Posted December 2, 2014
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – COTTON USA's Sourcing USA Summit here November 11-14 brought together more than 420 leading global sourcing companies to strengthen enduring partnerships.
Internationally recognized speakers and premier networking opportunities ensured ongoing promotion of cotton and COTTON USA and increasing U.S. cotton sales. The summit is organized in cooperation with Cotton Council International (CCI), Cotton Incorporated and USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service.
“The Sourcing USA Summit will have a definite impact on U.S. cotton fiber exports,” CCI President Jordan Lea said. “The whole industry met in one place, and the networking opportunities will pay off. We were able to spend quality time with customers from all over the world, and to tell our story to illustrate U.S. cotton’s quality and our industry’s value-added services.”
Lea said an integral part of that story is that cotton is “a great product, is natural, comfortable, real and fashionable. And it adds value throughout the supply chain. It’s cool and casual, as in denim jeans and cotton T-shirts and it is the fabric of choice for the hottest fashion designers. U.S. cotton producers and manufacturers use inventiveness, persistence and the latest technology to bring out the best in nature. By the time U.S. cotton gets to the market, it is a first-class, high-value material.”
Among the many notable summit speakers were Thomas Glaser, vice president, VF Corporation, and president, Supply Chain; and Steven Sare, senior vice president, Fast Retailing Group, and chief merchandising officer, UNIQLO USA. Both companies are avid cotton users. Each spoke of technology’s importance and the need for responsibility in production – both of which are part of U.S. cotton's promise to the supply chain, all the way to consumers.
Gary Adams, the National Cotton Council’s vice president, Economics & Policy Analysis, said rebuilding demand is important as the supply/demand forecast points to a continued large supply of stocks, especially in China. Jeff Rosensweig, an Emory University professor, forecast a global economic recovery that will drive demand for apparel, especially in developing countries.
Sourcing USA Summit strengthens partnerships
Dr. Michael Fralix (R) of [TC]2, moderates the 2014 Sourcing USA Summit, which included Kaihan Kripopendorff (L), a motivational speaker and author who spoke to attendees about out-thinking the competition and seeing options that others ignore.
National Cotton Council Chairman Wally Darneille, a Lubbock, Texas marketing cooperative executive, delivers opening remarks at the 2014 Sourcing USA Summit in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The summit is a biennial event that provides networking opportunities and features business forums on topics affecting the global cotton industry, including ways to seize market opportunities to overcome competition from man-made fibers. The U.S. cotton industry emphasized its commitment to responsible cotton production and its global cotton supply chain partners.