Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE), scheduled for next March 14-15 in Atlanta, continues to add speakers to its lineup. The event, which is hosted by Panel World magazine and Georgia Research Institute, will be held for the ninth time at the Omni Hotel in downtown Atlanta.

Additions to the list of keynoters include Greg Lewis, vice president, Wood Panels, Forest Economic Advisors LLC, and Hanoch Magid, CEO of SMARTECH.

Lewis’ talk will be entitled “Strong Demographic Tailwinds Will Support Wood Panel Demand Mid-Decade.” Following near-term market weakness in late 2023 and the first part of 2024, FEA expects healthy demand growth to resume in 2025. Construction markets will improve and absorb the growth in capacity. Lewis writes FEA’s monthly Panel Advisor and is the primary author of FEA’s quarterly Panel Forecasting Service publication. He has also co-authored studies on the international wood panel and lumber industries.

SMARTECH’s Magid will address his company’s implementation of AI technology, and how it can reduce the use of raw materials such as wax and resin, increase productivity, improve quality and stability, and reduce environmental impact, enabling producers to stay ahead of their competition. Magid boasts an impressive tenure of more than 30 years in leadership roles in global high-tech companies, focusing on innovative technology, customer support and operations.

Lewis and Magid join a keynoters lineup, as previously announced in the last issue of Panel World, that also includes Roy O. Martin III, chairman, CEO and CFO of RoyOMartin (Martco), who will speak on “Empowering Culture: Navigating Change while Preserving a Culture of Excellence”; Christian Dieffenbacher, CEO of Dieffenbacher, with his talk entitled “Future-Oriented by Tradition”; Stuart Gray, CEO, Roseburg, “Looking Back to Look Forward: the History and Future of Roseburg Forest Products”; and Matthew O’Malia, co-founder of TimberHP, speaking on “Prefabricating the Future with Wood.”

The full agenda is expected to be announced in November.

For exhibitor information, contact Fred Kurpiel: [email protected]
For presentation information, contact Rich Donnell: [email protected]