9:30 - 10:00 AM
REGISTRATION & NETWORKING
New Balance, 5 South Union Street, Lawrence, MA
10:00 - 10:25 AM
WELCOME
Nate Herman, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA)
Greg Montello, Head of Product Chemistry, New Balance Athletics, Inc.
10:25 – 11:10 AM
VALUE CHAIN TOWN HALL
Monica Gorman, Vice President of Responsible Leadership, New Balance Athletics, Inc.
Nate Herman, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, AAFA
From materials to machinery, domestic production to international, this opening session will talk about diversifying out of China and where we are now, as well as how others are approaching the issues that are consuming our days.
11:10 AM – 12:00 PM
PRODUCT SAFETY IN THE USA
Greg Montello, Head of Product Chemistry, New Balance Athletics, Inc.
Srini Venkataraman, Senior Global Technical Specialist, Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services
Shoes need chemicals. But which coatings do you use to keep quality in line with your mission and what do you put in the materials like a rubber bottom to keep the marketing claims correct without causing harm to the consumer or the environment? As consumers want more green chemistry used along with environmental and health friendly options you need to know what the latest trends are for chemicals and footwear.
12:00 – 12:55 PM
LUNCH & NETWORKING
12:55 – 1:35 PM
REGULATION RUNDOWN
Nate Herman, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, AAFA
Many states have made it clear they intend to push for more regulations that impact footwear. But in the North East in particular, we are seeing a lot of movement. From fur to leather to coatings, regulations are skyrocketing. Let AAFA be your lens to see a full picture of what is happening.
1:35 – 1:45 PM
RECHARGE BREAK
1:45 – 2:35 PM
HOW CUSTOMS SEE YOUR SHOES
Stacey Kalkines, National Import Specialist, Footwear, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Customs will host a show-and-tell from one of their own port representatives and discuss what happens when they evaluate your shipments. Breaking down classification and marking, hear how Customs see your shoes!
2:35 – 3:15 PM
DESIGNING YOUR SHOES FOR A BETTER DUTY RATE
Quinn O'Rourke, Director of Compliance and Logistics, LaCrosse Footwear, Inc.
The materials, percentage of materials, sole type, and more, impact the duty rate you pay on shoe shipments. Designing shoes to maximize for a better duty rate sounds like a brilliant idea. Step one is understanding how this will work for you. Hear this and more in the final session!
3:15 – 3:30 PM
CLOSING
Nate Herman, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, AAFA