11.09.07 GAC Returning to Lexington, KY for 2008

Bowling Green, KY– November, 9 2007 – The Global Advanced-Leadership Center (GALC) announced today that the ninth annual Global Automotive Conference (GAC) will once again return to Lexington, Kentucky.  Slated for April 22-24, 2008 at the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa, the GAC brings together professionals from the automotive industry, government and regulatory bodies, and academia from around the world to network and discuss prominent issues facing the industry today.

Now in its ninth year, the GAC is the largest such event in the industry and the only conference to focus primarily on middle management, minority business owners, and educators and students.  In addition to high profile speakers and discussion group members focusing on particular topics of interest, ample networking opportunities are offered including luncheons, B2B matchmaker events including golf outings and regional plant tours, and after-hours gatherings at area attractions.

Having hosted the event in 2006, the decision to bring the annual GAC back to Lexington was an easy one according to Bill Parsons, Chair of the GALC.  “Lexington is an attractive venue for many reasons.  The city is centrally located along the automotive corridor stretching from Ontario, Canada down through the central U.S. and into northern Mexico.”

Accessibility was but one determining factor, Parsons is quick to point out.  “The decision came down to such factors as the hospitality and beauty of the region, the proximity to automotive manufacturing facilities including Toyota, and the mild spring climate  -- all of which made for a stellar 2006 conference,” Parsons concludes.

Previous conferences have hosted notable key speakers such as: Bob Lutz, Vice Chairman, General Motors; Joseph R. Hinrichs, Vice President, North American Manufacturing, Ford Motor Company; Steve St. Angelo, President, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky; Phil Martens, President, ArvinMeritor; and, Tim Leulitte, CEO, Metaldyne.