8 AFS Member Connections • Fall 2016

Leaders Exchange Ideas at Foundry Executive ConferenceLeaders of the North American met-

alcasting industry convened Sept. 11-13 in Park City, Utah, to hear and exchange fresh ideas and perspectives for business planning and strategy as part of the AFS Foundry Executive Conference.

Several well-regarded business speak-ers and authors filled out the agenda, in-cluding featured speaker and author Peter Zeihan. Zeihan discussed the future of global manufacturing and how metalcast-ing will be impacted in the current global manufacturing landscape.

Other speakers included:• Stephen Shapiro–Rethinking How You

Do What You. Shapiro gave attendees tools to take back to their businesses for reinvigorating daily processes to stay ahead of the competition.

• Terry Brock–Relationship Marketing and Technology. Brock brought his expertise in technology and social media to give

conference attendees a better under-standing on how to use relevant tech-nology in the real world to build busi-ness relationship

• Vicki Hitzges–Old Dogs, New Tricks. Pro-fessional speaker Vicki Hitzges presented on how employees can survive the “bom-bardment” of change in the workplace. Her high-energy presentation showed attendees how to thrive in a constantly changing market and work environment.

• Thomas Landstreet–Today’s Politi-cal Landscape and What is Ahead in the 2016 Race for the White House? Forbes.com contributor Thomas Land-street’s unique presentation drew upon his experience analyzing government economic policies and their impact on manufacturing markets. Landstreet cur-rently contributes to Forbes.com.

• Stephanie Salmon, AFS Washington Of-fice–Key Issues Impacting the Metalcast-

ing Industry. Salmon’s presentation de-tailed specific bills and policies on Capitol Hill and how they impact the metalcast-ing industry. A reception and awards banquet was held Sept. 13 to honor the recipient of the Keating Founders’ Freedom Award. Janis Herschkowitz, PRL Industries, was presented the Keat-ing Founders’ Freedom Award for “sig-nificant contributions to the foundry industry and active participation in the fields of government affairs, human re-source management, safety and health, or education."The conference also included round-

table discussions and a State of AFS Ad-dress from Doug Kurkul, AFS CEO. The conference saw a 25% increase in atten-dance for 2016.

The 2017 Foundry Executive and Leadership Conference Conference will be held Sept. 17-19 in Stowe, Vermont.

AFS Advocacy

8 AFS Member Connections • Fall 2016

Dennis Dotson, Dotson Iron Castings, delivers a summary of the views shared at his table during the roundtable discus-sions. Each table focused on key issues facing metalcasters.

Enjoying an evening reception in Park City were former longtime AFS employee Lynn Smith and her husband Geary Smith, Manufacturers Brass & Aluminum.

Foundry Executive Conference attend-ees enjoy an evening dinner on their own in Park City. Among them are Paolo Magaldi, Magaldi Technologies, left, and Amanda Krotz and Oscar Ortiz, Alu-Bra, plus Steve Ryan, Badger Mining, right.

AFS Member Connections • Fall 2016 9

Thank You to Foundry Executive Sponsors

AFS Member Connections • Fall 2016 9

AFS is the premier advocate for public policies conducive to a strong metalcast-ing economy. Here, Stephanie Salmon of the AFS Washington Office briefs attend-ees on the association’s advocacy work.

Stephen M. Shapiro, delivers his keynote address, "Rethinking How You Do What You Do."

Peter Reich of Laempe Reich introduces Stephen M. Shapiro, who delivered a well-received presentation on “Rethinking How You Do What You Do.” Laempe-reich was a sponsor of the conference.

Forbes columnist Thomas Landstreet, right, addressed how government poli-cies affect business decision-making and consumer behavior. Here, he meets with AFS CEO Doug Kurkul.

Attendance at the 2016 Foundry Executive Conference rose 25 percent over the previous year. Here, attendees participate in a roundtable discussion.

AFS Second Vice-President Patricio Gil, Blackhawk de Mexico, and his wife, Mariza Gil pose for a picture with Bruce Dienst and his wife, Kristie.