2016 Leadership Summit speakers

Tom Corrick, Boise Cascade

Tom Corrick has been the CEO for Boise Cascade Company since March 2015. He was previously in charge of wood products manufacturing and ran that division’s engineered wood products business, and worked in the treasury and planning functions. Tom has been with Boise Cascade since 1980. He received both his bachelors and masters degrees in business administration from Texas Christian University. Tom serves as a board member for the Treasure Valley YMCA and is chairman for the American Wood Council (AWC). He and his wife, Laurie, have two daughters who have finished college and entered the working world.

Jean Franzblau, Corporate Training Advantage

Jean Franzblau is a seminar leader and training consultant with over fifteen years of experience delivering high impact, high-energy programs. She has presented internationally for technology, manufacturing, healthcare, nonprofit and many more industries. Her clients have included Wells Fargo, United States Marine Corps, Taco Bell and Stanford University. Jean received her B.A. with cum laude honors at UCLA in Communications and Business Administration. She continues to hone her craft with the Association for Talent Development and has served on that organization’s Los Angeles board. Her specialties include leadership, communication and stress management.

Clarence W. Gooden, CSX Corporation

Clarence Gooden was appointed President in September 2015 with responsibility for Operations and Sales and Marketing. In this role, he is responsible for the safe, reliable operation of more than 1,200 trains daily and a highly diversified market portfolio serving all facets of the North American economy. 

As a member of the leadership team since 2004, Gooden has helped CSX become a highly focused and increasingly profitable leader in freight rail and logistics services over its 21,000 route-mile network in the eastern United States and two Canadian provinces. 

Gooden’s career with CSX spans more than 40 years, and has included senior management positions in both Operations and Sales and Marketing. In addition to front-line Operations roles, he served as Vice President-Network Operations and Senior Vice President-Field Operations. He began his Sales and Marketing service as Senior Vice President of Coal and later transitioned to President of CSX Intermodal followed by Senior Vice President of Merchandise. In 2004, he was named Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, responsible for CSX’s transportation portfolio that now exceeds $12 billion annually. Gooden is a member of the board of directors of the National Freight Transportation Association, TTX Corporation and the National Association of Manufacturers. He is also a member of St. Vincent’s Hospital and the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank’s Trade and Transportation Advisory Council.

Brent Grover, Evergreen Consulting 

Brent Grover has written nine books as well as numerous articles about distribution management for industry publications. He is also a popular speaker at wholesale distribution industry gatherings. Brent is one of four NAW Institute Research Fellows.

His most recent book is Mergers & Acquisitions for Distributors: Expert Advice for Buyers and Sellers, published by NAW in October 2015.

Brent is a founding partner of Evergreen Consulting, advisor to the distribution channel (distributors, suppliers and trade associations) on pricing optimization, strategic planning, acquisitions and profit improvement. Brent has served as a director of numerous distributors and industry organizations such as HIDA and NPTA.

He is an adjunct professor at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.

Brent worked at a national accounting firm and was CEO and co-owner of an innovative and successful wholesale distributor. He received the Elijah Watt Sells Award for national recognition of his performance on the Ohio CPA examination.

Joe Lawrence, Dixieline Lumber

Joe Lawrence began his career with Dixieline Lumber and Home Centers in 1984 as a part time lumber handler while working towards a microbiology degree at San Diego State University. As career opportunities developed within the family owned business Joe was able to earn a degree in Business Management. In 2003, Lanoga purchased Dixieline and Joe was named President. Through a series of ownership changes and geographic realignments he was given broader regional and national responsibilities but through it all he was able to maintain his leadership role at Dixieline. In 2007 Joe was afforded the opportunity to attend Harvard Business Schools’ Executive Program. Joe lives in San Diego with his wife, Kristen and 2 teenage boys.

Thomas Mende, Klausner 

Thomas Mende was born and raised in Wiesbaden, Germany. He received a degree in Business Administration (B.S.) from the University of South Carolina at Coastal Carolina and a MBA from the University of South Carolina.

During his 16 year career at New South Companies, Thomas focused on exports from the USA to Asia and Europe and on imports from South America, China and Europe. In 1997 the company became the exclusive importer of Klausner in the USA. He also developed the distribution system for Klausner in China, Australia, India and the Middle East. In 2007, he joined Klausner as President of Klausner Trading USA. Klausner is a 3rd generation family owned, Austrian company sawmill assets in Germany and now in Florida and North Carolina and has sales to over 100 countries.

Thomas has traveled to 67 countries and has conducted business in 48 of them.

Ted Seraphim, West Fraser 

Ted Seraphim is the President and Chief Executive Officer of West Fraser.

Ted Seraphim joined West Fraser in 1997. In his eighteen years with the company, he has held the positions of Vice‑President, Pulp & Paper Sales, Vice‑President, Pulp & Paper, Executive Vice‑President and Chief Operating Officer. Ted assumed the role of President in 2012 and Chief Executive Officer in 2013.

Ted holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of British Columbia and is a Chartered Accountant.

Gonzalo Zegers, Arauco

Gonzalo Zegers is the Senior Vice-President International and Business Development of Arauco. He joined Arauco in 2008. Before joining Arauco, he was the general manager of Agrofruta S.A. from 1991 to 1995, Chief Financial Officer from 1995 to 1996 and Chief Executive Officer from 1996 to 2005 of MASISA, and Chief Executive Officer of ATC Panels Inc. (USA) until 2008.

Gonzalo holds a degree in commercial engineering from the Santiago University of Chile.