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BAC Meeting Archive

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2023

Fall 2023 Meeting - November 8-9, 2023

Industry Technical Workshop

Digital Supply Chain Support Systems

Date: Wednesday, November 8, 2023 
Location: Kellogg Global Hub Rm 1130 -2211 Campus Drive Evanston, IL

Moses Lecture

Fulfilling John Hayford’s Legacy: Moving Economics Toward a New Way to Value Infrastructure

Date: Wednesday, November 8, 2023
Location: Kellogg Global Hub (White Auditorium) - 2211 Campus Drive Evanston, IL 

Featured Speaker: Patrick T. Harker,  Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, November 9, 2023
Location: Chambers Hall, 600 Fister St, Evanston, IL

 

7:30 am            Continental Breakfast

8:00 am            Call to Order – BAC Chair Jeff Silver presiding                

8:05 am            Welcome from the University – Dean Christopher Schuh

8:20 am            Director’s Report – Hani Mahmassani

8:40 am            BAC Membership:    New Member Introductions  

8:45 am          Presentation – “Regulatory and Economic Update on the $900B US Trucking Market”Andrew Boyle, Co-President, Boyle Transportation; Chairman, American Trucking Associations

9:15 am          Presentation – “Comparable” Analysis in CBA Bargaining: Experience from PEB 250”

  • Jesse David, Partner, Edgeworth Economics

 9:45 am        NUTC ARPA-E Research Update – Rail and Intermodal

Northwestern University Freight Rail Infrastructure & Energy Network Decarbonization  (NUFRIEND) Dashboard – an update

  • Adrian Hernandez, Doctoral researcher, Northwestern University
    IMAGINED: Inter Modal Analytics for Green Infrastructure Network Energy Decarbonization
    Hani Mahmassani, NUTC director, Northwestern University

10:00 am          Break

10:30 am        Panel – Sourcing and Supply Chains

  • Moderator - Pat Nolan, Vice President, North America, CH Robinson
    Dustin Burke, Managing Director & Senior Partner; Global Co-Leader of Manufacturing and Supply Chain, Boston Consulting Group
    Rakhi Handa, Industry Consultant
    David Stone, Senior Director, Fulfillment Separation and Strategy, Baxter International Inc. 

11:45 am        Faculty Presentation – “Teams in the Digital Workplace: Technology’s Role for Communication, Collaboration, and Performance”

  • Noshir Contractor, Jane S. & William J. White Professor of Behavioral Sciences, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern

12:15 pm          Introduction of Students

12:30 pm          Adjournment and Lunch

 

Spring 2023 Meeting - April 26-27, 2023

Industry Technical Workshop

Innovations in Last Mile Delivery 

Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2023 
Location: Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center (The Hive)  -2133 Sheridan Rd Evanston, IL

Patterson Lecture

Technology in Transportation and Logistics - Past, Present and Future

Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Location: Walter Athletics Center Auditorium - 2255 Campus Drive Evanston, IL 

Featured Speaker: Doug Waggoner, Echo Global Logistics 

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, April 27, 2023
Location: Chambers Hall, 600 Fister St, Evanston, IL

 

7:30 am            Continental Breakfast

8:00 am            Call to Order – BAC Chair Jeff Silver presiding                

8:05 am            Welcome from the University – Provost Kathleen Hagerty 

8:20 am            Director’s Report – Hani Mahmassani

8:40 am            BAC Membership:    New Member Introductions  

8:45 am            Panel – Rail Safety – Current Trends and Issues

  • Moderator: Roger Nober, Principal, Salten Point Consulting and former BNSF EVP & STB Chairman
  • Herman Crosson, Chief Safety and Compliance Officer, Anacostia Rail Holdings
  • Matt Igoe, Executive Vice President & Chief Operations Officer, BNSF Railway
  • Larry Jordan, CEO, Wi-Tronix, LLC
  • Brenda Moscoso, Assistant Vice President, Safety Policy and Analysis, AAR

 10:00 am          Presentation – “Cybersecurity in Transportation and Logistics”

  • S. Subrahmanian, Walter P. Murphy Professor, Department of Computer Science, Northwestern

 10:30 am          Break

11:00 am          Presentation and Group Discussion – Inflation and Macroeconomic Trends

  • Sergio Rebelo, Tokai Bank Distinguished Professor of International Finance, Kellogg School of Management

11:45 am          Presentation – “What is the big deal about Al?”

  • Kristian J. Hammond, Bill and Cathy Osborn Professor of Computer Science, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

12:15 pm          Introduction of Students

12:30 pm          Adjournment and Lunch

 

2022

Fall 2022 Meeting - November 16-17, 2022

Industry Technical Workshop

Visibility Through the Supply Chain: Technologies and Best Practices

Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Location: Kellogg Global Hub (RM L120) -2211 Campus Drive Evanston, IL

Fall 2022 Distingushed Lecture 

How Public Policy Affects Freight Capacity - Lessons Learned From the Public and Private Sectors 

Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2022
Location: Kellogg Global Hub  -2211 Campus Drive Evanston, IL

Featured Speaker: Roger Nober, BNSF 

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, November 17, 2022
Location: Chambers Hall, 600 Fister St, Evanston, IL

 

7:30 am            Continental Breakfast

 

8:00 am            Call to Order – BAC Chair Jeff Silver, CEO, Mastery Logistics Systems    

 

8:05 am            Welcome from the University – Dean Julio Ottino, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

 

8:15 am            Milan Mrksich, Vice President for Research, Northwestern University

 

8:30 am            Director’s Report – Hani Mahmassani

 

8:55 am            BAC Membership:    New Member Introductions  

 

9:00 am            Panel – Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) as a Data Sharing Model for Logistics

  • Moderator: Jeff Silver, CEO, Mastery Logistics Systems
  • Jason Craig, Director of Government Affairs, C.H. Robinson
  • Jennifer McNeill, Vice President, Logistics, True Value Company
  • Roger Nober, EVP & Chief Legal Officer, BNSF Railway
  • Andrew Petrisin, Supply Chain Advisor, US Department of Transportation*
  • Gene Seroka, Executive Director, Port of Los Angeles

 

10:15 am          Break

 

10:45 am          Presentation – Northwestern University Freight Rail Infrastructure & Energy Network Decarbonization (NUFRIEND)

  • Adrian Hernandez, D. Candidate, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Northwestern
  • Max Ng, D. Candidate, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Northwestern

 

11:00 am          Presentation – Labor, Where are the Workers?

  • Neil Collins, Regional Market Leader, Global Industrial Market, Korn Ferry

 

11:30 am          Panel – To What Extent is Sustainability Affecting Strategy and Operational Decisions

  • Moderator: Klaus Weber, Thomas G. Ayers Chair in Energy Resource Management, Professor of Management & Organizations, Kellogg School of Management
  • Suresh Krishna, CEO, Northern Tool + Equipment
  • Christine Landmeier, Director of Environmental Sustainability, Operations, United Airlines
  • Doug Waggoner, CEO, Echo Global Logistics

 

12:30 pm          Introduction of Students

 

12:45 pm          Adjournment and Lunch

 

* Pre-recorded introduction

Spring 2022 Meeting - May 4-5, 2022

Industry Technical Workshop

Rethinking  Revenue Management Post Pandemic in the Travel and Transportation Industries 

Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Location: Walter Athletics Center Auditorium -2255 Campus Drive Evanston, IL

Patterson Lecture 

Leadership and Air Travel Through the Pandemic and Beyond 

Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Location: Walter Athletics Center Auditorium -2255 Campus Drive Evanston, IL
Featured Speaker: Ed Bastian, Delta Air Lines 

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, May 5, 2022
Location: Chambers Hall, 600 Fister St, Evanston, IL

Call to Order - BAC Chair Jeff Silver presiding
Welcome from the University
Dean Julio Ottino, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied ScienceAnnelise Riles, Executive Director, Northwestern Roberta Buffett Institute on Global Affairs
Dean Julio Ottino – Book Presentation
“The Nexus: Augmented Thinking for a Complex World--The New Convergence of Art, Technology, and Science” 
Director’s Report & Discussion
Hani Mahmassani - Director, NUTC/ Patterson Transportation Chair 

BAC Membership: New Member Introductions 
Session 1: Panel – Ports, Ocean Shipping and Global Supply Chain
Moderator: Joseph Schofer, Professor Emeritus of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Brandy D. Christian, President and CEO, Port of New Orleans 
Steven Rothberg, Founding Partner, Mercator InternationalGene Seroka, Executive Director, Port of Los Angeles
Session 2: Presentation - “Did the pandemic change shopping habits at retail stores?
Sunil Chopra, Deputy Dean, IBM Professor of Operations Management and InformationSystems, Kellogg School of Management
Session 3: Presentation – “Commodity Prices and the Economy” 
Sergio Rebelo, MUFG Bank Distinguished Professor of International Finance; Professor ofFinance, Kellogg School of Management
Session 4: Panel – Decarbonization – Perspectives from Air, Rail and Trucking
Moderator: Jennifer Dunn, Associate Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering;Associate Director, Center for Engineering Sustainability and Resilience, Northwestern
Craig Harper, Chief Sustainability Officer, JB Hunt Transport
John Lovenburg, Vice President, Environment & Sustainability, BNSF Railway
Dan McNair, Senior Director - New Products and Technology, WabtecIntroduction of Students 

2021

Fall 2021 Meeting - November 17-18, 2021

Industry Technical Workshop

Advancing Urban Air Mobility
Date: Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Location: Kellog Global Hub |Room 1430| 2211 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL

Patterson Lecture

Date: Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Location: White Auditorium, Kellogg Global Hub, Evanston
Featured Speaker: Ann Drake, Head of Uber Freight

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, November 18, 2021
Location: Chambers Hall | 600 Foster St, Evanston, IL
 
Meeting Summary:
Call to Order – BAC Chair Jeff Silver presiding    

Introduction of Provost Hagerty – Dean Julio Ottino, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

Welcome from the University – Provost Kathleen Hagerty  

Director’s Report – Hani Mahmassani, NUTC Director/ Patterson Transportation Chair

BAC Membership:    New Member Introductions   

Session 1a – The Data Will Set You Free – Global Supply Chain Insights
Moderator: Chris Pickett, Flock Frieght
John Fitzgerald, VP Business Development, project44
Priya Rajagopalan, Chief Product Officer, FourKites
 
Session 1b – Global Supply Chain Challenges – The Shippers Perspective
Moderator: Chris Pickett, Flock Freight
Sean Barbour, VP Supply Chain, Macy’s
Shaun Bunch, SVP Supply Chain, Northern Tool + Equipment
Elsy Ocejo, Director of Supply Chain and Sourcing Optimization, Bimbo Bakeries USA
Bill Seliger, Sr. Manager, Program Management, Amazon

Presentation - Future of Work Survey Results
Amanda Stathopoulos, William A. Patterson Junior Professorship Chair; Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Session 2 - Industrial Real Estate and the Evolving Supply Chain
Moderator: Justin Zubrod, Justin Zubrod &Company, LLC
Matt Mullarkey, SVP, Strategic Projects & Planning, CenterPoint Properties
Keith Stauber, Managing Director, Jones Lang LaSalle


Spring 2021 Meeting - June 16-17, 2021

Industry Technical Workshop

Transportation Electricfication at Scale

Date: Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Location: DoubleTree Hotel, Skokie, IL

After Dinner Speaker

The State of the Economy and Logistics

Date: Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Location: DoubleTree Hotel, Skokie, IL
Featured Speaker: Dr. Robert Martinez,

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, June 17, 2021
Location: DoubleTree Hotel, Skokie, IL

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments (BAC Chair Emeritus presiding)
Justin Zubrod - Justin Zubrod & Co.

Welcome to Northwestern University
Julio Ottino - Dean, McCormick School of Engineering, NU

Director’s Report & Discussion
Hani S. Mahmassani – Director, NUTC / Patterson Transportation Chair

BAC Membership:New Member Introductions

  • Mark Baxa,CSCMP
  • Shaun Bunch, Northern Tool + Equipment
  • John Friedmann, Norfolk Southern
  • Brendan Keegan, Merchants Fleet
  • Ben Nimmergut, The Boeing Company
  • Mike O'Malley, DCLI
  • Tom Sanderson, The Boeing Company

Session 1: Panel: Cold Chain Lessons Learned During COVID-19Moderator
Karen Smilowitz (Moderator) - Professor, Northwestern
Andrew Boyle - Boyle Transportation
Chris Duggar, MPH - US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Manu Jacobs - United Cargo
Captain Joseph W. Parran, II - Countermeasures Acceleration Group (CAG)
Todd Snyder - UPS Healthcare

Session 2:
Demonstration: NUTC Vaccine Logistics Dashboard
Sharika Hegde - PhD student, Northwestern
Hani S. Mahmassani – Director, NUTC

Session 3:
Presentation: The Next Normal for Teaming: Transitioning Out of COVID-19
Noshir Contractor - Professor, Northwestern

Session 4: Panel: Rebalancing the Global Supply Chain Network
Hani S. Mahmassani (moderator) - Director, NUTC
Friedmann - Norfolk Southern
Ed McCarthy - Georgia Ports Authority
John McLaurin - Pacific Marine Shipping Association
Shelley Simpson - JB Hunt Transport

Transportation Student Introductions

Lunch with Transportation Students

2020


Spring Meeting - July 21 & 23, 2020

BAC Meeting

Date: July 21 & 23, 2020
Location: Zoom Meeting

Meeting Summary:

Day 1: July 21, 2020

Call to Order: BAC Chair presiding - Jeff Silver - CEO, Mastery Logistics Systems

  • Welcome to Northwestern University - Introduction: Milan Mrksich, VP of Research / Julio Ottino - Dean, McCormick School of Engineering
  • Northwestern University’s Research Enterprise - Milan Mrksich, VP of Research
  • Director’s Report & Discussion - Hani S. Mahmassani - Director, NUTC / Patterson Transportation Chair
  • BAC Membership: New Member Introductions

Session 1: BAC Member Super Panel: State of the Supply Chain

  • Moderator: Hani S. Mahmassani
  • Andrew Boyle - Co-President, Boyle Transportation
  • Shawn McWhorter - President (Americas Region), Nippon Cargo Airlines
  • Roger Nober - EVP, Law & Corporate Affairs/ CLO, BNSF Railway
  • Gene Seroka - Executive Director, Port of Los Angeles
  • Doug Waggoner - CEO, Echo Global Logistics

Day 2: July 23, 2020

Call to Order: BAC Chair presiding - Jeff Silver - CEO, Mastery Logistics Systems

  • Presentation: Sharpening the Spear: Five Strategies for Winning in the Post-COVID World
    Mohanbir Sawhney - McCormick Foundation Tech Chair / Professor, Kellogg
  • Presentation: Conversation with Joe Metzger - SVP, Transportation, Walmart

Session 2: Panel Discussion: Outlook for Private Equity and Venture Capital Transactions in Transportation and Logistics

  • Moderator: Justin Zubrod - Managing Partner, Justin Zubrod & Co.
  • L. Price Blackford - Managing Director, Scott-Macon Ltd
  • Jake Medwell - Founding Partner, 8VC
  • Michael Weiss - Managing Partner, Greenbriar Equity Group LP

Fall Meeting - November 18 & 19, 2020

Industry Technical Workshop

"Advancing Freight Automation"

Date: November 17, 2020
Location: Zoom Meeting

 

BAC Meeting

Date: November 18 & 19, 2020
Location: Zoom Meeting

Meeting Summary:

Day 1: November 18, 2020

Call to Order: BAC Chair presiding - Jeff Silver - CEO, Mastery Logistics Systems
  • Welcome from Northwestern University - Julio Ottino - Dean, McCormick School of Engineering
  • Director’s Report - Hani S. Mahmassani - Director, NUTC / Patterson Transportation Chair
  • BAC Membership: New Member Introductions
Panel Session 1: COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution & Logistics
  • Moderator: Hani S. Mahmassani
  • Andrew Boyle - Co-President, Boyle Transportation
  • Mike Douma – VP, Global Supply Chain, AbbVie
  • Rob Murphy – MD, Professor of Medicine & Biomedical Engineering; Executive Director, Institute for Global Health; John P. Phair Professor of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern
  • David K. Robinson – PhD, Deputy Director, CMC Vaccines Development & Surveillance, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Bala Sreenivasan – VP, Global Supply Chain Operations, Merck

Day 2: November 19, 2020

Call to Order: BAC Chair presiding - Jeff Silver - CEO, Mastery Logistics Systems

Panel Session 2: State of the Supply Chain

  • Moderator: Jeff Silver
  • Farrukh Bezar – SVP & CSO, CSX Transportation
  • Ben McLean – CEO, Ruan Transportation Management Systems
  • Doug Waggoner – CEO, Echo Global Logistics
  • Phil Yeager – President & COO, Hub Group

Panel Session 3: Managing through Disruptions – Conversation with the Airlines

  • Moderator: Hani S. Mahmassani
  • Adam Decaire – VP, Network Planning, Southwest Airlines
  • Mark Drusch – SVP, Revenue Management & Strategic Partnerships, Qatar Airways
  • Ankit Gupta – VP, Domestic Network Planning & Scheduling, United Airlines
  • Jessica Tyler – President Cargo & VP Airport Excellence, American Airlines
  • Khalid Usman – SVP, Oliver Wyman

 

 

2019


Spring Meeting - May 15 & 16, 2019

Industry Technical Workshop

Feeding First to Last Mile Demands for Faster(er) Food Delivery

Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Location: Hilton Orrington Hotel, Evanston

Patterson Lecture

Uberizing Logistics and the Future of Freight

Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Location: Lutkin Hall, Evanston
Featured Speaker: Lior Ron, Head of Uber Freight

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, May 16, 2019
Location: NUTC - Chambers Hall, Evanston

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments (BAC Chair presiding)
Jeff Silver - Co-Founder, Coyote, A UPS Company

Welcome to Northwestern University
Julio Ottino - Dean, McCormick School of Engineering, NU

Northwestern Research Enterprise
Jay Walsh - Vice President for Research, NU

Director’s Report & Discussion
Hani S. Mahmassani – Director, NUTC / Patterson Transportation Chair

BAC Membership:
New Member Introductions

Session 1:
Growth, Efficiency and Rail Service in an Uncertain Trade Environment
Patrick Lortie (Moderator) – Partner, Global Transportation Practice, Oliver Wyman
Eugene D. Seroka (Featured Speaker) – Executive Director, Port of Los Angeles
Roger Nober – Executive VP, Law & Corporate Affairs / CLO, BNSF Railway
Krishna C. Jha – Executive Vice President, Optym

Networking Break

Session 2:
Software, Automation & Trust
Kristian J. Hammond (Moderator) – Professor, Computer Science, NU
Nicholas Diakopoulos – Assistant Professor, Communication & Computer Science, NU
Daniel W. Linna Jr. – Visiting Professor of Law, NU
Todd D. Murphey – Professor, Mechanical Engineering, NU

Session 3: Beyond the Hype: Advancing Technology Adoption in Transportation / Logistics
Cliff J. Porzenheim (Moderator) – Chief Operating Officer, FarmLogix LLC
Kevin Glynn – Chief Information Officer, DSC Logistics
Zach Jecklin – Vice President of Strategy, Echo Global Logistics
Jim Monkmeyer - President of Transportation, North America, DHL Supply Chain

Closing Comments & Meeting Adjournment
Transportation Student Introductions
Lunch with Transportation Students

Fall Meeting - November 12 & 13, 2019

Industry Technical Workshop

Virtual Reality in Transport Innovation

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019
Location: Cahn Auditorium, Evanston

 

Leon Moses Lecture

ATTEND! CONSIDER! DECIDE! What Planners and Machines Must Learn to Predict Travel Behavior

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019
Location: Lutkin Memorial Hall, Evanston
Featured Speaker: Professor Daniel McFadden

 

BAC Meeting

Date: Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019
Location: NUTC - Chambers Hall, Evanston

Meeting Summary:

  • Continental Breakfast
  • Call to Order: Justin Zubrod - Managing Partner, Justin Zubrod & Co.
  • Welcome to Northwestern University: Julio Ottino - Dean, McCormick School of Engineering
  • Director’s Report & Discussion: Hani S. Mahmassani - Director, NUTC / Patterson Chair
  • BAC Membership: New Member Introductions
Session 1: Ocean Shipping - Issues Impacting Domestic Supply Chains
Moderator: John Bowe - Principal, American Maritime Group LLC
  • Richard Craig - VP of Business Development, NACPC
  • Michael Murphy - CDO, CenterPoint Properties
  • Steven Rothberg - Founding Partner, Mercator International
Networking Break

Session 2: Digital Freight Marketplaces 2.0 – What’s New This Time?
Moderator: Jodi Navta - CMO, MoLo Solutions
  • Erik Malin - VP of Operations Strategy, Loadsmart
  • Pat Nolan - VP, North America, CH Robinson
  • Shelley Simpson - EVP, CCO, President, Highway Services, JB Hunt
  • Jim Vrtis - Chief Innovation Officer, Truckstop.com
Session 3: Minding the Store: Changes in the Retailing Industry
Moderator: Steven Keith Platt - Adjunct Professor, NU
  • John Albright - VP of Development, Starwood Retail Partners LLC
  • Sean Barbour - Sen. Dir., Sup. Chain & Dev., Walgreens Boots Alliance
  • Laura Sardegna - Head of Industry for Retail, Google
  • David Weiss - Partner, McMillanDoolittle

Meeting Adjournment

  • Transportation Student Introductions
  • Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

 

 

2018


Spring Meeting - May 2 & 3, 2018

Industry Technical Workshop

Freight by Air: Riding the Wings of Change

Date: Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Location: Hilton Orrington/Evanston


Patterson Lecture

The sky's no limit: Boeing and the future of space exploration

Date: Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Location: Lutkin Hall, Evanston
Featured Speaker: Dennis A. Muilenburg - Chairman, President & CEO, The Boeing Company

BAC Meeting

Date: Wednesday, May 3, 2018
Location: NUTC - Chambers Hall, Evanston

Meeting Summary:
  • Call to Order & Opening Comments, BAC Chair Jeff Silver presiding
  • Welcome from the University, Dean Julio Ottino, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Director’s Report, Hani Mahmassani
  • BAC Membership, New Member Introductions  
Session 1: Cryptocurrency and Transportation: Simple Decryption Session 2: Electric Trucking and Automation: Ramping up the Voltage

Session 3: National Infrastructure Plan: Road to DC is Paved with Good Intentions

Meeting Adjournment

Introduction of the Transportation Students

Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

Fall Meeting - November 7 & 8, 2018

Industry Technical Workshop

Connect / Carry / Conquer: Innovative Practices in Freight Process Management

Date: Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Location: Norris University Center, Evanston

Featured Speaker

The Future is Here: A Conversation with Brad Keywell

Date: Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Location: Harris Hall, Evanston
Featured Speaker: Brad Keywell, CEO & Founder of Uptake

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, November 8, 2018
Location: NUTC - Chambers Hall, Evanston

Meeting Summary:

  • Call to Order & Opening Comments, Former BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding
  • Welcome from the University, Dean Julio Ottino, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Northwestern Research Enterprise – Jay Walsh, Vice President for Research
  • Director’s Report, Hani Mahmassani
  • BAC Membership, New Member Introductions  

Session 1: Intermodal Moves: Looking to 2019 and Beyond

  • Moderator:  Barbara Wilson, President, Wells Fargo Rail
  • Featured Speaker: Larry Gross, President, Gross Transportation Consulting
  • Dan McLaughlin, Assistant Vice President - Premium Marketing, Union Pacific Railroad
  • Michael Zamost, Vice President of Intermodal, Vice President of Carrier Solutions, Echo Global Logistics

Session 2: Featured Northwestern Faculty Presentation

  • Kristian J. Hammond, Professor, Computer Science, CS Plus X, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
    • Bringing AI into the Enterprise - Navigating the promise and dangers of the new technologies of intelligence

Feature: Introduction of New Northwestern Faculty Member  

Session 3: When Things Go Wrong:  Managing Disruptions

Meeting Adjournment

Introduction of the Transportation Students

Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

2017


Spring Meeting - May 3 & 4, 2017

Industry Technical Workshop

Bridging the Future: Innovation in Large-Scale Infrastructure Development

Date: Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Location: James Allen Center, Evanston

Patterson Lecture

Connecting People, Creating A Better Future—Why International Trade Benefits America

Date: Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Location: James Allen Center, Evanston
Featured Speaker: Lance Fritz - Chairman, President & CEO, Union Pacific

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, May 4, 2017
Location: Ford Design Center - 2133 Sheridan Rd, Evanston - 2nd Floor - ITW Room

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments: BAC Chair Jeff Silver presiding

Welcome from the University: Richard M. Lueptow, Senior Associate Dean for Operations and Research, McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science

Director's Report: Hani Mahmassani, Director of NUTC

BAC Membership: New Member Introductions

Session: The Great Recession, Macroeconomic Earthquakes, and the Current State of Domestic and International Trade

  • Featured Speaker: Lawrence Christiano, Alfred W. Chase Professor; Chair, Department of Economics, Northwestern University 

Panel Discussion on Trade:

Presentation: Infrastructure & Inclusive Growth: Overcoming Discordant Development

  • Professor Richard Joseph, John Evans Professor of International History and Politics; Faculty Affiliate, Buffett Center of International and Comparative Studies; Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

Panel Session: Blockchain Technology: What is It and Why Do You Need to Know?

  • Moderator: Keith Dierkx, Global Industry Leader, Rail & Director, IBM Global Rail Innovation Center, IBM Corporation

  • Moran Cerf, Professor of Strategy, Kellogg School of Management

  • Sebastian de Meel, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Advisory, LLC

  • Srinivasan Sriram, Founder & CEO, Skuchain

Presentation: IFM - Intelligent Flying Machines for Automated Indoor Data Capture

NUTC Fundraising Campaign Update - Paul Schneider

Closing Comments & Meeting Adjournment

Introduction of the Transportation Students

Optional - Informal walking tour of Ford Design Center

Afternoon Festivities

Location: Technological Institute - 2145 Sheridan Rd, Evanston - 4th Floor - Cohen Commons

Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

Fall Meeting - October 18 & 19, 2017

Industry Technical Workshop

Making the Customer Happy: Innovation & Best Practices

Date: Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Location: James Allen Center, Evanston 

Leon Moses Lecture

Outlook for the US Economy: Is this as good as it gets?

Date: Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Location: James Allen Center, Evanston
Featured Speaker: Martin Eichenbaum - Charles Moskos Professor of Economics, Northwestern

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, October, 19, 2017
Location: NUTC - Chambers Hall, Evanston

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments: BAC Chair Jeff Silver presiding

Introduction of Provost Holloway: Dean Julio Ottino

Director's Report: Hani Mahmassani, Director of NUTC [presentation] 

BAC Membership: New Member Introductions

Session 1: Automation in Transportation & Logistics

Presentation A: The Sentient Enterprise

Session 2: Digitalization & Cybersecurity

Presentation B: Hurricane Harvey's Marine Supply Chain Disruption—Exercising Business Continuity in a Post Storm Environment

NUTC Fundraising Campaign Update

Closing Comments & Meeting Adjournment

Introduction of the Transportation Students

Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

2016


Spring Meeting - April 20 & 21, 2016

Industry Technical Workshop

BioLogistics in a Changing Healthcare World

Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Location: James L. Allen Center - 2169 Campus Drive, Evanston

Patterson Lecture

No Excuses: Technology and Culture Meet a New Era of Expectation

Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Location:
OLC Forum, Donald P. Jacobs Center - 2001 Sheridan Road, Evanston
Featured Speaker: Jeff Silver - CEO, Coyote, A UPS Company

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, April 21, 2016
Location: NUTC - Chambers Hall, Evanston

Meeting Summary:

  • Call to Order & Opening Comments – BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding
  • Welcome from the University
  • Passing of the Gavel – Introduction of New BAC Chair, Jeff Silver
  • Director's Report: Hani Mahmassani - followed by discussion
  • BAC Membership: New Member introductions

The Changing Environment for Package Delivery

  • Moderator: Timothy Jones, Timothy Jones and Associates [presentation]
  • Dennis Nicoski, Director, Field Sales Strategy and Contracts, United States Postal Service [presentation]
  • Amanda Stathopoulos, Assistant Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering [presentation]
  • Marc J. Gorlin, Founder and CEO, Roadie, Inc. [presentation]

Session 2:  Economy, Energy and Transportation Pricing

  • Moderator: Justin Zubrod, Justin Zubrod & Company
  • Brian Wesbury, Chief Economist, First Trust Advisors [presentation]
  • Jon Efken, Director, GCB Head of Commodities Sales, Bank of America Merrill Lynch [presentation]
  • Amos S. Kazzaz, Senior Vice President, Financial Planning and Analysis, Air Canada
  • Eric Jakubowski, Chief Commercial Officer, Anacostia Rail Holdings
  • Dave Menzel, President and COO, Echo Global Logistics

Session 3:  Autonomous Trucking Technology

  • Michael Roeth, Executive Director, North American Council for Freight Efficiency [presentation]

Announcement: NUTC Fundraising Campaign Update

  • Paul Schneider, Committee Chair
  • Discussion

Closing Comments and Meeting Adjournments

Introduction of the Transportation Students

Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

Fall Meeting - October 26 & 27, 2016

Industry Technical Workshop

Machine Learning in Transportation

Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Location: Norris University Center - 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston

Patterson Transportation Lecture

Supply Chain Dynamics Impacting North America’s Containerized Trade

Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Location: Norris University Center - 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston
Featured Speaker: Gene Seroka - Executive Director, Port of Los Angeles

 

 

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, October 27, 2016
Location: NUTC - Chambers Hall, Evanston

Meeting Summary:

  • Call to Order & Opening Comments – BAC Chair Jeff Silver presiding
    Welcome from the University
    Director's Report: Hani Mahmassani - followed by discussion [presentation]
    BAC Membership: New Member introductions
Panel Discussion: Autonomous Trucking 2: Are Robot Trucks on the Way or Not?
  • Moderator: Andrew Boyle, Co-Owner, Boyle Transportation
  • Tony Cook, Chief Engineer, Navistar [presentation]
  • Dan Murray, VP, Research, American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) [presentation]
  • Steven Sheffey, Corporate Counsel, Public Policy Development, Allstate
Presentation:  Center for Optimization and Statistical Learning
  • Jorge Nocedal, David A. and Karen Richards Sachs Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences; Chair, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Science
Presentation and Discussion: The Amazon Effect
  • Moderator: Justin Zubrod, Managing Director, Zubrod & Company
  • David Vernon, Vice President and Senior Analyst, Sanford C. Bernstein
  • Matt Mullarkey, Senior VP, Strategic Projects & Planning, Centerpoint Properties
Presentations and Panel Discussion: Airline Alliances: Are the Winds Shifting?
  • Moderator: Ian Savage, Associate Chair, Department of Economics, Northwestern University [presentation]
  • Kenji Hashimoto, SVP, American Eagle, American Airlines
  • Amos Kazzaz, SVP, Financial Planning and Analysis, Air Canada
Closing Comments and Meeting Adjournments
Introduction of the Transportation Students
Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

2015


Spring Meeting - April 20 & 21, 2015

Industry Technical Workshop

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Applications and Emergent Technologies

Date: Monday, April 20, 2015
Location: James L. Allen Center - 2169 Campus Drive, Evanston

Patterson Lecture

American Airlines: Building an Airline for the Future

Date: Monday, April 20, 2015
Location: OLC Forum, Donald P. Jacobs Center - 2001 Sheridan Road, Evanston
Featured Speaker: Doug Parker - CEO, American Airlines Group

BAC Meeting

Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Location: NUTC - Chambers Hall, Evanston

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

Welcome: Julio Ottino, Dean, Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering

Director’s Report: Hani Mahmassani – followed by discussion

Membership Committee Report and New Member Introductions

  • Justin Zubrod introduced new BAC members attending a meeting for the first time:
    • David Arganbright, Vice President Government Affairs, OmniTrax
    • Robert Chapman, Chief Executive Officer, Centerpoint Properties
    • Jim Davis, Chief Executive Officer, Accufleet International 

Speaker  Session: Gene Seroka – “The Changing Landscape of Seaborne Trade”

Faculty Presentations:

  • David Morton, Professor, Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences
    • Theme: new strategies to build optimal, prioritized action lists. (presentation)
  • Amanda Stathopoulos, Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
    • Themes: crowdsourced urban delivery and benefits of various sources data. (presentation)

Speaker Session: Disrupting Barriers: Printer in Three Dimensions

  • Michael Beltran, Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering, Segal Design Institute, Northwestern University (presentation)

Panel Session: Crude Oil By Rail – A Roadmap Toward Enhancing Safety

  • Moderator: Norm Carlson, Carlson Consulting International
  • Pat Brady, Director, Hazardous Materials, BNSF Railway (presentation)
  • Karen Darch, Village President, Village of Barrington (presentation)
  • Bob Hulick, Chief Mechanical Officer, TrinityRail (presentation)
  • Sridhar Krishnaswamy, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University (presentation)

Introduction of Transportation Students

Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

Fall Meeting - October 27 & 28, 2015

Industry Technical Workshop

The Internet of Things in Transportation and Logistics

Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Location: Hilton Orrington Hotel, Evanston

Leon Moses Lecture

Convenient Flight Connections vs. Airport Congestion: Modeling the "Rolling Hub"

Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Location: Hilton Orrington Hotel, Evanston
Featured Speaker: Jan Brueckner - Chancellor's Professor of Economics, University of California, Irvine

BAC Meeting

Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Location: NUTC - Chambers Hall, Evanston

Meeting Summary:

 

Session 1:  E-fulfillment and Last Mile Delivery

  • Moderated by Sunil Chopra, IBM Distinguished Professor of Operations Management & Information Systems, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (Presentation)
  • Patrick Allard, Vice President of Sales and Business Development, Newgistics
  • Rich Byrnes, Associate Vice President, Transportation and Logistics, Ascena Retail Group
  • David Meyers, Vice President of Sales, United Delivery Service

Session 2: Faculty Presentations

Session 3: Guest Speaker -  Oscar E. Bazán, Executive Vice President, Planning and Business Development, Canal de Panamá

Session 4:  Global and Domestic Trade Impacts of Panama and Suez Canal Expansions

  • Moderated by Justin Zubrod, Managing Partner, Zubrod/Clair & Co. (Presentation)
  • Dick Craig, President & CEO, MOL (America), Inc.
  • Jeremy Haycock, Chief Marketing Officer, Direct ChassisLink, Inc. (DCLI)
  • Steven Rothberg, Founding Partner, Mercator International

Closing Comments and Meeting Adjournment

Introduction of Transportation Students

Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

2014


Spring Meeting - June 10 & 11, 2014

Industry Technical Workshop

Autonomous Vehicle Technologies for Passenger and Freight Mobility

Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Location: Medill McCormick Tribune Center Forum - 1870 Campus Dr

Patterson Lecture

Funding the Future, Lessons from the Past: How Underinvestment in Highway Infrastructure Threatens Transportation Efficiency and Sustainable Economic Health

Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Location: Medill McCormick Tribune Center Forum - 1870 Campus Dr
Featured Speaker: Chris Lofgren - President & CEO, Schneider National, Inc.

BAC Meeting

Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Location: NUTC - Chambers Hall, Evanston

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

Welcome: Ronald Braeutigam, Associate Provost (presentation)

Director’s Report: Hani Mahmassani - followed by discussion

BAC Governance / Committees Overview: Bret Johnson

BAC Membership: New Member Introductions

Session 1: Shale Oil – Long Term Economic Impacts and Opportunities

  • Panel Moderator: Farrukh Bezar
  • Louis Fenyvesi, Director of Markets & Supply, TransCanada (presentation)
  • Stefan Loeb, Senior Vice President - Marketing & Strategic Development, Watco Companies (presentation)
  • Pat Moynihan, Director Marketing, Chemicals and Petroleum, BNSF (presentation)

Session 2: Adoption and Perceived Risks of Web-based Software for Transportation Management

  • Panel Moderator: Bret Johnson
  • Chris Pickett, Chief Strategy Officer, Coyote Logistics
  • Steve Hunt, CPP CISSP, Hunt Business Intelligence
  • Shawn Clark, President, Clark Consulting Group, LLC (presentation)

Session 3: Financing Growth in Transportation

  • Panel Moderator: Justin Zubrod (presentation)
  • Rob Hart, Vice President and Managing Director, Fifth Third Bank
  • Adam Inselbuch, Managing Partner, South Street Ventures
  • Michael Weiss, Greenbriar Equity Group (presentation)

Annoucement: NUTC 60th Anniversary: Discussion of 60th Symposium and Dinner Gala

Introduction of Transportation Students

Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

2013


Spring Meeting - April 24 & 25, 2013

Industry Technical Workshop

Smarter Cities / Smarter Mobility

Date: Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Location: James Allen Center - Tribune Auditorium

VIEW PROGRAM

BAC Reception & Dinner:

Date: Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Location: James L. Allen Center - 2169 Campus Drive

 

Patterson Lecture

The Impact of Wireless on Logistics and the World from OmniTRACS to Ubiquitous Smart Devices

Date: Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Location: OLC Forum, Donald P. Jacobs Center, 2001 Sherdian Rd.
Featured Speaker: Dr. Irwin M. Jacobs - Founding Chairman & CEO Emeritus, Qualcomm Inc.

 

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, April 25, 2013
Location: The Transportation Center

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

Director’s Report: Hani Mahmassani [presentation] - followed by discussion

BAC Membership: New Member Introductions

Panel: Global Logistics Strategies: Integrating Port and Rail Development

Battery Storage Technology: The 787 Dreamliner Case and a Roadmap for Next
Generation Technologies through the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR)

Panel: The Changing Role of Private Equity in Transportation

Closing Comments and Meeting Adjournment

  • Introduction of the Transportation Students
  • Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

 

Fall Meeting - October 29 & 30, 2013

Industry Technical Workshop

Fight for the Last Mile

Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Location: James Allen Center, Room 164 - McCormick Foundation Auditorium

VIEW PROGRAM

Panel Discussion: Moderated by Lee Clair, Partner, Norbridge, Inc.

 

Leon Moses Lecture

The Economics of Transportation Safety

Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Location:
James Allen Center, Room 164 - McCormick Foundation Auditorium
Featured Speaker: Professor Ian Savage - Associate Chair & Distinguished Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, Northwestern University

 

BAC Meeting

Date: Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Location: The Transportation Center

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments – BAC Chair Justin Zubrod

Welcome from the McCormick School of Engineering – Dean Julio Ottino

Director’s Report: Hani Mahmassani [presentation]

Membership Committee Report and New Member Introductions

Panel: Trends in Global Trade and Manufacturing

Faculty Presentation: Research Challenges in Humanitarian Logistics

Session: Regulation, Compliance, Data and Technology

Faculty Presentation: Social Networks and Organizational Behavior

NUTC 60th Anniversary Celebration and Campaign: Hani Mahmassani

  • Closing Comments and Meeting Adjournment
  • Introduction of the Transportation Students
  • Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

2012


Spring Meeting - April 18 & 19, 2012

Industry Technical Workshop

The Electrification of Transportation

Date: Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Location: James Allen Center, Room 164

VIEW PROGRAM

Panel 1 - Infrastructure, Policy and Regulatory Considerations
Panel 2 - EV User Demand, Impacts and Constraints

Featured Speaker - “Why Electrify? A New Paradigm for Transportation’s Energy Transition”

 

Patterson Lecture

31st Annual William A. Patterson Transportation Lecture: The Ford Story

Date: Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Location: 
OLC Forum, Donald P. Jacobs Center, 2001 Sherdian Rd.
Featured Speaker: Alan Mulally, President & CEO, Ford Motor Company

 

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, April 19, 2012
Location: The Transportation Center, Chambers Hall, 600 Foster St.

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

Welcome by Julio Ottino, Dean, McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science

  • McCormick’s  Strategic Direction: The Great Intersection
Director's Report - Hani Mahmassani - followed by discussion [presentation]

BAC Membership Committee Report & Discussion - led by BAC Chair 

  • New Member Introductions

Panel: Contemporary Issues in Transportation Safety

Faculty Research Update: Edward Colgate, Professor of Mechanical Engineering

  • Interactive Touch Screens – focusing on improved operating conditions

"Unemployment...During and After the Great Recession"

"Dupré Logistics' Strategies to Overcoming Labor Shortages"

Closing Comments and Discussion

  • Meeting Adjournment and Introduction of the Transportation Students
  • Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

Fall Meeting - October 30 & 31, 2012

Industry Technical Workshop

Data-Driven Business, Challanges and Best Practices in the Transportation Industry

Date: Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Location: James L. Allen Center - Tribune Foundation Auditorium - 2169 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL

VIEW PROGRAM

Panel 1 - Case Studies in Transport Operations

  • Dr. Diego Klabjan, Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Science,
    McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
    Big Data or Not Big Data? Opportunities and Strategies in Transportation
  • Mr. Ken Sain, Managing Director, Professional Services, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
    The Digital Airline: Using Data to Improve Performances
  • Mr. Ogi Redzic, Vice President, Traffic, Nokia Location & Commerce
    Big Data Driven Traffic
  • Mr. Steve Wooledge Senior Director of Marketing, Teradata Aster
    Delivering Value in Transportation
Panel 2 - Freight Transportation & Logistics

Featured Speaker

Date: Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Location:
9th floor, Hilton Orrington Hotel, Hinman Forum

Jim Carey, Data Driven Marketing Consultant and Adjunct Professor of
Integrated Marketing Communications at the Medill School, Northwestern University

BAC Meeting

Date: Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Location: NUTC, Chambers Hall, 600 Foster St. - Ruan Conference Center (Lower Level)

Meeting Summary:

Panel 1 - Transportation & Logistics Implications of Unconventional Oil and Gas Production & Delivery

Opportunities for Leveraging Social & Knowledge Networks in the Business Environment

Panel - Aviation Game Changers?  How the B787 and A380 Aircraft Transform Airline Operations

Nanotechnology, Natural Gas and Transportation: A New World Order

  • Ben Hernandez, CEO, NuMat Technologies & NU MBA/JD Candidate
  • Tabrez Ebrahim, COO, NuMat Technologies & NU MBA/JD Candidate

Closing Comments and Meeting Adjournment

  • Introduction of the Transportation Students
  • Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

2011


Spring Meeting - April 5 & 6, 2011

Industry Technical Workshop

The Future for Aviation

Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Patterson Lecture

The New United: Flying to Win in a Changed Industry

Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Featured Speaker: Jeffery A. Smisek, President and CEO, United Continental Holdings
Watch Video

In his talk, “The New United: Flying to Win in a Changed Industry,” Smisek covered rising fuel prices and how the new United follows its “Go Forward Plan” to benefit employees, customers, shareholders and communities around the world.

BAC Meeting

Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Location: The Transportation Center, Chambers Hall, 600 Foster St.

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

Welcome by Dean Julio Ottino

Welcome by Director Hani Mahmassani

University Research in Perspective by Vice President for Research Jay Walsh

New Member Introductions

Supply Chain Trends, Innovations and Opportunities

Enabling Market Growth: Reinventing Supply Chain Partnerships and Collaborations as a Key to Success

Computational Materials Design – Making CyberSteel Fly

BAC Survey Introduction

Director's Report - Hani Mahmassani [view presentation]

Reauthorization of a Transportation Bill and Other Legislative Issues Impacting the Transportation Industry

Closing Comments – Meeting Adjournment & Introduction of the Transportation Students, followed by Buffet Luncheon

 

Fall Meeting - October 25 & 26, 2011

Industry Technical Workshop

Improving the Customer Experience in Travel and Transportation Using Information Technology

Date: Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Leon Moses Lecture

Is U.S. Economic Growth Over? Lessons from the Long 20th Century

Date: Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Featured Speaker: Robert J. Gordon - Stanley G. Harris Professor in the Social Sciences, Northwestern University

BAC Meeting

Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Location: The Transportation Center

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

Welcome by Dean Julio Ottino

Director's Report - Hani Mahmassani - followed by discussion - [view presentation]

BAC Membership Committee Report & Discussion - led by BAC Chair

New Members Introductions

Sourcing:  On-Shoring, Near-Shoring  & Managing  Disruptions Risks in the Supply-Chain

State of Manufacturing in the United States in the Context of Global Manufacturing

Research Updates

Comments by Dean of the Kellogg School of Management – Sally Blount

Oil and Transportation

Closing Comments – Meeting Adjournment & Introduction of the Transportation Students

Buffet Luncheon with Transportation Students

2010


Spring Meeting - April 14 & 15, 2010

Industry Technical Workshop

Border Crossing Issues & Prospects for Freight

Date: Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Patterson Lecture

The Future of River Transportation in the U.S. - Safest... Sustainable... Subsidized... A Bargain? - And What it Might Mean for Freight Policy

Date: Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Location: James Allen Center
Featured Speaker: Dr. Craig E. Philip - CEO, Ingram Marine Group

Domestic Marine Transport is a significant but underappreciated and often invisible part of the freight network in the United States. While use of waterways around the world is being encouraged by government policy and action, policies in this country are conflicted and inconsistent. Dr. Philip, CEO of the largest U.S. Barge Company, shared his views about the present state of the industry and how future policy might shape its future.

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, April 15, 2010
Location: The Transportation Center

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

Welcome by Dean Julio Ottino

Northwestern University Research Agenda

Director's Report - Hani Mahmassani - followed by discussion - [view presentation]

Panel: Intermodal Logistics: Development & Management Perspectives

New Members Forum

TC Industry-Related Research Activities - a Sampling

Optimal Path Finding in Dynamic Environment with Application to Vessels and Autonomous Vehicles

Supporting Sustainable Development of Transportation Infrastructure: Developing a Modeling Framework to Integrate Life-Cycle Assessment within Decision Models

  • Elaine Croft McKenzie, PhD Candidate, Civil Engineering 

Workforce Management in Periodic Routing Operations?

Panel: The Battle for Freight:  Direct vs. Indirect

Closing Comments and Buffet Luncheon

Fall Meeting - October 5 & 6, 2010

Industry Technical Workshop

The "Greening" of Transportation 2: Sustainability via Alternative Fuels

Date: Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Location: Tribune Auditorium, James L. Allen Center, Northwestern University

Featured Speaker

Date: Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Featured Speaker: Dr. Stephen Flynn, President, Center for National Policy [bio]

BAC Meeting

Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Location: The Transportation Center

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

Welcome by Dean Julio Ottino

Director's Report - Hani Mahmassani - followed by discussion - [view presentation]

New Members Forum

Panel: U.S. Freight Policy

Introduction of University President, Morton O. Schapiro

Economic Update and Implications for Transportation

Novel Perspectives on Human Transportation and Mobility Networks

  • Dirk Brockmann, Assoc. Professor of Eng. Sciences & Applied Mathematics

Incorporating Consumer Heterogeneity in Choice Modeling of Advanced Vehicles

Carbon Footprint Accounting in Logistics

Closing Comments and Buffet Luncheon

2009

Spring Meeting - April 22 & 23, 2009

Patterson Lecture

Focus Transportation: Humanitarian Relief Through Better Technology

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Location: James Allen Center - Tribune Auditorium
Featured Speaker: Governor Scott McCallum - President & CEO of Aidmatrix Foundation

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, April 23, 2009
Location: The Transportation Center

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

Welcome by the University Provost

Director's Report - Hani Mahmassani - followed by discussion - [view presentation]

Initiative for Sustainability & Energy

  • Mark Ratner, ISEN Co-Director

The Carbon Tax vs. Cap and Trade Debate

New Members Forum

Implications of the Stimulus Package on the Transportation Industry

Panel: Managing in an Uncertain Environment

Moderator: Justin Zubrod [view presentation]

Closing Comments & Buffet Luncheon

 

Fall Meeting - November 4 & 5, 2009

Industry Technical Workshop

The "Greening" of Transportation

Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Location: James L. Allen Center, 2169 Campus Drive, Northwestern University

  • Carl Gerhardstein, CSX Corporation
  • Steven Holic, Philips Electronics
  • Tarsem Jutla, Cat Logistics Services, Inc.
  • Steve Matheys, Schneider National
  • Prabhakar Nair, Renewables SBU of UOP

Featured Speaker

Managing Customers Through Economic Cycles

Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Location: James Allen Center
Featured Speaker: John McKean, Executive Director, Center for Information Based Competition

 

BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, November 5, 2009
Location: Transportation Center, 600 Foster Street

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

Key Introductory Themes:

  • Survival is a meaningful goal for BAC clients and partners
  • Transportation Center has one of the highest student enrollments ever.  Students have been active and present at Sandhouse Rail Group meetings, the Lipinski Symposium, and other events.
  • Executive programs at the Transportation Center are back.

Welcome by Dean Julio Ottino

Notes:

  • Hani Mahmassani has organized and improved the Transportation Center substantially
  • Lipinski Symposium has become a focal point for people in the region to come together and discuss transportation issues.
  • McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science is one of the most cross linked schools in NU- in every event in every setting, we are linking with a partner.
  • Please contact the Transportation Center if you (BAC member) are interested in attending a McCormick Centennial Celebration event in Los Angeles (1/20/10), Washington, DC (4/28/10) or New York City (5/13/10).

Director's Report - Hani Mahmassani - followed by discussion - [view presentation]

Highlights:

BAC

  • Critical to TC growth plans and a critical element of center.
  • Build the membership base selectively and develop programs that meet needs of BAC.

Research

  • Tripled value of sponsored research over previous years
  • Funded 14 research projects
  • Submitted $14.5 million worth of new proposals involving 20 faculty members

Research collaboration with BAC:

  • Engage many BAC members in collaborative research projects with our faculty and students. Four areas under consideration are:
  • Sustainable transportation: develop platforms and methodologies to document and evaluate sustainable transportation strategies and operations
  • Application of information technology to benefit transportation users for both freight and passengers
  • Policy and economics: - pricing, public/private, collaborative platforms
  • Humanitarian logistics: - extreme events, efficient operations in normal times.

Executive Education

  • New class November 16-18, “The Pricing of Transportation Infrastructure”
  • Spring 2010, “Coping with Carbon” in development
  • Custom courses for BAC members
  • International classes as opportunities arise

Students: Our Core Mission

  • 9 new graduate students joined program transportation, the largest incoming class in 10 years. 
  • TC value proposition: access to seminars, BAC companies, funding for travel to conferences, fellowship stipends, etc.
  • For undergraduates: focus on engagement in research and internship placement with BAC companies.  Industry support and involvement is critical

The Kellogg Connection

Sunil Chopra, Interim Dean, Kellogg School of Management

Notes:

School Rankings

  • Number of rankings is more than number of business schools (laughter).
  • Everyone looks at US News & World Report. USN&WR gives overall business school rankings - Kellogg was #3 overall this year.
  • Separate concentration rankings are now given for Production Operations and Supply Chain Management. This new separation emphasizes and acknowledges Supply Chain management as a broad and important area.
  • Supply chain is the biggest difference between Japan and the US. Even if you look at strategy consulting firms, like McKinsey, its single largest area of practice is supply chain/operations consulting.

Kellogg Students

  • Where do most Kellogg students go? Kellogg is recognized as general management school with many areas of depth. 2/3 of students stay in consulting. Within this group, the area of supply chain management is critical.
  • EVERY MBA needs to be educated in supply chain because:
    • It is a significant part of their overall performance
    • Productivity growth in the US has come from this area.

Supply Chain Specialization at Kellogg

  • Small groups of students (~tens of students) want to specialize in supply chain.
  • Need to support specialization and students only interested in a few supply chain classes
  • Need more electives
  • MMM students understand the area, but they want more depth and the capacity to learn faster

Kellogg student’s strengths
These are tough economic times, but Kellogg’s strengths are suited for tough times.

  • Our students do a marvelous job of taking a holistic picture, which is necessary in transportation. If you look at financial institutions that have done well- two are Northwestern Mutual (managed to maintain AAA rating) and Northern Trust- both have Kellogg CEOs.
  • Kellogg graduates also make every team better- no individual has all the answers, and our students make teams better.

Job Placement
In spite of tough times, a rough job market- we’ve done well.

  • 85% of our graduating class placed by end of summer. 97-99% is preferred.
  • Consider Kellogg graduates for any available positions. Kellogg has a lot of collaborative relationships and the Transportation Center is the ultimate representation collaboration at Northwestern.

Panel: Cyber Security - Protecting Transportation Data and Assets

Moderator: Aaron Gellman

Summary:
After an extensive background on the development of the internet and its proliferating access and use around the globe in both business and society, a discussion took place on how hostile parties are using loopholes and lax discipline of users to not only commit crimes for monetary gain (e.g., account numbers, personal identity information, etc.) but to disrupt operations for perhaps political gain or sport (e.g., hackers). Numerous examples of actual or potential breeches in security -- many of them resulting from innocent or accidental activities (e.g., music downloads) or lack of adequate precautions (e.g., taking business files home) – were given.  Many, but not all, of these illegal entries occur in the developing economies as part of organized crime.

The session concluded with a discussion of the wide (and costly) range of measures that corporations must take to protect their computers and other corporate and customer assets.

Panel: Anti-Trust Policy Developments and Transportation

Moderator: Justin Zubrod

  • John Nannes, Partner, Skadden, Arpss, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP
  • Louis Dupart, The Normandy Group
  • Fred McChesney, James B. Haddadd Professor of Law, Northwestern Law

Summary:
The panel provided an overview of antitrust policy, philosophy, application and enforcement in both criminal and civil cases, mergers and firm behavior and the differences in policy and enforcement between Republican and Democratic administrations. In addition, the panel highlighted the degree of change in personnel under the new administration at the FTC, DOJ, and STB who will administer those policies.

Several recent and pending cases were discussed including the airline alliance arena and their antitrust immunity, successful prosecutions in air cargo price fixing and recent Jones Act violations in maritime. In addition, there was an important discussion of pending legislation in Congress to remove rail antitrust immunity in setting fuel surcharges and other areas, and rebalance the priorities of the STB regarding railroads.

Finally, we discussed the implication of stimulus funding for high speed rail (using underlying freight rail infrastructure) and if and how a new regulatory regime addresses such grants might be used to implement new competition philosophies (as occurs now in airport grant programs).

Closing Comments & Buffet Luncheon

2008

Spring Meeting - April 9 & 10, 2008

Patterson Lecture

America's Transportation Challenge 

view presentation

Date: Tuesday, April 9 2008
Location: James Allen Center - Tribune Auditorium

Matthew K. Rose, Chairman & CEO, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, Member, National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission

Rose reviewed the work of the commission in the context of BNSF's and the industry's growth projections. The commission's recommendations go well beyond the much-publicized gas tax hike to include priorities for procedural reform and infrastructure rebuilding.

 

BAC Meeting

Date: Wednesday, April 10, 2008
Location: The Transportation Center

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

  • Welcome by Dean Julio OttinoDean of the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
    Dean Ottino shared the latest gains in national rankings by a great number of Northwestern programs. He also asked the BAC to help Northwestern by spreading the good news.
  • Report from the Provost's Office by Ronald Braeutigam, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies
    Long-time friend of the Transportation Center Prof. Braeutigam outlined a number of new interdisciplinary initiatives underway, including programs joining Kellogg, McCormick, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Law School.
  • Director's Report - Joseph Schofer, Interim Director, and Hani Mahmassani, Patterson Chair in Transportation
    Prof. Schofer reviewed our recent run in student awards and achievement, an Eno Transportation Fellowship for Kellogg student Mark Ahasic, an ASCE Illinois award for Zitao Zhang, an ITE Illinois scholarship for Emily Kushto, and the International Road Federation Executive Fellowship for Pat Sarutipand.
  • Prof. Mahmassani shared the floor with Aaron Gellman to briefly discuss their recent executive education offered at the Panama Canal Authority, and plans to revive the Transportation Center's Executive Education Programs.

Introduction of New Faculty and their Research

  • David Dana, Professor and Associate Dean, Northwestern School of Law
    Prof. Dana discussed his work on climate change regulation, including his efforts to convene an interdisciplinary working group--including engineers and lawyers--to study implementation issues at the federal, state and local levels.
  • Diego Klabjan, Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Science [presentation]
    Prof. Klabjan discussed his work on transportation business intelligence. His work revolves around making sense of data: data mining, analytics, and decision support systems. He discussed work for FedEx Express, Sabre Holdings, and NASA.

Panel: Surface Transportation Revenue & Policy Commission Report

R. Leo Penne, Program Director for Intermodal and Industry Activities, AASHTO [bio]

  • Mr. Penne suggested that it is time to move beyond talk. The report is filled with detail, much of which will never make it into policy debates. But the thrust of the report, that there is a crisis in infrastructure funding and that there are numerous reasonable approaches to mitigate it, merits support now. He called for the creation of a "surface transportation infrastructure advocacy collective."

Thomas Hoback, CEO, Indiana Railroad, BAC Member [bio]

  • Beyond lauding the work of the commission, Mr. Hoback offered a cautionary tale of unintended consequences. He reminded the audience of the financial stress caused to the railroad industry by the massive public investment in the Eisenhower highway system.

William Millar, President, American Public Transit Association, BAC Member [bio]

  • Mr. Millar argued that, although he disagreed with some of the report, the commission got a lot of things right, for example:
    • long-term perspective
    • maintenance first
    • intermodalism
    • the need to accelerate investment
    • performance-based management

James Burnley, Partner, Venable LLP, Former Secretary of Transportation in the Reagan Administration, BAC Member [bio]

  • Referring to the March 20, 2008, issue from www.innobriefs.com, Mr. Burnley observed that the Revenue & Policy report was one of two required by SAFETEA-LU, and is but one of a number of infrastructure initiatives such as the Dodd-Hagel bill to create a National Infrastructure Bank and the Building America's Future Coalition of state governors. Mr. Burnley considered the Revenue & Policy Commission Report a good catalog of options, but well short of revolutionary.

Global Economic Perspectives

Adam Inselbuch, Managing Director, Credit Suisse Global Industrial and Services Group, BAC Member [bio]

  • Mr. Inselbuch elucidated the causes of the ongoing credit crunch, and shared economic projections from his own firm and others.

Justin Zubrod, Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton, BAC Chair [presentation]

  • Justin reviewed the activities and progress at this year's World Economic Forum in Davos. He urged his fellow transportation professionals to participate in future WEFs.

Introduction of Transportation Students & Adjournment

Fall Meeting - October 21 & 22, 2008

Industry Technical Workshop

The Value of Business Intelligence

Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Prof. Diego Klabjan organized and led a specialized Workshop on Business Intelligence oriented toward business users in transportation. Leading experts from various industries discussed recent trends, issues and challenges in the field of business intelligence. The focus of the workshop was to improve decision making through the use of Business Intelligence. The discussion included success stories, the underlying business intelligence tools that are being used, and the identification of major impediments to the widespread adoption of centralized data warehouses.

Featured Speaker

How Crisis Prone is the Transportation Industry? Lessons on Crisis Management and Communications for Business

Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Featured Speaker: Clark L. Caywood, Professor of Integrated Marketing Communications, Medill Graduate School

Research and case studies have documented that high visibility and high risk industries are more prone to crises.  Now that business insurers are demanding a business crisis plan as evidence of insurability, senior management can rely on the strategic field of crisis management and communications to help them prepare for the future.  Your ability to manage your crisis behavior and your crisis communications can contribute to saving your brand and business.

 

BAC Meeting

Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Location: The Transportation Center, Chambers Hall, 600 Foster St.

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

Welcome by Richard Lueptow, Senior Associate Dean for Operations and Research at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

Director's Report - Hani Mahmassani - followed by discussion - [view presentation]

New Members Forum

Panel : Energy & the Environment: Effects of Global Climate Change and Energy Availanility & Costs on Transportaion Operations and Policies

Moderator: Joseph Schofer

Economic Update:  “It’s the Economy Stupid” - impact of recent economic events on the “real” economy

Panel:  Comments from Industry Representatives

  • Adam Inselbuch, Managing Director, Credit Suisse
  • Ann Drake, Chief Executive Officer, DSC Logistics
  • Dennis Neumann, Chairman, BNY Capital Funding, LLC, Bank of New York Mellon

Closing Comments & Buffet Luncheon

 

2007

Spring Meeting - April 11 & 12, 2007

Patterson Lecture

On the Road to Safety: Milestones of Progress

Date: Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Location: James Allen Center - Tribune Auditorium
Featured Speaker: Mark V. Rosenker - Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board


BAC Meeting

Date: Thursday, April 12, 2007
Location: The Transportation Center

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

Welcome by Dean Julio OttinoDean of the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  • Dean Ottino illustrated his vision of innovation and interdisciplinarity for McCormick's future. He highlighted a new program that builds biotechnology innovation-focused student teams across McCormick, Kellogg, the law school and the medical school.

New Members Forum

Director's Report - Joseph Schofer, Interim Director [presentation]

  • The Transporation Center's activities have been accelerating across all fronts. The Transportation & Logistics minor has been growing. Recent TC seminars have included heads of industry and government such as David Neeleman of JetBlue and Mark Rosenker, and the TC just added a new aviation discussion group, The Icarus Society. TC faculty and staff have been instrumental in advocating wise new transportation investments and research paradigms. Finally, the Transportation Center has recently intensified its efforts to develop more win-win collaborations with its Business Advisory Committee. 

Library Research Services and Resources Available to the BAC

  • Roberto Sarmiento, Head of the Transportation Library
  • The Transportation Library has one of the largest collections of transportation publications in the country and the world. BAC members are entitled to special access to those resources, from scanning and electronically delivering documents to shipping entire books. Perhaps more importantly, the library will assign BAC members a reference librarian to guide them in their search for information.

Building Research Partnerships: Research Survey Results

  • Matt Cuddy, Research Coordinator [presentation]
  • The Transportation Center surveyed BAC members in October 2006 on their operating challenges and research needs. The top three listed concerns were congestion & infrastructure, workforce recruitment & retention, and changing regulations. The TC will work to address BAC concerns by encouraging & funding research at Northwestern, following up on particular companies' survey responses to develop collaborations, and holding workshops & conferences, such as the panel in this BAC meeting.

The U.S. and the World Economy

  • Sergio Rebelo, Tokai Bank Distinguished Professor of International Finance, Kellogg School of Management
  • The growth of world economies can largely be traced to savings rates, which lead to investment. Professor Rebelo presented projections of the growth and decline of economies in Asia, North America and Europe, based on national savings rates and other factors. He also explained how governmental intervention and institutional change have influenced the recent economic histories of China, India and other countries.

Panel: Crisis in Capacity and Infrastructure: Understanding Congestion

Moderator: David Schulz, Director of the Infrastructure Technology Institute [presentation]

  • Schulz laid the groundwork for the panelists' presentations by reviewing the congested state of our transportation networks, the impacts of that congestion, and the deteriorating conditions of our transportation infrastructure. He then outlined four areas of Northwestern research that bear on these issues: studying congestion and its reliability impacts in particular, network surety and resilience, disruption management, and project success.

Jim Compton, Continental Airlines

  • Compton articulated three main concerns that the airlines share. First, the Air Traffic Control system must be modernized for safety, capacity and environmental protection. Second, the FAA must be funded equitably, with small jets paying their share. Third, continued proper governmental oversight of the industry is critical.

Merritt Lane, Canal Barge [presentation]

  • Lane outlined infrastructure challenges in the context of the state of his company and industry. He observed that waterway shipping may be less expensive and less polluting than other modes, depending on the application, and that there actually exists significant slack capacity in the inland waterway system. However, the infrastructure is suffering from a lack of federal investment to match the dedicated tax dollars coming from the industry.

Dan Murray, American Transportation Research Institute [presentation]

  • Murray illustrated the unique challenges that congestion presents the trucking industry. There are 640,000 trucking carriers currently, making for a very competitive market. These carriers operate on very slim margins, are prone to go out of business when fuel prices rise, and are highly motivated to minimize costs. He suggested, therefore, that highway privatization and congestion pricing are likely to have the consequence of diverting truckers to routes where they are unwelcome by the general public.

Mark Bristol, Union Pacific

  • Bristol presented a rail carrier's view of congestion and infrastructure challenges. Most rail carriers do not cover their cost of capital, which inhibits infrastructure reinvestment. Furthermore, solving capacity constraint problems is becoming more expensive. Finally, regulation and local resistance also hamper infrastructure investment. 

Frank Sims, Cargill

  • Sims, representing a shipper, explained that the most important way congestion impacts his business is in making shipping timing less reliable. He also urged the audience to quickly take the next step to confront and begin to solve the problems we all face: both those we share and those where parts of the transportation community stand on opposite sides.
Closing Remarks

Fall Meeting - October 3, 2007

BAC Meeting

Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Location: The Transportation Center

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

  • Director's Report - Joseph Schofer, Interim Director
  • Welcome - Dean Julio OttinoDean of the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
    Dean Ottino illustrated his vision of innovation and interdisciplinarity for McCormick's future. He highlighted a new program that builds biotechnology innovation-focused student teams across McCormick, Kellogg, the law school and the medical school.
  • On arriving at Northwestern: Research Agenda - Hani Mahmassani, William A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation [presentation]
  • New Members Forum

Presentation 1: Panama Canal Expansion - Mega Infrastructure 

  • Rodolfo Sabonge - Vice President, Office of Research & Market Analysis, Panama Canal Authority (ACP)
    The Panama Canal plays a critical role in worldwide shipping, especially for ships bound for the United States' eastern seaboard. The expansion currently underway should meet projected demand growth for the next fifty years and beyond. 
Presentation 2: A la Carte Pricing in the Airline Industry
  • Montie Brewer, President and CEO, Air Canada [presentation]
    Air Canada uses an innovative pricing strategy to compete with low-cost carriers. The approach is similar to Dell's method of specifying customized computers online, with multiple upgrade options each carrying a small price tag. The key is transparency, which builds trust. The strategy has been successful in building revenue and recapturing market share. 

Presentation 3: Congestion Pricing: Yield Management at Carry Transit

  • Mark Daskin - Walter Murphy Professor of Industrial Engineering and Mangagement Science
    A team of researchers at Northwestern is working with Carry Transit, a food product distributor, to identify the potential savings from encouraging customers to schedule shipments at non-peak times. Analysis indicates that flexibility in delivery and pick-up times could yield a fleet size reduction of as much as 40%. 

Panel: Capacity/Congestion/Infrastructure: The Role of Public-Private Partnerships

  • Moderator: Joseph Schofer, Interim Director, Transportation Center 
  • Rob Martinez, VP for Business Development, Norfolk Southern [presentation]
    The Heartland Corridor & Crescent Corridor - Rob described Norfolk Southern's experience in implementing two P3 projects.
  • Ray Ellis, Managing Director, DMJM Harris [presentation]
    Privatizing Toll Roads - Risks and Benefits - Ray, a long-time consultant in highway construction management and planning, offers his projections and caveats for the future of P3 highway projects. 
  • Linda Morgan, Chair, Transportation Practice and Covington & Burling
    The Economics and Politics of Constrained Capacity - Linda synthesized the discussions, concluding by emphasizing that although the economic case for P3s may be clear, the political case is less so. 

Closing Remarks and Buffet Luncheon

2006

Spring Meeting - April 11 & 12, 2006

Patterson Lecture

25th Anniversary Patterson Transportation Lecture

Date: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Featured Speaker:  Peter D. McDonald - Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, United Airlines 

BAC Meeting

Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Location: The Transportation Center

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order - Opening Session - Business Meeting

  • Welcome – Recognition of New Members and Visitors, Director, Bob Gallamore
  • Passing of the Gavel – Outgoing Chair, Carl Curry
  • Remarks – Incoming Chair, Justin Zubrod
  • Welcome to Northwestern – McCormick School Dean, Julio Ottino
  • State of the Center and Introduction of Panel I – Bob Gallamore

Panel I - Complexity Analysis and Applications in Transport

  • Northwestern Institute for Complex Organization – Co-Director, William Kath
  • BAC Member Remarks – SVP Union Pacific Railroad, Charley Eisele
  • Current Research Initiatives – Civil Engineering Professor, Joseph Schofer

Panel II - Port and Freight Security

  • A Port in the Storm – New Orleans Port Authority President, Gary LaGrange
  • Where Are We and What Is Ahead? A Risk Analysis Approach – GWU Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management, Co-Director, Jack Harrald
  • BAC Member Remarks – VP Transportation Sears, Tony Brooks
  • Northwestern Faculty Comments – Industrial Engineering Professor, Wallace Hopp

Panel III - Aviation Policy and Financial Position

  • BAC Member Remarks – SVP Government Affairs American Airlines, Will Ris

Fall Meeting - October 3 & 4, 2006

Special Panel

Date: Tuesday, October 3, 2006
Location: The Transportation Center

"Swimming with the Giants in International Waters" 

BAC member Norm Carlson organized this panel of senior railroad executives to discuss the role railroads play in international logistics and the global economy.

Art Shoener began the discussion with a review of KCS' developments in Mexico. Mort Fuller then discussed G&W's experiences in Australia, Canada and Mexico. Tom Hoback told how he turned a rundown line into a heavy-haul railroad and the technology used in that turnaround. Charlie Swinburn discussed some of the regulatory and legislative issues such, as 286—reregulation, etc., that the railroads are facing in the U.S. Bob Gallamore served as respondent to the panel offering his own observations of the topics discussed. Open discussion followed the panel presentations.

 

Featured Speaker

Marc Levinson, Author
"The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger" 

  • After dinner, the featured speaker was Marc Levinson, author of “The Box.” Mr. Levinson shared his story of the history of the shipping container and how the container transformed the economics of global shipping and trade and paved the way for Asia to become the world’s workshop, bringing consumers a previously unimaginable variety of low-cost products from around the globe.
  • Mr. Levinson is an economist in New York and author of three previous books. He was formerly finance and economics editor of the Economist, a writer at Newsweek, and editorial director of the Journal of Commerce.

BAC Meeting

Date: Wednesday, October 4, 2006

Meeting Summary: 

Call to Order & Opening Comments - BAC Chair Justin Zubrod presiding

Panel - Network Resilience

Closing Remarks and Buffet Luncheon 

2005

Spring Meeting - April 6 & 7, 2005

Patterson Lecture

Reinventing the Automobile

Date: April 6, 2005
Featured Speaker: Lawrence D. Burns - Vice President, GM Research & Development and Planning, General Motors Corporation

BAC Meeting

Date: April 7, 2005
Location: The Transportation Center

Meeting Summary:

Call to Order and Opening Comments

  • Carl Curry, Chair, Business Advisory Committee; Vice President, Integrated Purchasing and Logistics, PepsiCo 

Introduction of newly appointed Dean of the McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science

Transportation Center Update: Reorganization Status and Strategic Directions

Director’s Report and Update on Transportation Center Executive Programs

Recognition of National Medal of Technology Recipient – Prof. Jan Achenbach

  • Introduction by Aaron J. Gellman, Professor of Transportation, Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, McCormick; and of Management & Strategy, Kellogg)
  • Comments by Professor Achenbach, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director, Quality Engineering and Failure Prevention, McCormick

Profile of Current Research Initiatives Developing Industrial Research Partnerships: The United Airlines Collaboration

  • Frank Koppelman, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, McCormick

Quantitative Analysis of Intermediaries in Freight Transportation

  • Karen Smilowitz-Corr, Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, McCormick
  • Tito Homem-de-Mello, Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences

McCormick Preparedness & Response Center Proposal to the Department of Homeland Security

  • Joseph Schofer

Academic Report – Transportation/Logistics Minor

  • Ian Savage, Assistant Chair, Department of Economics; College Lecturer,Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
  • Comments from recent graduate David Stone
  • Comments from current student Alex Leung

State of the Economy

Impact of Energy Costs on Transportation Industry

  • Darius Gaskins, Partner, Norbridge, Inc.
  • Rick Blasgen, Senior Vice President Integrated Logistics, ConAgra Foods 
  • James Runde, Vice Chairman, Morgan Stanley

Fall Meeting - November 1, 2005

BAC Meeting

Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2005
Location: The Transportation Center

Meeting Summary:

Panel: Airlines: Status & Prospects

To address the current airline and aviation crisis, Aaron Gellman will chair a panel of experts who approach current industry financial and service issues from different perspectives. 

  • Chair: Aaron Gellman, Professor of Transportation, Management & Strategy, and Industrial Engineering, Northwestern University
  • Vicky Bretthauer, Aviation Consultants, DLS Associates
  • Robert J. Gordon, Stanley G. Harris Professor in the Social Sciences; Economics Dept, Northwestern University
  • James H. Burnley IV, Partner, Venable LLP
  • Regg Jones, Managing Partner, Greenbriar Equity Group

Presentation: "Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emission: Twin Challenges for Transportation"

Our featured speaker will be George C. Eads, vice president and board member of Charles River Associates, recently renamed CRA International. George earned his PhD at Yale with a landmark dissertation on aviation industry economics. Many BAC members will remember George as a member of the Council of Economics Advisors in the Carter Administration and as Vice President and Chief Economist for General Motors in the 1980s. His work at CRA has focused on energy policy, and he was lead author for an important report titled Mobility 2030: Meeting the Challenges to Sustainability for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development - an industry consortium including BP-Amoco, Shell, GM, Ford, and Volkswagen, among other firms.

National energy policy and related environmental futures is one of the most controversial areas facing transportation providers and consumers. George will help us understand issues ranging from impact of Katrina on the economy to the impact of global climate change policy on long term choices for fueling electric power generation - coal, natural gas, nuclear power, and other alternatives.

Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2005

Call to Order - BAC Chair Carl Curry presiding

Transportation Center Report - Status and Activities

  • Robert E. Gallamore, Director, The Transportation Center, Professor of Managment and Strategy, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
  • Joseph Schofer, Assistant Dean, McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science; Research Director, The Transportation Center 

Panel: The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Transportation in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Region

  • Chair: Robert Gallamore

Geography of the Mississippi delta and flood control infrastructure and failures.

A View from FEMA Control

  • Stephen Krill, Senior Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton

Pipelines

Inland Waterways & Ports

LTL Trucking
  • Bob Meyers, Vice President, Arkansas Best Corporation

Railroads

Shipper/Exporter

  • Richard Calhoun, Vice President, NA Grain & Oilseed, Cargill, Inc. 
Panel: The Future of Transportation and Emergency Response Infrastructure Post New Orleans
  • Chair: Prof. Joseph Schofer

Supply-chain disruptions and ways to manage and moderate them

  • Prof. Sunil Chopra, Kellogg School of Management

Government organization and response

  • Prof. Donald Haider, Kellogg School of Management

Options for financing reconstruction

  • Prof. Therese McGuire, Kellogg School of Management

Historical and social perspectives

  • Prof. Henry Binford, History Department

Program Summary: The Battle of New Orleans 2005: Lessons from the Transportation Industry

Closing Remarks and Buffet Luncheon

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