Agenda

VIP Speaker/Sponsor Networking
Private pre-event networking event for Logisitics Development Forum Sponsors and our Speaker Faculty

Optional Networking & Development Experiences
All optional experiences are designed to advance professional skills, foster strategic connections, and enhance the value of your conference participation.
Participation is optional and space is limited. Additional fee for activities.

One-on-One Meetings with Speakers

Welcome Reception
Please join us for a pre-event gathering at the Hotel on Monday evening for an opportunity to network with other attendees and speakers in a relaxed and casual environment, before the forum kicks off on Tuesday morning.

Breakfast

One-on-One Meetings with Speakers

Welcome & Introduction

Richard Blackwell, VP of Development, SE Region, Agracel, Inc.

Dianne Jones, Managing Director, JLL

The Space Race of our Generation: Infrastructure, Logistics, and Commercialization

Chuck Sexton, Site Selection, Strategic Location Advisors

The space industry is accelerating demand for advanced logistics, specialized sites, and resilient supply chains — creating new opportunities for communities and real estate developers. This session highlights how space operations, satellite manufacturing, and emerging in orbit services are reshaping industrial requirements on the ground. Attendees will learn what site selectors, investors, and economic development leaders need to know about infrastructure, workforce, and market positioning to compete for space related projects and the supply chains that support them

Break

The New Industrial Revolution & Today’s Data Center Surge

Victoria Herring, Economic Development Program Manager, QTS Data Centers

Exploring how transformative shifts in history can inform the work we do now, and how communities can set themselves up for success.

Speaker TBA

Lunch

One-on-One Meetings with Speakers

Group Networking Event

 

Breakfast

One-on-One Meetings with Speakers

Welcome

Megatrends in the Global Supply Chain Impacting U.S. Ports

Jim Newsome, President and CEO, JImNewsome3 LLC

This session will examine the major global supply chain trends reshaping U.S. ports and freight movement, including geopolitical shifts, nearshoring, trade policy, infrastructure investment, automation, and evolving logistics strategies. Attendees will gain insight into how these trends are influencing port competitiveness, industrial growth, site selection, and economic development across the United States.

Sean Ferguson, Founder, Firetiger Technologies

Break

Industrial + Digital: Aligning Supply Chain Assets and Data Center Readiness

Fred Ragsdale, Senior Vice President, CBRE

This session examines the growing convergence between physical supply chains and digital infrastructure, and why communities that support both are increasingly competitive. Attendees will learn how power, land, fiber, transportation, and workforce readiness influence site selection decisions for logistics operations and data centers—and how aligning these assets can drive sustained economic growth.

Jeanette Goldsmith, Vice President, Strategic Development Group

Grab-n-Go Lunch