Keynote speakers set for annual South Carolina Manufacturing Conference and Expo

Two keynote speakers highlight a robust lineup of insightful content sessions and award recognition events at the annual South Carolina Manufacturing Conference and Expo.

This year’s conference and expo will be held Nov. 7-8 at the Greenville Convention Center.

Click here to register for the event.

Cody Thacker, vice president of growth for Scout Motors, will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural Palmetto Proud Made in South Carolina luncheon. The luncheon will be held from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7. Palmetto Proud will recognize unique products manufactured in South Carolina, and the companies that make them.

Related: REVEALED: Here are the inaugural Palmetto Proud made in South Carolina honorees

Scout will build its first-generation all-electric SUV at it $2 billion production center under construction in Blythewood. As the leader of Growth at Scout Motors, Thacker is responsible for retail strategy, go-to-market and network planning, digital product management, corporate architecture and construction, and commercial operations.

Prior to joining Scout Motors in 2022, Thacker served as the head of parts business at Porsche Cars North America where he managed national parts sales, demand planning, warehousing and logistics, and technical support desks.

The second keynote speaker at the conference is Lou Kennedy, president, CEO and owner of Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corp., who will be the featured speaker at the second-annual Manufacturing Mavens awards, which recognizes female leaders in South Carolina’s manufacturing industry. The luncheon will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8.

Related: ANNOUNCING: Meet the 2024 Manufacturing Mavens honorees

Under Kennedy’s leadership, Nephron, which is a certified woman-owned business, has experienced unprecedented growth. The company has nearly 2,000 employees and produces more than 1 billion doses of life-saving medications each year. Kennedy has won Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Regional Award and an Outstanding Leadership Award from the National Association of Manufacturers.

Content sessions at this year’s conference and expo will focus on innovation, with insight and advice from executives and leaders on the front lines of AI, autonomous technology and sustainability.

Related: Content lineup set for annual South Carolina Manufacturing Conference and Expo

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