Baltimore’s Inner Harbor was the meeting place for representatives from more than sixty of the nation’s largest and leading companies attending Corporate United’s SYNERGY 2008 conference. The three-day conference boasted such speakers as the Honorable Michael G. Oxley, co-author of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, Kristin Pierre from the Environmental Protection Agency and Dr. Robert Handfield, the Bank of America Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management at North Carolina State University. Once again, the caliber of this event placed it among the leading spend management conferences throughout the supply chain space.

Tuesday began with the State of the GPO address to bring members up to date on Corporate United’s status and its initiatives. 2007 was a busy year in terms of renegotiations and forming and launching an ambitious sourcing roadmap. Membership has grown thanks to the increasing relevance the Corporate United value proposition due to growing number of offerings. The Mid-Atlantic region saw a surge in membership since the Baltimore office opened in 2006. Following the address, attendees split into groups for roundtable discussions. Topics included aligning the member-Corporate United relationship for success, implementation and compliance and Corporate United’s evolving web site. After small group discussion, each table presented its thoughts to the room. The Corporate United team is already at work processing the ideas and implementing several. Kristin Pierre delivered the opening keynote address on “green” procurement, a topic that is becoming increasingly relevant to purchasing professionals.

The fullest day, Wednesday started early with breakout sessions and ended late with a relaxing and memorable dinner at the National Aquarium, a pleasant walk from the conference at the InterContinental Harbor Court Hotel. The breakout presentations gave attendees an opportunity to compare thoughts and processes with subject-matter experts. For member comments on conference presentations, see the Member Feedback section.

Closing the conference on Thursday were two men, each very influential in his respective industry. Frank Quinn, editor of the Supply Chain Management Review delivered an introduction and media perspective. As one of the most influential personalities in business over the past decade, former congressman Michael Oxley spoke on the legacy of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and how it will impact the supply chain space along with the global corporate environment. Corporate United was honored to present such a prominent figure in business today.

SYNERGY 2008 was, as always, an excellent opportunity for Corporate United to serve the growing membership by providing an avenue to share relevant, innovative supply chain information. We hope that even more of our members attend SYNERGY 2009; we are already anxious to provide save the date details!