This site in Canton, Miss., pictured in November 2001, went from greenfield to a US$1.4-billion Nissan plant employing 5,500 today. Buzz Canup will tell Peer-to-Peer session attendees how it all came together.

For starters, take a look at our closer: Corporate asset management veteran Luis Belmonte, principal of Seven Hills Properties, will focus on Manufacturing in Today's Global Economy during the closing session presentation on Wednesday morning, March 29. Drawing from his research and work experiences in Japan, Singapore, Mexico and the United States, Belmonte will explain why flexibility is a necessary corporate real estate management strategy and share his viewpoints on future U. S. manufacturing approaches.

Belmonte's 34 years of experience in development, redevelopment, finance, construction and management of commercial and industrial projects include more than 15 years as vice president of asset management at AMB. Prior to that he was a partner with Lincoln Property Co., where he built a portfolio of 18 million sq. ft. of buildings.

The highly interactive and highly popular Peer to Peer discussions on Monday afternoon promise to pack an educational punch, beginning with a combined session of active and associate members. The associates-only session to follow will feature a presentation by Larry Spinelli, president of the national group for Binswanger, on how corporations evaluate the pros and cons of leasing vs. owning. The material draws in part from a corporates-only Research Roundtable held at the IAMC Fall 2005 Professional Forum in Corpus Christi.

Following Spinelli will be a session called "Fast Track Economic Development: An In-Depth Case Study of a Mega Automotive Project," led by Dr. C. R. "Buzz" Canup, president of site selection services for Angelou Economics. The presentation will focus on the recruitment of Nissan to Mississippi and the implementation of a range of related projects that culminated in the opening of a plant in Canton in May 2003.

Bill Pearson, BASF Corp.

The three days of strong educational content start with Monday morning's workshop "The Corporate Real Estate Professional's Role in Business Continuity." Speakers Gary Cook, manager of real estate at Aramark, and Ellen B. St. Aubin, director of business protection for Pfizer, will join moderator Bill Pearson, director of corporate real estate for BASF, to talk about the corporate real estate professional's role in risk management and continued business planning.

Planning of a different kind will be pursued in Monday's second workshop, "Corporate Strategic Planning: What's Your Role?" Moderator James Martin, director of real estate, construction and asset management for Donaldson Co., will be joined by speakers Pete Garra, director of real estate for The BOC Group, Inc., and Ralph Pirtle, director of real estate for Philips Electronics N.A. Corp., to talk with attendees about interacting with your organization's C-suite professionals and your corporate strategic planning contributions.

The continuity question continues on Tuesday with "Important Site Selection Considerations for Disaster Recovery," moderated by Doyle Shea, real estate analyst for the 3M Real Estate Dept. Speakers Greg Long, corporate real estate director for Hallmark, Robert Waller, senior vice president of operations for Medline Industries, and J. Patrick McKee, vice president of Equis Corp., will address complex of corporate real estate management responsibilities and strategies that facilitate post-disaster business operations.