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    SMU Community Chat

    December 2, 2021

    Next SMU Community Chat to Feature ISM CEO Tom Derry

    Written by Michael Cowden

    Institute for Supply Management® CEO Tom Derry will join SMU for our next Community Chat on Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT). ISM is the first and largest supply management association in the world. And so Tom Derry is in a great position to put vexing problems like port congestion in context of global supply chain trends and economic impacts.

    Tom Derry ISM CEO Headshot (003)Long Beach might be the poster child for that issue. But Houston faces similar struggles as do ports on the East Coast. When might such problems – and related truck and driver shortages – ease? And what is the interplay between such supply chain snarls and inflation?

    We’ll also talk about post-pandemic commodity flows and price dynamics. Will steel follow the path of lumber? What is the relation between industrial commodities and consumer goods? Hint: They are interlinked. The question then is, are we all following the same demand/pricing curve – even if not all industries are on the same point in that curve? And just where is steel on that curve

    We’ll of course take your questions.

    As always, we’ll keep it to about 45 minutes. You can (virtually) drop in, learn something – and then get on with your day.

    You can register here.

    By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com

    Michael Cowden

    Michael Cowden is managing editor for Steel Market Update. Cowden has covered the steel industry since 2007. He has since 2014 specialized in flat-rolled steel but has previously reported on steel long products, steel pipe and tube as well as aluminum. Before joining SMU, Cowden held reporting jobs at Fastmarkets AMM in Chicago - where he was involved in launching AMM's daily hot-rolled coil index, the Associated Press in Pittsburgh, and the Cambodia Daily in Phnom Penh. He has also worked as a copy editor and in marketing at the University of Chicago Press. Cowden has a BA in English from the University of Chicago and an MSJ journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Contact him at michael@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7872.

    Read more from Michael Cowden

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