Two Murphy employees, Kimberly Huynh and Neil Manns had the opportunity to travel to Providence, Rhode Island for the 39th Annual Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) Conference last week. With general sessions led by influential and successful speakers, breakout sessions discussing innovation and quality and P2P sessions to share experiences and learn from peers the annual conference was filled with opportunities for our Murphy team members to learn and grow.
Attending industry conferences and events are just one way that Murphy employees stay innovative and ensure that our clients are getting the best service in the industry!
Here is what the Murphy team members thought of WERC 2016
Keynote Speakers
Destin Sandlin, Host of YouTube’s “Smarter Every Day” gave WERC attendees a new way to think with innovative ideas about how to look beyond what is seen and accepted. The Rocket Engineer’s YouTube Channel has over 3.8 million subscribers. Destin’s most well-known video centers around a bicycle that has been modified with a gear in the steering column to make the bike steer backwards. Check out the cool video here!
The Vets to WERC program tackles issues around talent shortages within the logistics industry, through becoming a “Veteran Ready” workplace. Lt. Col. Brian Gilman spoke to conference attendees about the great skills and attributes that veterans can bring to the industry as they make their way back to becoming civilians. See more about the Vets to WERC program on the WERC website.
Molly Fletcher has been hailed as the “female Jerry Maguire” by CNN and started out a great day with a motivational speech about how changing your mindset and believing in your abilities can impact success. Using her sports connections and experiences in the industry helped the audience connect with the message in a new way, while preparing for the day ahead!
The closing keynote speaker, Merril Hoge who played running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago bears delivered a powerful speech explaining how he conquered not only his professional football career, but Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma as well through his own words “Find A Way”. Starting as a child, he had a cork board in his room with the words Find A Way above it. He posted everything he could about how to become a professional football player, and found a way to do it. This thought continued throughout his career and resonated with him throughout his cancer treatments.
Breakout Sessions
With breakout sessions ranging from process and KPI improvement tips to sessions looking at innovative new technology ready to enter the logistics and supply chain industry, attendees had the opportunity to grow in a number of different areas. Speakers and panels from companies throughout the nation shared industry knowledge, best practices and success stories in order to help attendees operate facilities at peak efficiency and serve their customers in the best ways possible!
Innovation and new, disruptive technology in the warehouse and logistics industry was an important theme for breakout sessions at WERC this year!
P2P Sessions
P2P (Peer to Peer) group sessions were once again a favorite for the Murphy team! Getting to share our experiences as well as gain knowledge from peers in markets throughout the nation is a big benefit of these conferences for us.
Smaller group discussion sessions allowed attendees to discuss trends, changes and updates to the logistics industry in an open format. With shippers and 3PLs in the room, it was very nice to see an open dialogue as people collaborated on how to make our industry better! Attendees of all ages and levels were open to share their experiences, making for a diverse range of topics as well as interesting advice coming from both younger and more experienced attendees.
Networking
WERC is known for their great networking sessions! Bringing longtime friends together as well as watching new connections grow is what the WERC networking sessions and receptions are all about. With quick 20 minute meeting times in between breakout or P2P sessions along with longer receptions in the WERC solutions expo center after the day had concluded, attendees had every opportunity to make a great new connection!
Overall, the 2016 WERC conference was a great week for team members to grow and learn from companies throughout the nation! A main takeaway from the conference for our employees was that innovation never stops, and that to better serve our clients we should constantly be looking for more efficient and effective ways to operate!
