Event Agenda

From Grit to Great: How Energy, Community & Execution Fuel Success

After 20+ years across professional sports, startups, and entrepreneurship, Chrissy Dunlap has learned what actually separates women who sustain success from those who burn out chasing it… and it’s not working harder.

In this opening keynote, Chrissy walks attendees through three practical chapters: protecting your energy using her 3 Vs framework (Vote, Voice, Vet), putting process behind your relationships so follow-through isn’t left to memory, and mapping opportunity strategically so you’re never waiting on one lucky break. Every chapter builds on the last, and every tool is designed for the complex, relationship-driven environments women in this industry navigate every day.

Attendees leave with a repeatable system for building influence, community, and career momentum – starting the same week they get home.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to protect your energy without disconnecting from people or opportunity
• How to use the 3 Vs, Vote, Voice and Vet, to decide where to invest your time and attention
• How to build trust and community through simple, repeatable relationship-building processes
• How to map opportunities beyond one person, one door or one lucky break
• How to create career momentum by planting seeds before you need them

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Chrissy Dunlap

Keynote Speaker & Leadership Strategist

Chrissy Dunlap is a dynamic keynote speaker, culture diagnostician, and former sports-business executive with two decades leading high-performing teams across professional sports, national nonprofits, and the Fortune 500. She has built departments from scratch, closed major deals, rebuilt broken cultures, and learned (through both success and collapse) what leaders actually need to thrive in a world that won’t stop shifting.

Her career in pro sports, corporate leadership, and entrepreneurship shaped her philosophy of Kind Candor: clarity, empathy, humor, and truth that cut through noise without cutting people down.

Chrissy blends grounded psychology with real-world strategy and lived experience. She speaks openly about the seasons that refined her – grief, identity shifts, fertility challenges, burnout, and the pressure of leading while life behind the scenes was unraveling. These moments inspired her.

ACRA framework:

• Active Listening: Curiosity over control
• Check Your Self: Energy over ego
• Reframe the Room: Speed to trust
• Authenticity in Action: Embody, don’t perform

Known for her emotional ntelligence, presence, and story-driven approach, Chrissy is one of the most compelling leadership voices today. She doesn’t just inspire, she equips people to lead with clarity, courage, and connection, especially when everything feels chaotic.

The Network Effect: Building Relationships That Move Your Career and the Channel Forward

Networking is not just collecting contacts or making small talk at conferences. The strongest professional networks are built through authenticity, consistency, generosity, and strategic relationship-building.

This session will help attendees think more intentionally about the relationships they are building inside ISA and across the channel. Attendees will explore how to create value for others, build visibility in the right circles, and develop relationships that support long-term career growth, business opportunities, and industry connection.

Key Takeaways

• Understand how to build a network with purpose instead of relying on chance connections.
• Learn how authenticity and generosity strengthen professional relationships.
• Explore ways to become more visible in the right rooms, conversations, and communities.
• Identify practical steps for maintaining relationships after the event ends.

AI and the Org Chart: Governing Structure, Risk, and Where Decisions Actually Live

AI adoption is outpacing most companies’ ability to govern it. Tools are proliferating, teams are experimenting independently, and decisions about data, risk, and accountability are happening without clear ownership, often without leadership fully aware of how far it’s already gone.

This session moves past tool selection and into the structural question every executive in the room is quietly wrestling with: who owns AI in your organization, where does it sit on the org chart, and what guardrails actually work without slowing the business down. Drawing on real organizational redesign work happening inside distribution and manufacturing companies today, this session examines how roles are shifting, where new accountability is landing, and what governance frameworks separate companies that scale AI safely from those creating risk they can’t see yet.

Attendees will leave with a structural framework they can bring back and apply immediately, not a theoretical model, but a practical map for where AI decisions, oversight, and ownership should live in their own organization.

At the Executive Table with Martina McIsaac: A Woman CEO Leading Transformation in Industrial Distribution

In this fireside chat, Martina McIsaac, Chief Executive Officer for MSC Industrial Supply Co., will share her journey into the CEO seat at MSC, including what it has meant to step into distribution from a manufacturing background, learn a new side of the industry, and lead transformation inside a major publicly traded company.

The conversation will explore how she intentionally shaped her leadership team, including elevating several women into senior leader roles, why she believes in recognizing and developing people’s strengths, and how she approached modernizing the organization to drive more strategic alignment.

Martina will also share candid reflections on taking a five-year career gap after serving in a senior role, the challenges of re-entering the workforce, and what that experience taught her about resilience, credibility, and the unique expectations placed on women leaders.

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Martina McIsaac

President & Chief Executive Officer, MSC Industrial Supply Co.

Martina McIsaac is President and Chief Executive Officer for MSC Industrial Supply Co. She most recently served as President and Chief Operating Officer beginning in 2024 where she had overall responsibility for the entirety of MSC’s day-to-day operations, including Sales, Field Service/Solutions, Category Management, Procurement, Pricing, Supply Chain, Sustainability and Information Technology.

Ms. McIsaac joined MSC in 2022 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer following a nine-year tenure with Hilti Corporation, a multinational company that develops, manufactures and markets hardware, software and services for the construction, building maintenance, energy and manufacturing industries. Most recently, she served as Region Head and Chief Executive Officer of Hilti, Inc., leading the North America organization. Prior to joining Hilti, Ms. McIsaac held a series of progressively responsible leadership roles with Avery Dennison, a Fortune 500 global materials science and manufacturing company. During her 14-year tenure with Avery Dennison, Ms. McIsaac served in a range of sales, marketing, business development and operational roles in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Canada and the U.S. prior to being named Vice President and General Manager of the Performance Polymers Division.

Ms. McIsaac holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Western University and a master’s degree in international business from the University of South Carolina, where she serves on the board of the Folks Center for International Business. Ms. McIsaac is a signatory to the Catalyst CEO Champions for Change pledge, joining other high-profile leaders who are personally committed to helping organizations solve business challenges by attracting and retaining talent, fostering innovation and driving performance. She is a member of the Appalachian State University Supply Chain Advisory Board, the Texas Women’s Foundation’s Economic Leadership Council, a past chair of the Dallas Habitat for Humanity Women Build and past member of the Board of Directors for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.

Signal vs. Noise: Using Industry Data and Channel Trends to Make Smarter Decisions

The industrial channel is changing quickly, shaped by consolidation, economic shifts, customer expectations, technology, and evolving go-to-market models. Emerging leaders need to do more than understand what is changing; they need to know how to interpret the signals and apply them to business decisions.

This session will help attendees connect industry data and market trends to practical leadership decisions. Through an interactive format, participants may compare their perceptions against real industry insights, discuss what the data means, and explore how leaders can use information to decide where to invest time, attention, and resources.

Key Takeaways

• Understand key industry and channel trends shaping the next five to ten years.
• Learn how to interpret data, market signals, and economic indicators in a practical way.
• Explore how trends should influence business decisions, priorities, and investment of time or resources.
• Build confidence in using insights to move from reactive thinking to proactive leadership.

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Evan Willmann

Senior Research Associate, Cleveland Research Company

Evan Willmann bio coming soon.

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Peter Vagnoni (Facilitator)

Director – Channel, Brady Corporation

Peter Vagnoni bio coming soon.

The Pricing Gap: Benchmarks, Process, and Results from the Field

For more than a decade, John Gunderson’s benchmarking survey has given distributors and manufacturers an honest look at how their pricing practices stack up against the rest of the channel. In this session, John is joined by leaders from a distributor and a manufacturer, each of whom engaged him this year for a full pricing optimization review.

Together, they’ll walk through the actual benchmark data their companies started with, the process John used to evaluate category management, pricing taxonomy, and associate-level pricing behavior, and the outcomes each organization has seen as a result. Attendees will leave with a realistic picture of where most companies stand on pricing today, a clear view of what a structured pricing review actually involves, and real evidence of what changes when an organization commits to the process.

Create, Don’t Chase: A Career Mapping Workshop for Women Leaders

Career growth does not always come with a clear next step, obvious path, or open door. Some women know exactly what role they want next, while others feel stretched, stagnant, or unsure how their strengths translate into future opportunity.

In this interactive workshop, Chrissy Dunlap will guide attendees through a practical career-mapping process designed to help them identify their strengths, passions and “zone of genius,” while also naming the responsibilities, distractions and expectations that may be pulling them away from their greatest impact. Through guided reflection, hands-on exercises and live coaching examples, participants will begin building a clearer strategy for where to focus their energy, what to pursue, what to release and who can help them move forward.

The workshop will also explore how to intentionally build community using the 3 Vs, Vote, Voice, and Vet, deepen meaningful relationships through Gratitude Time and identify strategic opportunities across their organization, industry and broader network.

Whether attendees have a clear vision for their next role or feel uncertain about what comes next, they will leave with greater clarity, a personalized career roadmap and practical tools for creating opportunities instead of waiting to be chosen.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify your “zone of genius” — what you love, what you do best, and where those two things intersect in your career
• Recognize what may be pulling you away from your greatest impact
• Decide what to focus on, pursue, release, or protect
• How to use the 3 Vs to identify who can support your growth
• Map opportunities across your organization, industry, and personal network
• How to build a personalized career roadmap for what comes next

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Chrissy Dunlap

Keynote Speaker & Leadership Strategist

Chrissy Dunlap is a dynamic keynote speaker, culture diagnostician, and former sports-business executive with two decades leading high-performing teams across professional sports, national nonprofits, and the Fortune 500. She has built departments from scratch, closed major deals, rebuilt broken cultures, and learned (through both success and collapse) what leaders actually need to thrive in a world that won’t stop shifting.

Her career in pro sports, corporate leadership, and entrepreneurship shaped her philosophy of Kind Candor: clarity, empathy, humor, and truth that cut through noise without cutting people down.

Chrissy blends grounded psychology with real-world strategy and lived experience. She speaks openly about the seasons that refined her – grief, identity shifts, fertility challenges, burnout, and the pressure of leading while life behind the scenes was unraveling. These moments inspired her.

ACRA framework:

• Active Listening: Curiosity over control
• Check Your Self: Energy over ego
• Reframe the Room: Speed to trust
• Authenticity in Action: Embody, don’t perform

Known for her emotional ntelligence, presence, and story-driven approach, Chrissy is one of the most compelling leadership voices today. She doesn’t just inspire, she equips people to lead with clarity, courage, and connection, especially when everything feels chaotic.

Hard Conversations, Better Outcomes: Navigating Conflict, Boundaries, and Tough People

Difficult conversations are unavoidable in business. Whether it is addressing a toxic teammate, setting boundaries, giving feedback, managing conflict, or working through tension without formal authority, emerging leaders need the confidence and tools to handle challenging moments well.

This interactive workshop will give attendees realistic scenarios and practical frameworks for navigating difficult conversations. Through table discussion and scenario-based problem solving, participants will practice thinking through what to say, how to say it, and how to move toward a productive outcome.

Key Takeaways

• Learn how to approach difficult conversations with clarity, confidence, and professionalism.
• Practice navigating real-world scenarios involving conflict, toxic behavior, boundaries, or peer tension.
• Understand how to respond when you do not have direct authority but still need to influence the outcome.
• Leave with tools for preparing for and managing challenging conversations more effectively.

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Annabel Raineri

Human Resources Manager, Vallen

Annabel Raineri serves as HR Manager for Vallen’s Integrated Supply group, where she leads strategic initiatives and drives cultural alignment. With nearly a decade of HR experience, she is known for building trust with teams and delivering practical, people-first solutions that foster individual growth and organizational success.

She is also the creator and co-host of Fierce Files, an internal podcast inspired by the principles of Fierce Conversations, designed to spark a culture of transparency, authenticity, and courageous dialogue across the organization.

AI in Action: Four Companies, Four Real Implementations

Most AI conversations stay at the level of strategy and possibility. This session skips that and goes straight to execution. Four executives, two from distribution and two from manufacturing, take the stage in rapid succession, each with ten minutes to walk through one specific AI implementation in their business: what problem it solved, what it took to get there, what didn’t work the first time, and what it’s actually delivering today. No theory, no vendor pitch, just real decisions made by real operators in this channel.

The format is fast and dense by design: four perspectives, four different starting points, and enough variation across distributor and manufacturer experience that every attendee in the room, regardless of where they sit in the channel, walks away with at least one idea they can take back and act on this quarter.

A short moderated discussion follows, opening the floor to the questions the four presentations raised.

Executive-Hosted Lunch Roundtables

Grab lunch and join a table hosted by a senior industry executive for a candid conversation about leadership, business challenges, industry trends, career growth, and whatever else is top of mind.

To encourage a diverse mix of perspectives and meaningful discussion, seating will be assigned in advance.

We’ll provide discussion prompts to help get the conversation started, but where it goes from there is up to you. Ask questions, share your perspective, exchange ideas, and learn from leaders who have spent years navigating the opportunities and challenges facing the industrial supply channel.

Lunch Buffet Includes:

• Buttermilk brined fried chicken with chipotle honey drizzle
• Blackened salmon with aji amarillo cream and fire-roasted corn salsa
• Loaded smashed potatoes with bacon, cheddar, sour cream, and scallions
• Roasted garlic green beans
• Classic wedding soup with meatballs and orzo
• Broccoli salad with apples, walnuts, and raisins
• Wild greens salad with goat cheese and cornbread croutons
• Cheddar biscuits with honey butter
• Warm strawberry rhubarb cobbler
• Homemade Oreo blondies

*Buffet items subject to change

Igniting Career Advocacy: Negotiation, Sponsorship & Strategic Support for Women

Women are often told to advocate for themselves, negotiate more confidently, and build stronger networks, but career advancement rarely happens through self-advocacy alone. It takes clear communication, strategic support, and the right people helping open doors, offering guidance, and speaking up when opportunities are being discussed.

Drawing on her distinguished career in construction and entrepreneurship, Demi Knight Clark will facilitate a practical discussion on negotiation tactics, mentorship, sponsorship, and career advocacy for women at all stages of their careers.

This session will help attendees understand the difference between mentorship and sponsorship: when tactical coaching, guidance, and skill-building are needed, and when someone with influence is needed to advocate, open doors, and help women get into the right rooms. Because advancement takes both sides of the table.

Through storytelling, case examples, guided discussion, and practical planning, Demi will help participants identify and activate their personal “squad” of mentors, sponsors, allies, and advocates. Attendees will practice career-advancing conversations – asking for support, naming goals, negotiating needs, seeking sponsorship, and advocating for the next opportunity – and leave with a clear action plan for using the right people and resources to support long-term career growth.

Key Takeaways:

• A negotiation checklist for women’s career-advancing conversations
• Sponsorship and mentorship checklists to help women identify the right support
• Open conversations around advocacy, opportunity, and advancement
• Role-played discussions to help women practice asking for support and seeking sponsorship
• A clear action plan for helping women move forward with the right people and resources

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Beyond the Prompt: Using AI to Work Smarter, Faster, and More Responsibly

AI is no longer just a buzzword or a basic productivity tool. For emerging leaders, the next opportunity is learning how to use AI more strategically: to automate routine work, improve decision-making, create efficiencies, and free up time for higher-value leadership activities.

This session will move beyond introductory prompts and focus on practical, real-world ways leaders can use AI tools to improve productivity while staying mindful of data privacy, company policies, and responsible use. Attendees will explore how AI can support everyday business tasks, where the risks show up, and what the next level of AI adoption may look like inside their organizations.

Key Takeaways

• Understand practical ways to use AI for productivity, automation, communication, planning, and workflow support.
• Learn how to think beyond basic prompts and begin applying more advanced AI use cases, including agents and task delegation.
• Recognize key risks around data security, company-approved tools, and responsible AI stewardship.
• Identify one or two immediate ways to apply AI more effectively in daily work.

Amazon, Channel Conflict, and the New Rules of B2B Digital Commerce

Amazon Business is no longer a fringe concern for industrial distributors and manufacturers. It is a structural force reshaping buyer behavior, pricing expectations, and the competitive dynamics of the channel. The question for executive leaders is no longer whether to engage with it, but how to do so without eroding the relationships and margins that define their core business.

In this session, a leading B2B digital commerce strategist shares what executives across the channel are wrestling with as they navigate Amazon Business, channel conflict, and the alignment challenges that arise when digital and traditional go-to-market motions pull in opposite directions.

Attendees will leave with a clearer strategic framework for thinking about digital commerce at the executive level, including where the real risks are, where the opportunities are being missed, and how leading companies are drawing the line.

The W.I.S.E. Founders: Legacy, Leadership & the Future of Women in Industry

Before Women in Industry became what it is today, there was W.I.S.E. — Women Industrial Supply Executives — a network created by women executives who saw a need for something that did not yet exist in the industrial supply channel: a place for women leaders to connect, learn, advocate, and belong.

This special reunion brings together original W.I.S.E. founders for a candid conversation about why the group was formed, what they were seeing in the industry at the time, and what it took to create space for women’s advancement in a male-dominated field. Attendees will hear the stories behind the movement, including the challenges these women faced, the relationships that sustained them, and the leadership lessons they believe still matter today.

More than a look back, this conversation will connect the legacy of W.I.S.E. to the future of Women in Industry. As the community has grown beyond executives to support women at every level, this panel will explore what has changed, what still needs to change, and how today’s leaders can continue building a stronger, more connected, and more supportive industry for women.

Panelists:

• Kathleen Durbin – Fmr. CEO, General Industrial Tool & Supply, Inc.
• Sandy Johns – Senior National Account Manager, Milwaukee Too
• Denise V. Sims James – Fmr. Senior HR Business Partner &  Manager, Global Finance, Ford Motor Company
• Kathy Surpless – VP Operations, Surpless, Dunn & Co., Inc.

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Kathleen Durbin

Fmr. CEO, General Industrial Tool & Supply, Inc.

Kathleen Durbin’s bio coming soon.

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Sandy Johns

Senior National Account Manager, Milwaukee Tool

Sandy Johns’ bio coming soon.

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Denise V. Sims James

Fmr. Senior HR Business Partner & Manager, Global Finance, Ford Motor Company

Denise V. Sims James bio coming soon.

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Kathy Surpless

VP Operations, Surpless, Dunn & Co., Inc.

Kathy Surpless bio coming soon.

Lead Before You’re in Charge: Building Influence Without Direct Authority

Leadership does not begin when someone hands you a team. Emerging leaders are often asked to influence peers, support culture, drive projects, and create momentum long before they have formal authority.

This session will help attendees identify their own leadership strengths and understand how to apply them in real business situations. The focus will be on becoming a person of impact: someone who communicates clearly, builds trust, influences others, and contributes to the direction of the team regardless of title.

Key Takeaways

• Identify personal leadership traits and understand how to use them more intentionally.
• Learn how to influence peers, stakeholders, and cross-functional partners without relying on formal authority.
• Understand how leadership behaviors support promotion readiness and long-term career growth.
• Gain practical strategies for showing up as a leader in everyday situations.

Building the Bench: A CEO Panel on Leadership Pipeline and Succession

Succession planning rarely waits for a convenient moment. Whether it’s a planned retirement, an unexpected departure, or just the need to grow into a new market, the companies that handle leadership transitions well are the ones that started building their bench years in advance.

In this panel, CEOs and senior leaders from across the channel share how they actually do it: how they spot high potential talent early, what real development looks like day to day, and how they think about timing and readiness once a leadership change is on the horizon. Expect direct, practitioner level insight rather than theory, including what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what they’d do differently if they were starting the process today.

Attendees will leave with concrete ideas for building their own leadership pipeline, wherever their organization currently stands.

From Intern to CEO: Leadership Built from the Ground Up

Jenny Carnes’ leadership story began long before the CEO title. A native of Uvalde, Texas, Jenny came to San Antonio on a basketball scholarship to the University of the Incarnate Word, where she became an All-American athlete, graduated magna cum laude, and later earned a place in UIW’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Her professional journey began with an unpaid internship at San Antonio Sports in 1999. More than 20 years later, after working through nearly every corner of the organization, leading major championship events, and helping shape San Antonio’s sports and civic landscape, she now serves as its President and CEO.

In this closing fireside chat, Jenny will share how she built influence from the ground up by becoming known as someone who would do the work, earn trust, and take ownership at every level. Her path reflects humility, resilience, service, and a deep commitment to the work, from behind-the-scenes responsibilities to leading multiple NCAA Final Four events.

This conversation will explore what it means to grow with purpose, navigate male-dominated spaces, build allies and mentors, and step fully into a role earned over time. Jenny’s story is a reminder that leadership is not always about the fastest path. Sometimes it is about doing the work, loving what you do, and owning the role you have built for yourself.

Key Topics:

• Building influence before you hold the title
• Earning trust through ownership and service
• Navigating male-dominated spaces with confidence
• Growing a long-term career with purpose
• The role of allies, mentors, and resilience in leadership growth

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Jenny Carnes

President & CEO, San Antonio Sports

A native of Uvalde, Texas, Jenny Carnes has been a transformative figure in San Antonio’s sports and civic landscape.

Her journey began in 1995 when she accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), where she excelled as an All-American athlete and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Sports Management. Her outstanding collegiate career led to her induction into UIW’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

Jenny’s professional path is a testament to dedication and leadership. Starting as an intern at San Antonio Sports in 1999, she rose through the ranks to serve as Executive Director of multiple NCAA Final Four events. In 2022, she became President and CEO of San Antonio Sports, where she continues to champion youth engagement and community health through the power of sports.

Beyond her professional achievements, Jenny is an active member of Madison Square Presbyterian Church. She shares her life with her wife, Dr. Elizabeth Bowhay-Carnes, a hematologist-oncologist, and their two daughters, Evie and Kate.

Executive Perspective: Real Conversations with Industry Leaders

What do today’s senior leaders wish they had known earlier in their careers? How do they think about growth, risk, relationships, leadership, and the future of the channel?

This executive conversation will bring together senior leaders from across the ISA community for a candid, engaging discussion designed specifically for emerging leaders. Rather than a standard panel, the session will focus on real questions from attendees and ELCC participants, creating a more relevant and practical conversation about career growth, leadership lessons, and the decisions that shape successful organizations.

Key Takeaways

• Hear candid career and leadership lessons from senior executives in the channel.
• Gain insight into how executives think about talent, growth, change, and long-term strategy.
• Understand the leadership qualities that stand out as people advance in their careers.
• Walk away with practical advice that can be applied at the emerging leader level today.

**More Panelists Coming Soon**

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War Games for the Channel: Geopolitical Risk and Scenario Planning

Geopolitical disruption is no longer background noise, it is a daily operating condition. Tariffs, shifting trade policy, supply chain chokepoints, and global instability are already shaping pricing, sourcing, and demand across the industrial distribution channel.
In the first half of this session, Alex Chausovsky, President and CEO of 3DM Consulting and economics and markets partner to Bundy Group, will give a clear, data-driven read on the current geopolitical landscape and what it means for the channel’s outlook over the next 12 to 24 months. Alex brings more than two decades of experience as a market researcher and analyst, has delivered over a thousand presentations to trade associations and Fortune 500 companies, and his analysis has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and NPR.

In the second half, Alex shifts into a working discussion on scenario planning, the practice he describes as bringing a “war games” mentality to business strategy. Instead of betting on a single forecast, attendees will learn how to build out a small set of plausible scenarios in advance, along with the specific actions their organization would take under each one, so they can move decisively instead of reacting after the fact.

Attendees will leave with a sharper read on the forces shaping the channel right now and a practical framework for building their own scenario plan.

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