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18 PalletCentral • January-February 2016 palletcentral.com undreds of pallet industry leaders have already registered for what is expected to be another record-setting NWPCA Annual Leadership Conference (ALC). This year's conference takes place in Orlando, Florida at the popular Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, from March 2-4, 2016. NWPCA's top-notch education program will cover the wood packaging industry's most relevant and timely topics – providing the "know-how" you need to successfully advance your business. The Exhibitor Showcase (pages 22-23) will feature the latest in products and services for the wood packaging industry that can save you money and increase your business' efficiencies. Throughout this edition of Pallet Central, we bring you a sampling of what to expect for the NWPCA ALC in March that brings to you wood packaging solutions all in one place. Tracking the Economy: This Time is Different As the domestic economic expansion nears its seventh anniversary, the curious shape of this cycle and its deviation from global trends poses both threats and opportunities. Expert economist Scott Clemons, chief investment strategist from Brown Brothers Harriman & Company, will address the current economic environment and the influence of international economies. He will discuss the impact of changing monetary policy on the business environment, and the role that politics might play in all these things. He will conclude with observations about the implications for financial markets and interest rates. But what do all the numbers mean? In a separate session, Scott takes a deeper dive with, "Economic Data: Putting it into Practice," Clemons takes some of the observations from the morning general session and applies them to specific business challenges, while drawing broader observations about the role that macroeconomics can play in business management. Can a business obtain and maintain a competitive advantage through a better understanding of economic and industry trends? How should one go about making sense of the cacophony of data, and how can one identify the trends and data that are relevant? Scott is a Chartered Financial Analyst, and a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and the CFA Institute. He joined BBH in 1990, and has held a variety of investment roles at the firm over the past 25 years. In 2010 he was appointed Chief Investment Strategist, and is today one of the firm's primary writers and speakers on topics related to the economy, financial markets and investing. Scott is a frequent contributor to print and broadcast media. Wood PACKAGING Solutions H The Business, The People, The Products – All In One Place AN ALC PREVIEW