EXECUTIVES and managers from stations all over the world flew into Dongguan, China last July 19 to attend the two-day (July 20 to 21) Year 2005 Global Conference to discuss a myriad of topics that will contribute to the company’s plans for the next five years.

Held at the Luen Thai Supply Chain City, the conference was themed: “The Next 5 Years: CTSI Logistics at the Core of the Logistics Revolution.” Its terminal objectives were: 1) Review and celebrate CTSI Logistics’ accomplishments in the past five years (2000-2005) in its quest to achieve its vision 2) Craft the next five years (2006-2010) goals/milestones that will bring the Company to the core of the Logistics industry and the achievement of its Vision.

Fellowship Dinner
The conference delegates donned their colorful costumes as they presented a number showcasing their local culture at the fellowship night entitled a "Convergence of Cultures." After the parade of flags and re-launching of the CTSI jingle, the management awards followed. Presenting the awards were Jerry Tan and Henry Tan. All nominees were equally praised for their accomplishments and contributions.

Plans and presentations
The first day of the conference saw Willie Tan, Luen Thai’s chief operating officer, giving the welcoming remarks as well as the keynote address. After talking about how much CTSI has grown since his stewardship in its early days, Tan congratulated everyone at CTSI for what they have done in the last five years (e.g. establishment of Guam DC and LA DC). He also mentioned that CTSI should be fully synchronized with Luen Thai and that CTSI should guide the apparel team in adapting and applying new emerging logistics standards and technology.

Following him, CTSI Logistics Chief Executive Officer Jerry Tan gave everyone his State of the Company Report from 2001 to the first half of 2005, highlighting major accomplishment and the major directions for the next five years, which involved his eight-point strategic agenda. He imparted that the company has to focus on three things: mergers and acquisitions, sales and marketing and China.

Raymond Tan, Luen Thai’s Executive Vice President, was also one of the resource speakers who shared his China strategy for the company. He advised the CTSI group that while it is important to keep on track with one’s plans, one must be open-minded to changes along the way.

Other managers also gave presentations on their respective expertise and fields. Among them were station general managers, Jun Heramia (US), Lito Austria (Philippines), Danny Lim (Guam) who discussed their respective five-year business plans. Ramon Alcaraz, Corporate IT manager, covered how IT systems are a support to drive business growth; Leslie Garcia, Corporate Communications head, presented the new CTSI video as well as the marketing and sales support her department can provide; Corporate Finance Manager Elmer Relente's presentation was all about industry outlook and Binggoy Gonzales, Corporate Public Relations manager, gave everyone an overview of his corporate social responsibility and public relations projects.

Workshop
The second day of the conference was time for the workshops organized by Corporate Human Resources headed by its manager, Cynthia Yñiguez. A film, The Replacements, a story about a replacement football team which teaches many lessons in teamwork and leadership starring Keanu Reeves, was used as an intro to the conference workshop. Yñiguez related the lessons from the film to CTSI, focusing on topics like teamwork, leadership, risk taking, courage and perseverance. It served as a fitting introduction to the brainstorming sessions that followed.

The participants were grouped into teams consisting of B