Leadership is often seen as a binary, you either lead or follow. That couldn’t be the furthest from the truth. We lead one another in a gamut of ways every day. In the military, we even have a term for it, “Lead from the bottom” meaning every Marine, no matter their rank or position has the opportunity to do the right thing, make the tough choices, be consistent in their approach and lead by example. Good leaders don’t always make the right decisions, but they also don’t create doubt in their peers and subordinates about why they make the decisions they make. Leadership isn’t about simply knowing a specific mission; it’s about knowing the people working with you on it. We inspire one another to work harder, be more disciplined and accomplish the task by being genuine in our own effort, consistent in our diligence and fair in our assessments. Leadership isn’t steering the boat, it’s inspiring the rowers to row, the riggers to rig and the navigators to plot and stay on course. My dad was a brick and block mason. He wasn’t an educated man, but he was good at his trade. Manual labor is an occupation of the rough and tumble, but, paid well and treated people with respect. Two laborers who worked for him were all but vagrants in society. They weren’t much younger than him but respected him. They showed up for work on Monday and worked hard until Friday. The weekends were usually filled with antics, but they kept themselves out of jail (most of the time) because they knew their job was necessary to the team. He explained it to me once as I was washing my truck and asked him why he put up with them and their bad habits. He said, “Son, why bust the rust if you won’t polish the chrome? Why focus on the bad if you’re not going to acknowledge the good? Sure, they aren’t upstanding citizens, and they may never learn more than what they’re doing now. But if I invest in what they do best, I bet they’ll be a little better all around, and everyone has something worth bragging on and investing in. You just must show it to them sometimes.”

In today’s complex and fast-paced society, effective leaders must be equipped to engage in difficult conversations and navigate disagreements constructively. This session, “Courageous Conversations: Strategies for Disagreeing Better,” aims to empower participants with the skills and confidence necessary to engage in meaningful dialogue, even when opinions differ. Cultivating a culture of open communication and respect can help leaders elevate collaboration, innovation, and team cohesion, leading to more productive outcomes. These strategies can be used at home and in volunteer roles, too. Courageous conversations belong everywhere!

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Adversity: It’s a fact of both your personal and professional lives. But the real measure of any individual or organization is how adversity is overcome. Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts former head coach Tony Dungy shows you how to respond to adversity in a way that results in an organization’s ability to successfully realize goals.

Join us for a dynamic discussion lead by ACD President & CEO, Eric R. Byer, featuring key supplier partners from across the chemical distribution industry. This session will explore current challenges, market trends, and opportunities to strengthen collaboration throughout the supply chain. Don't miss this chance to hear directly from industry leaders and gain valuable insights shaping the future of chemical distribution.

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Chemical distribution faces a variety of workforce challenges, from recruiting to retention and talent development. To solve this challenge, ACD partnered with Jason Dorsey and The Center for Generational Kinetics to lead a first-of-its-kind national study to uncover missing insights that chemical distribution leaders need to drive key workforce gains and outcomes. This high-energy presentation will be the first reveal of the study’s discoveries, strategies, and “wow” data that you can put to use right away!

Business cycle conditions are set to generally improve in 2026 (and beyond). It is important to know how much rise to expect, and for how long, for the general economy and specifically by markets. Additionally, we expect inflation pressures to heat up beginning in 2026 and in the following years. Beyond looking at the drivers of that inflation, we will present how much inflation to expect, and how high interest rates are likely to go through 2027. Not all markets and businesses are interestrate sensitive. We will be looking at different relevant markets with an eye toward gauging how much of a headwind rising interest rates will present. Earlier-turning segments of the economy will need to know how soon they will likely experience business cycle degradation and to what extent. The presentation will cover markets specific to the audience along with ITR Economics’ outlook through 2027 for inflation, interest rates, downside risks, upside potential, and ITR Economics’ extended outlook for the 2030s where appropriate.