the development of civilization.

SMU Expands Steel Summit Conference Transportation Panel

The movement of steel and manufactured goods across North America has been a topic raised to Steel Market Update by just about all the companies that will be attending this year’s conference. We will have three exceptional speakers and advocates for the trucking industry participating in this year’s Transportation Panel.

Gregg Troian, President of PGT Trucking, one of the largest flat rolled carriers of steel in the United States, will speak to what is currently impacting the movement of steel in the North American market and how his company is responding to the challenges they face. Following Gregg will be Rebecca Brewster, President and COO of the American Transportation Research Institute, who will speak on infrastructure bottlenecks, regulations and what the trucking industry is doing now to advocate for its customers. We are also adding an executive with Ryder, one of the largest buyers of semi-tractor trucks in North America, who will speak about what is being done longer term to ease the movement of freight. This includes the “Uber” concept, changes in distribution, electric and autonomous vehicles, and how companies can prepare for change.

SMU Steel Summit Conference Details

There will be plenty to talk about at this year’s SMU Steel Summit Conference, scheduled to begin on Monday, Aug. 27, and to conclude in mid-afternoon Aug. 29. As in the past few years, the home for our conference is the Georgia International Convention Center (www.gicc.com), located adjacent to the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL). The Gateway hotels and convention center are connected to the airport via a free “SkyTrain” that can be located by following the signs for rental cars, which is the second stop on the train after the hotels and convention center.

We are closing in on 650 registrations with 68 days to go. We anticipate total registrations of 750-800 executives involved in manufacturing, steel distribution, steel mills, trading companies, toll processors and those who supply those industries.

The SMU Steel Summit Conference is THE conference for networking with decision-makers and for having THE most relevant program for those who are active participants in the flat rolled and plate steel segments of the industry.

Registration and details about the conference can be found at: www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/Events/Steel-Summit or you can contact our offices at 772-932-7538. Feel free to send any questions/requests you might have to: info@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Hotel Information and Status:

The Gateway Hotels (Marriott Gateway, SpringHill Suites Gateway and Renaissance) room blocks are sold out. There may be some rooms still available, but we no longer have any control over the room rates with those hotels. We do have rooms available at the Atlanta Airport Marriott Hotel, which is located about 1 mile away from the convention center. There will be a shuttle moving people back and forth from the hotel to the convention center for your convenience. There were 93 rooms still available as of late last week. To make a reservation at this hotel, please call: 888-239-1203 and ask for the Steel Market Update room block.