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Leadership Summit keynote speakers to discuss how to navigate the changing market

Compelling and educational keynote addresses covering the vital role of manufacturing in the economy, new technology, and tactics to identify and target new markets and customers will highlight The FABRICATOR®'s Leadership Summit: 7th Annual Metal Matters, Feb. 29-March 2, in Scottsdale, Ariz..

Keynote presentations will be delivered by Donald McNeeley, president and CEO of Chicago Tube and Iron Co, a multimillion-dollar steel company with subsidiaries throughout the U.S.; Jim Hawkins, director of Caterpillar Inc.'s Machine Design Center for construction and mining equipment; and Sarah Miller Caldicott, innovation author and great-grandniece of Thomas Edison.

McNeeley is a former chairman of the Metals Service Center Institute, as well as a professor with two decades of seniority at both DePaul and Northwestern Universities. His keynote, "Political & Economic Realities Coming Home to Roost," on March 1 will identify strategies for today's leaders to navigate the nuances of the changing global market and define the value of manufacturing and its vital role in the economy.

Also on March 1, Hawkins will discuss how, for more than 85 years, Caterpillar has been making sustainable progress possible. His keynote will focus on CAT's general outlook for business, as well as new technologies the company is utilizing.

On March 2 Caldicott will present insights on how today's executives can apply Edison's world-changing innovation methods to build competitive advantage in the global economy. Author of Innovate Like Edison, Caldicott will share Edison's extraordinary approach to identifying new markets, targeting new customers, building new product/service platforms, and transforming customers’ buying experience.

The FABRICATOR's Leadership Summit includes a format of peer- and consultant-facilitated roundtable discussions for attendees to exchange ideas that affect their businesses’ bottom line. Topics include growth and success after the recession, skilled workforce development, new business development, innovation, next-generation leadership, and forming and fabricating technology.

The three-day event is sponsored by the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Intl. (FMA) and the Tube & Pipe Association Intl. (TPA), both of Rockford, Ill.

To register, visit www.fmanet.org/metalmatters or call 888-394-4362. On-site registration also is available at the event.