APICS (Atlanta Association for Operations Management) Announces New Board Members and Fall Slate

APICS (The Association for Operations Management) has announced two additions to their board of directors and several upcoming events. Greg Lutkauskas of The West Logistics Group and Marisol Martinez of OPTI Medical Systems had joined the Board. Fall events begin with Andrew Downard of Newell Rubbermaid keynoting on September 17 and an intensive, customer-focused, supply chain management workshop on October 18.

Recognized as the leading professional services organization in the field of Operations and Supply Chain Management for Metro Atlanta, APICS has been serving Atlanta and North Georgia since 1964.  It is also one of the nation’s largest APICS chapters with more than 600 members.  The chapter provides operations and supply chain management education, fosters best practice sharing, networking, and professional development opportunities for its members.

New APICS Board Members

• Greg Lutkauskas steps into the role of Vice President of Finance. Lutkauskas is President ILB & VP Fastway Terminals with The West Logistics Group, which provides third party logistics solutions for clients focused on grocery distribution.
• Marisol Martinez will be serving as Secretary. Martinez is the Supply Planner with OPTI Medical Systems, focused on manufacturing and marketing portable analyzers for the measurement of time sensitive diagnostics tests such as blood gas, electrolyte and metabolite analysis.

“We’re excited to have Greg and Marisol join the Executive Board of Directors, and look forward to their leadership contributions as we continue to grow the Chapter and expand our services in the metro Atlanta market,” said Scott Luton, APICS Atlanta president.

September Kickoff Dinner: Monday, September 17, 2012

• Topic: Balancing Short Term Delivery with Long Term Improvement in the Supply Chain
• Where: Villa Christina, 4000 Summit Blvd, Atlanta 30319
• When: 4:30 p.m. Pre-dinner job seekers workshop; 5:30 p.m. Happy hour and networking; 6:15 p.m. Dinner; 7p.m. Guest speaker presentation by Andrew Downard of Newell Rubbermaid

Andrew Downard, director of North American Operations for the Technology Global Busines Unit of Newell Rubbermaid, headlines the event.  An experienced global executive with a strong background in Supply Chain, Operations, and Sales and Operations Planning, Downard’s current roles focus on improving execution across those areas at several brands for the $5.8 billion global manufacturer.

To make reservations for the dinner, please go to www.apicsatlanta.org.  Cost for members is $25, non-members $35. Late fees do apply. The pre-dinner Job Seekers Workshop will be led by Jon Harvill, CPC, Director of the APICS Atlanta Career Center; please call him with Job Seeker questions at 770-952-0009.

October Workshop: Thursday, October 18, 2012

• Topic: Customer-Focused Supply Chain Management
• Where: Villa Christina, 4000 Summit Blvd, Atlanta 30319
• When: 8 a.m.—5 p.m.

Board VP of Education Tom Cox, owner of Cox & Associates, will be the lead instructor. This course provides non-supply chain management professionals with an opportunity to gain an insider’s view of supply chain management (SCM). It offers fundamental knowledge of the functions of SCM and is designed to quickly and effectively educate team members who interact with or support supply chain activities, helping to increase efficiency and generate for improvements.

Cost for members is $25, non-members $100. For more information, contact Amy Gallagher at agallagher@uhy-us.com or visit www.apicsatlanta.org.

About APICS
APICS—The Association for Operations Management is a not-for-profit international educational organization respected throughout the world for its education and professional certification programs. With more than 70,000 individual and corporate members in 20,000 companies worldwide, APICS is dedicated to using education to improve the business bottom line.

The local chapter hosts dinner meeting speakers monthly from September through June at Villa Christina at the Perimeter.  New attendees are always welcome!  Educational workshops are offered every month in both public and in-house forums. For more information, contact  Scott Luton at sluton@claironmetals.com or visit www.apicsatlanta.org.

Contact: Brian Corrao, VP/Marketing, brian.corrao@graphicpkg.com, 678-526-4138