By Keith Larson, Group Publisher/Vice President of Content
Following the traditional welcome address from this year's conference chairman, Danny Streets of NewPage, you'll hear from Steve Sonnenberg, Emerson Process Management business leader, and our special guest keynoter, Mark Scharenbroich, motivational speaker and articulator of the "Nice Bike" principle for building stronger teams and personal connections in any setting.
Our 2011 conference chairman, Danny Streets, has worked at the NewPage Luke, Md., paper mill (formerly MeadWestvaco, Westvaco) since 1988. He has held positions of increasing responsibility throughout his career, from tech service project engineer to, most recently, process control group manager.
He has been heavily involved with automation projects, including the PROVOX, DeltaV and Modicon platforms. Lead design engineer on several of those projects, Danny pioneered the first design and installation of digital communication networks in the mill, including AS-i, DeviceNet and Foundation fieldbus implementations. He received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from West Virginia University in 1987. Among his current professional goals is the optimization of mill operations by using new technology to reduce costs.
Steve Sonnenberg leads Emerson's process management business, which posted sales of just over $6 billion in fiscal 2010. He was appointed as Emerson executive vice president and the business leader of Emerson Process Management in October 2008.
Sonnenberg joined Emerson in 1979 as a marketing analyst with its Brooks Instrument division. His career progressed rapidly as he assumed a number of marketing and general management positions in Germany, the United Kingdom and the Asia-Pacific region. In 2000, Sonnenberg was appointed president of Emerson Process Management Asia-Pacific, and in 2002 he was appointed president of Emerson's Rosemount division. During his tenure, he has also been responsible for several Emerson acquisitions, including Rosemount TankRadar (formerly Saab Marine), Mobrey, Damcos and Metran.
Sonnenberg holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from Georgia Tech and a master's of business administration from the University of Virginia.
Our guest keynote speaker, Mark Scharenbroich, is a native Minnesotan who has spoken to more than 3,500 audiences, earned an Emmy award in 1994 for the children's t.v. special "Doin' Great" and has been inducted into the National Speakers Association's prestigious Hall of Fame. Scharenbroich has spent his career working in both education and business, discovering how some of the best organizations and industry leaders build a culture that encourages personal and professional growth. He'll speak on how to improve engagement at work, enhance team collaboration and fuel our collective passion to serve others. He has recently released a new book called Nice Bike: Making Meaningful Connections on the Road of Life.
