Lunch Keynote Speaker
Jerre Stead
Retired Chairman and CEO of Ingram Micro

Mr. Stead retired as Chairman and CEO of Ingram Micro in May 2000. He is now an active investor in start-ups and Chairman of two companies. Mr. Stead is known for his visionary leadership, global expertise and proven track record of success. When he took Ingram Micro public in 1996, it was the largest technology IPO in history. Under his four-year leadership, Ingram Micro's revenues grew from $8 billion to $30 billion.

Earlier, he was CEO of Legent Corporation until its merger with Computer Associates. During a three-year tenure with AT&T, Mr. Stead turned around its troubled PBX business, then was promoted to EVP, AT&T's Management Executive Committee and CEO of NCR Corporation. Prior to being recruited to AT&T, he was Chairman and CEO of $2 billion Square D Corporation until its acquisition by Schneider Electric. He began his career at Honeywell where he held a variety of executive management positions.

Mr. Stead currently serves on the boards of Armstrong World Industries, Conexant, Brightpoint, Mobility, WorkWell, Chinatron and the TBG Group. He served as Chairman of the Electronic Manufacturers Association, is the Chairman of the Board for the Center of Ethics and Values at Garrett Seminary on the Northwestern University Campus and is on the board of the Salk Institute and the National Board of the Alzheimer's Association. Mr. Stead earned a BS in business administration from the University of Iowa and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.

Morning Keynote Speaker
Ernest Higa
President and CEO of Higa Industries

Mr. Higa is the most famous and successful American entrepreneur in Japan. He is the recipient of numerous awards from the Japanese Prime Minister and various professional organizations, and is the only foreigner to be named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the New Business Conference, a distinguished semi-governmental organization.

In just over two decades, he has redefined two major industries in Japan and significantly impacted several others. While still in his twenties, he outmaneuvered giant trading companies that had long dominated the Japanese lumber industry. Instead of importing logs, he reduced costs by reconfiguring and training North American sawmills to cut to Japanese sizes and specifications. In 1985, Mr. Higa opened the first home-delivery pizza store in Japan and started a nationwide pizza boom. He has since opened over 200 wholly-owned outlets to become the world's largest Domino's franchisee.

Mr. Higa was born in Honolulu, received a BS from Wharton and an MBA from Columbia University. He is active in several major business organizations, including the Trilateral Commission, Keizai Doyukai and the New Business Conference. He has served as an international board member of the Young Presidents Organization.