The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) has announced the panel of experts who will speak at the organization’s upcoming “Future of Logistics” event.

The panelists include Michael Landsburg, Vice President of Real Estate at NFI Industries; Zach G. Zacharia, Director, Center for Supply Chain Research at Lehigh University; and Peter Christian, President of Enterprise Systems Partners (espi).

The event will be held on Wednesday, May 24, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the NFI facility in Upper Macungie Township, located at 910 Nestle Way, Breinigsville, PA. Register and find more details here.

Patrick McDonnell

It is one of two events being organized by LVEDC this month. The organization will also host a Conversation & Cocktails event on Thursday, May 18, with Patrick McDonnell, Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

That event will be held from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Historic Hotel Bethlehem, located at 437 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA. Register and find more details here.

The “Future of Logistics” event is LVEDC’s first Brokers & Developers Council event of the year. These events offer an opportunity to learn about a timely topic and discuss issues affecting real estate brokers, site selectors, developers, bankers, and other professions.

Landsburg has been with NFI since 2005. He is responsible for managing the real estate activities for the company comprised of an owned and leased portfolio of over 23 million square feet located throughout the United States & Canada.

Prior to NFI, Landsburg was an acquisitions and development associate for a mid-Atlantic commercial real estate company for four years, where he was responsible for leasing transactions, sourcing, and performing financial analysis for new development and acquisition opportunities.

Zacharia is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management and Director of the Center for Supply Chain Research in the College of Business and Economics at Lehigh University, where he teaches Graduate and Undergraduate courses in Supply Chain Operations Management and Logistics and Transportation.

Zacharia graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Calgary, an MBA from the University of Alberta, and a Ph.D. in Logistics with a minor in Marketing from the University of Tennessee.

Christian is President and Founding Partner at espi, a consulting firm specializing in operational process improvements and information systems that help transform organizations to the next level of success.

Christian has been a highly successful business executive for 30 years, having previously served as Director of Operations, Quality Assurance and Research and development at Crayola, where he played a significant role in their 700 percent growth of sales and profitability.

Past Brokers & Developers Council events have focused on the Lehigh Valley office market, adaptive reuse, the role of research in commercial real estate, and environmental due diligence and redevelopment financing.

LVEDC’s Conversation and Cocktails series gives LVEDC investors the opportunity to have targeted interaction with members of the legislative body in an intimate setting to discuss pressing economic issues.

Past events from the series were hosted by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, and Chris Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion.

McDonnell was appointed Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania DEP by Gov. Tom Wolf in May 2016. Prior to that, he had most recently served as the department’s Director of Policy, where he oversaw the agency’s regulation and policy development processes.

McDonnell also ran the State Energy Office and was charged with coordination of renewable energy and energy efficiency issues. He had previously spent 13 years with DEP in a variety of roles, before briefly leaving the department to serve as executive policy manager for former Commissioner Pamela A. Witmer of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

Visit here for more information about these and other upcoming LVEDC events.