Apparel Summit of the Americas
November 27 - 29 | San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Apparel Summit Home Page | Hotels & Venues | Registration Form
SPEAKER BIOS
Anthony Anzovino Chief Sourcing & Merchandising Officer | Haggar Clothing Co
Tony Anzovino, chief sourcing and merchandising officer at Dallas-based Haggar Clothing Co., currently serves as president of AAPN. Anzovino has led product development, sourcing and licensing teams at Haggar since 2012 and is an apparel industry veteran with nearly 20 years' experience in manufacturing, sourcing and technical development. During Anzovino's tenure at Haggar, the brand has been recognized with multiple honors, including receiving a Repreve Champions of Sustainability award and being named the nation's No. 1-selling dress pant brand style and No. 1-selling casual pant style by NPD Group Inc.'s Retail Tracking Service.
Anzovino has led product development, sourcing and licensing teams at Haggar since 2012 and is an apparel industry veteran with nearly 20 years' experience in manufacturing, sourcing and technical development.
Jesus Canahuati Executive President | Elcatex
Mr. Canahuati is the acting Executive President of ELCATEX Corporation, which employs more than 6,000 direct workers. The Corporation has large investments in the following:
- Textile facilities
- Apparel Sewing Plants
- Industrial Free Zones
- Biomass steam, Biomass & Biogas electricity generation facilites
- Hydroelectric facility
- Thermal Co-generation plant
- Filament yarn facility
- Social Housing Projects
- Private Social Club for International and National Conventions and Events
The Industrial Free Zones have more than 11 Million square feet of buildings construction; where well known international corporations provide employment to 20,000 people. Additionally, the group is projecting the development of a new free trade zone with an area of 4,000,000 square feet.
His commitment to protect the environment has propelled him to adopt new technologies in his production operations. For example, Elcatex has been able to reduce 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year with the Biomass Steam Generation facility, which produces 30 tons of steam per hour.
Additionally, Mr. Canahuati has been a key player on three Hydro Electric projects with a capacity of 8 Megawatts with a future expansion to 26 megawatts. He is also CEO of two new companies (Honduran Green Power Corporation and Sula Valley Biogas) orientated to generate 43 megawatts of energy with biomass and 5 megawatts with biogas and Member of the Board of Directors of Utexa, state of the art filament yarn facility able to produce 30,000 Ton a year to supply the entire region with the most competitive price.
Mr. Canahuati is an active member of the COHEP (Honduran Private Business Council), Member of the Board of Directors of the Honduras Manufacturer’s Association, and Board Member of Pan American Development Foundation Organization of American States Building.
Mr. Canahuati is the private sector leader of the project: PROMOTING THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF HONDURAS, led by the Honduran Government & McKinsey & Company. This project has the goal of expanding investment in Honduras, working with a Transformation Unit to facilitate all the requirements for the investors to have a smooth and successful venture
Steve Cochran CEO | Tegra Global
Steve has held C Level roles as CEO, President and COO, President and SVP in highly complex and competitive business climates both domestically and internationally within the Business Services, Multi Unit, B2B and Consumer/Apparel industries. Steve is currently CEO of Tegra, a leading manufacturer of performance and team apparel in the Western Hemisphere. Prior to Tegra, he was Chairman of the Board for Optimer Brands, a portfolio company of Sterling Partners. Previously, he was President and Chief Operating Officer of Delta Apparel, an international provider of branded, licensed, and private label activewear, built via numerous acquisitions over several years, where he oversaw 5 divisions, 7 manufacturing facilities, and 8 brands while leading 7,000 associates worldwide. He first joined Delta as President of their Activewear Division where he and his team implemented Lean processes and built an industry leading supply chain/manufacturing platform. Previously, he served as President of VF Corporation’s workwear business, consisting of 6 business units and $525M in sales. Under Steve’s leadership, his team transformed the strategic model, generated over $250M of free cash flow over 5 years and consistently produced operating income in the Top 5 of all VF businesses. Before joining VF, Steve was SVP of Stores and Sales for LESCO, Inc., a public company turnaround where his team opened 48 new stores in 2 years before its sale to John Deere Landscapes. Steve began his career at Cintas Corporation, a $5B business services company, serving in a variety of leadership roles. Steve has a BS in Business Administration from Miami University, Oxford Ohio. He formerly served on the Board of Every Woman Works in Atlanta as Advisor to the Founder. Steve serves on the Operating Committee of CEO Netweavers in Atlanta. He is also actively involved with Kennesaw State University overseeing their EMBA Mentoring Program while also serving on the Executive Advisory Board for the Entrepreneurship Center.
KURT CAVANO Founder & President | GT Nexus an Infor Company
Kurt has more than 30 years of experience helping corporations improve their business performance through the intelligent application of technology. He currently serves as President of GT Nexus, An Infor company with overall responsibility for driving GT Nexus’ strategic direction. He is the founder of TradeCard, Inc, which he grew to more than $50 million in revenue before it merged with GT Nexus in April 2013. GT Nexus was subsequently purchase by Infor.
Prior to founding TradeCard in 1999, he was a Vice President at American Management Systems, an international business and information technology consulting firm. Kurt managed the Corporate Banking Practice of the AMS Finance Industry Group globally. Featured as one of World Trade Magazine’s 50 most influential people,he is a frequent speaker and writer on topics concerning international trade, global supply chain management and technology innovation.
He holds a BS in Bioscience from the Behrend College of Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from New York University Stern School. He was awarded the honor of Alumni Fellow by the Pennsylvania State University in 2005.
He spends much of his time coaching companies on how to best use technology to improve their global supply chain performance and has personally assisted companies in more than 25 countries.
He serves on several boards including the American Apparel and Footwear Association and the Americas Apparel Producers Network. He also serves as chairman of the Neptune Township Economic Corporation.
ED GRIBBIN CEO | Gribbin Strategic LLC Senior Advisor, Alvanon
Ed Gribbin is the CEO of Gribbin Strategic LLC, a consultancy focused on growth strategy and operational efficiencies for apparel retailers, brands and vendors. He is also Senior Advisor to apparel sizing, fit and innovations expert Alvanon, where he served as President for the past seven years. Ed also serves on numerous global industry boards dedicated to the success of the retail, apparel and textile sectors, is a frequent keynote speaker, and contributes to leading industry publications.
David Kyung Ha CEO | TexOps
David Ha became involved in the textile industry at a very early age and grew up with the concept that only through hard work and discipline could he become successful in life. Today, David is recognized worldwide as a apparel/textile industry innovator.
Once he and his brother established operations in El Salvador, he quickly expanded through mergers and acquisitions. As an example, disappointed with delivery of cardboard boxes, David became one of the largest manufacturers of boxes in the region.
Since 2012 he has remained very active regionally becoming the Chairman of the Korean community for El Salvador, Central America, Mexico and Caribbean. He also is members to the following Boards: Camtex board advisor; AAPN Director; El Salvador TPP Committee Member; Fundacion Garrobo de El Salvador in which he is a founder; Amcham Member; Korean-American Leadership Foundation President; Sponsoring Olympic Salvadorians athletes such as cycling and race walkers; BMX Race Track; sponsor of the Cycling Tour of El Salvador; Sponsor of the El Salvador Jazz Fest; Sponsor of several museums such as Museo de Arte de El Salvador; sponsor of Angeles Voulntarios program and sponsoring orphanages all over El Salvador.
In September 2016, he was recognized by the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador as "Noble Friend of El Salvador," which is the highest honorific distinction that a foreigner can receive in the country. Later that same year, he was awarded the recognition as Doctor in Work Honoris Social Cause for the Catholic University of Daegu in South Korea.
After years of living with his family in El Salvador, a country which he considers home, he continues to look for ways to contribute to the development and growth of the country as well as people and communities.
David Ha is a businessman with a vision and a warm heart. His decision to leave his footprint in El Salvador for its unique way of working and doing business has created one of the most motivated and respected work forces in the Americas.
Aaron Ledet VP, Americas Sourcing | VF Corporattion
Aaron Ledet is Vice President of Americas Sourcing for VF Corporation where he leads a team that manages the sourcing of apparel and footwear in North, Central and South America for all the brands in VF’s portfolio. He has over 35 years of international experience in the apparel industry with roles in manufacturing, distribution, operations, product development and sourcing. He serves on the Board of Governors of the Fashion Scholarship Fund and has been active with the Americas Apparel Producers Network for a number of years.
Paulina Loyo Sr Manager - Global Social Compliance | Haggar Clothing Co
Paulina Loyo joined Haggar in 2013 in logistics and today is the Manager, Global Social Compliance - Global Sourcing at Haggar Clothing Co. Paulina developed and presents the 'Connect The Dots' trade presentation for the AAPN Annual Conferences and other AAPN events.
Born in Mexico, moved to the US at the age of 17. She earned a BSBA from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte then was hired into the financial services industry in Texas. During this start to her career, she studied in both Germany and Spain eventually earning an International MBA from La Salle University in Barcelona.
Simon Mainwaring Founder | We First
Simon Mainwaring is the founder of We First, a leading brand consultancy that provides purpose-driven strategy, content, and training that empowers companies to lead business, shape culture, and better our world. We First consulting shows companies how to define, frame and share the story of their good work in ways that build their brand reputation, customer community, and social impact. We First training includes keynote speeches, corporate workshops, and an annual Brand Leadership Summit that shows how companies combine purposeful storytelling and social technologies to inspire their employees and customers to build their business and positive impact with them.
Simon is a member of the Executive Committee of Sustainable Brands, the Steering Committee of the Business Alliance for the Future, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London and the World Business Academy in the U.S. He was interim CMO at TOMS, helping lead the popular apparel company’s innovative marketing strategies. More....
Ricardo Pettenati
CEO | Pettenati Industrias Textil S.A.
Mike Todaro
Managing Director | AAPNetwork
Mike Todaro is the Managing Director of the Americas Apparel Producers’ Network (AAPN), based in Atlanta. Mike joined the staff in 1995. The AAPN has grown to be the only organization in the industry to have, as members, one or more of the leading companies in all 30 links of the apparel/textile supply chain ‘from the dirt to the shirt’. Today over 200 organizations and 1,400 senior executives are networked with daily broadcasts and a master online resource database. The AAPN is known by U.S. brands and retailers as the go-to sourcing network of the Western Hemisphere. The AAPN runs its Annual Conference, multiple Regional Conferences, its annual Leadership Forum, the Carolinas Mill Tour, offshore events such as the Apparel Summit of the Americas and special meetings at multiple trade shows. Mr. Todaro is a retired US Air Force LtCol and a retired IBM industry manager.
Walter Wilhelm CEO | WWA Advisors
With over 30 years of apparel and footwear experience, Walter T. Wilhelm is widely recognized as one of the most innovative and “connected” executives in the softgoods industry, and one of the pioneers in creating and implementing technology to streamline the product design and development processes. He has held senior positions in Retailing, Manufacturing and Technology Sales & Development. Walter has extensive experience domestically as well as internationally, having opened six offices in Europe and four in Asia.
Former positions include: Co-founder of Microdynamics; President of Animated Images (Ai); Co-founder of Wilhelm-Leslie Associates; General Manager of Hughes Aircraft Company’s Apparel & Footwear Automation Systems.
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