Invitation Only
NAFC ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION – NOW A VIRTUAL EVENT
We have been closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and as the global situation has continued to evolve, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to move #NAFC20 event to virtual. We did not take this decision lightly but ultimately, the health and safety of our attendees, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, staff and their families are our top priority. The virtual event will provide you with the same informative and relevant educational sessions and will address common issues that can help our industry recover from the pandemic you have come to expect from an ATA in-person meeting.
This year we will cover topics of high-importance for every financial professional in trucking, including
- The lasting impacts that the coronavirus pandemic will have on the economy
- Staying secure and efficient in a remote work environment
- How to take advantage of new government programs and adapt to rapidly changing regulations
- Minimizing business impacts of ongoing COVID-19 disruptions and the Presidential and Congressional elections
- How to mitigate skyrocketing insurance rates and more
Why attend?
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- Take advantage of a great line-up of educational and informative sessions
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- Hear solutions, and strategies from experienced practitioners
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- Get updates on rules and regulations in settings designed to promote learning and sharing with peers
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- Earn Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits
What attendees say
"The conference allows you to benchmark with your peers and utilize that information in your own organization. The topics covered within the sessions bring tremendous value as they are directly tied to the financial side of the transportation industry."
Rocco Marrari, Vice President of Imaging and Workflow Solutions, EBE Technologies
"The opportunity to connect with and learn from peers in the industry at NAFC has been invaluable in my career. Additionally, the collection of financial topics covered, specific to the trucking industry, is unmatched by any other conference out there."
Randy Hooper, CPA, Partner, Katz, Sapper & Miller
“There are so many issues that we face that are unique to the trucking industry business and NAFC provides a great opportunity to share ideas for solving them, as well as hearing from industry experts on very relevant topics.”
Stephen E. Voorhees, CPA, Vice President of Finance and Accounting, Big G Express, Inc.
Schedule of Events
The virtual event will include all the sessions you see on the schedule, however, the dates and time will be changed to take into account the best times for all U.S. time zones. Please check back for updates!
Opening Remarks from Stephen Voorhees, NAFC Chair and Vice President-Finance for Big G Express
(CPE Specialized Knowledge – 1 Credit)
- Moderator: Stephen Voorhees, Big G Express
- Thom Albrecht, Reliance Partners
- Randy Guillot, Triple G Express
Back by popular demand, our kickoff session will feature a panel of industry leaders. NAFC Chairman Voorhees will host a conversation with three executives to discuss how they have navigated the current freight market and economic conditions. Gain insight from former Celadon exec, Thom Albrecht, CFO and CRO at Reliance Partners, on top industry concerns, such as increasing insurance rates, which will help you plan for 2021 and succeed in ever-changing business conditions. The audience will have an opportunity to interact with the panel and ask questions through our conference app.
Welcome Remarks from ATA Chairman Randy Guillot
(CPE Specialized Knowledge – 1.5 Credits)
Washington Update: Election Impact on Trucking Policy Priorities from ATA President & CEO Chris Spear
(CPE Business Law – 1.5 Credits)
Speakers:
- Ryan Erickson, McGriff, Seibels and Williams
- Dan Cook, True North
(CPE Specialized Knowledge – 1 Credit)
Chair: Ryan Erickson, McGriff, Seibels and Williams
Accounting, Credit & Collections Forum
(CPE Accounting – 1 Credit)
Chair: Tim Chitwood, BKD Advisors
Lunch with the Feds: Updates from the Internal Revenue Service and the Small Business Administration
(CPE Taxation – 1 Credits)
- Evette Davis, Internal Revenue Service
- Thomas A. Stith III, Small Business Administration
Representatives from both the IRS and the SBA will get you up to speed on the latest government regulations, including updates on COVID-19 assistance programs. SBA’s Thomas Stith will answer questions on the latest Paycheck Protection Program forgiveness rules. Additionally, IRS Tax Specialist Evette Davis will provide attendees with information on IRS recognized cybercrime trends and recommend ways to protect your firm’s financial information.
(CPE Business Management & Organization – 1 Credit)
- Randolph Smith, Grant Thornton
- Russell Norris, Grant Thornton
- Mike Hennessey, Grant Thornton
2020 may be remembered as the year of disruptions. While you cannot control every potential business interruption, you can manage your risk so you come out of the year stronger. As the COVID-19 pandemic moves through its stages with rippling effects to every aspect of society it will cause potential longer-term implications that need to be addressed. Resiliency starts with a commitment to identify and mitigate risk factors that can further disrupt your business. Applying lessons learned from COVID-19 will change expectations in the transportation and logistics industry. Learn how to transform your experience from the 2020 into successful liquidity planning for 2021.
Chair: Ken Manning, Manning Associates
Taxation Forum (CPE Taxation – 1 Credit)
Chair: Randolph Smith, Grant Thornton
Mergers and Acquisitions Task Force Meeting with Presentation of Recommended Practices for Sellers (CPE Finance – 1 Credit)
Chair: Dan Cook, True North
(CPE Information Technology – 1.5 Credits)
- Cindy Boyle, BKD
- Zachary King, USA Truck
The need for a remote workforce in 2020 caught many companies off guard and unprepared. The idea of working remotely was not a consideration for many businesses. When creating a business continuity plan, most businesses considered the possibility of a limited need for remote work for key roles, but probably not for many others—let alone their entire workforce. In addition, many who did consider this need probably did not foresee it becoming necessary for an extended time period. Learn what changes you should consider moving forward to keep your company data secure and to increase employee productivity.
(CPE Specialized Knowledge – 1 Credit)
- Randy Hooper, Katz, Sapper & Miller
The economic crisis brought about by the coronavirus required swift federal action to keep many businesses solvent, however, the whirlwind process by which the Family First Coronavirus Response Act and CARES Act created and administered Paycheck Protection Program loans, new sick and family leave requirements and special tax credits, had borrowers scrambling to navigate the various new programs. Companies were forced to manage this process blindly, with little guidance. Now companies must retain proper documentation to support their loan forgiveness calculations, Employee Retention Tax Credits and COVID-related sick and family leave. Join us as we discuss some best practices related to PPP record retention and preparing for SBA examinations as well as what elements you should incorporate to bolster your case for forgiveness.
(CPE Information Technology – 1 Credit)
- Chair: Robert Ragan, Melton Truck Lines
Financial Relations Forum Meeting (CPE Specialized Knowledge – 1 Credit)
- Chair: Brad Delco, JB Hunt
(CPE Information Technology – 1.5 Credits)
Speakers:
- Rocco Marrari, EBE Technologies
- Jason Jones, Solar Transport
The transportation and logistics industries have seen massive productivity gains in the past few years, with advancements as AI-powered process management applications replace activities once performed by human labor. Billing and settlements have been reduced to near real-time through automating the indexing of documents at point of delivery, interoperability amongst a transportation provider’s critical systems and the ability to capture data using a mobile device. AI provides the ability to automate many manual tasks within the payables department in order to identify duplicate invoices, indexing of documents, routing to appropriate personnel. As volatility increases and costs rise, transportation providers will have to become more efficient in order to generate additional cash flow.
(CPE Economics – 1.5 Credits)
Speakers:
- Bob Costello, American Trucking Associations
- Kenny Vieth, ACT Research
- Mark Vitner, Wells Fargo
This panel will take a deep dive into the numbers, providing an updated look at the economy and how COVID-19 and other economic factors are affecting both the short-term and long-term outlook for the industry. The speakers will examine freight volumes, supply trends, fuel prices and explain what the current economic environment means for your business. This session will provide you with the insight you need to plan your capital expenditures for 2021.
(CPE Specialized Knowledge – 1 Credit)
Speaker:
- Rebecca Brewster, ATRI
ATRI’s research has documented a number of impacts from COVID 19 but as states begin to reopen and things return to a new “normal,” what does the future look like for trucking? What have we learned from this that we can use to improve things for drivers and fleets in the future? ATRI President Rebecca Brewster will discuss trucking in the new reality. How will the top industry concerns be changed? Will new issues emerge? Brewster will discuss the results of the ATRI Top Industry Issues survey.
Exhibitors
We are working on developing a plan to provide our exhibitors virtual opportunities to showcase their products and generate sales leads. Please check back for updates!
If you require immediate assistance, please contact Janine Taylor at JTaylor@trucking.org, 703-838-1923 or Daniel Duggan at DDuggan@trucking.org, 703-838-1756.
Sponsors
We are working on developing a plan to provide our sponsors with virtual opportunities! Please check back for updates!
If you require immediate assistance, please contact Janine Taylor at JTaylor@trucking.org, 703-838-1923 or Daniel Duggan at DDuggan@trucking.org, 703-838-1756.
