In her riveting speeches, Greenlaw discusses the characteristics and themes associated with her profession that everyone can relate to: the taking of extreme risks in the line of duty; the leadership necessary to command a tough, all-male crew; the importance of preparation in achieving one’s goals; and the necessity of teamwork in running a ship. Come hear the Maine woman made famous by the book The Perfect Storm as she relates her personal experience.

Brome prepares analyses of regional economic and policy issues for the Fed’s Boston office. She has written on topics ranging from state and local tax policy to the economic impact of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Her recent research has focused on demographic change and migration in New England. Brome holds a Masters in public policy from the University of Michigan and a BA in environmental science and public policy from Harvard College.

As the leader of a 6th generation family owned business, Hancock shares the view from his desk as he works to leave Hancock Lumber better than when he first arrived as president. Hear how Hancock has worked to develop a special culture at his company.

Tony V, Comedian

It’s time to sit back and enjoy dinner with your fellow policyholders and members of the MEMIC staff. Finish your evening with a few laughs from comedian Tony V. His many notable television appearances include HBO, Comedy Central, Late Night With Conan O’Brien, A&E, MTV and Rescue Me with Denis Leary. Currently, he’s on Showtime’s The Brotherhood as
well as CBS’s 2007 series Waterfront.

Ever have to stay up all night to crank out an order? As a growing business, you may have already gone as far as you can with your production capacity. Learning “lean” manufacturing principles will help you think about your production process and learn ways to create a smoother operation with increased capacity. This session will review the fundamental element of lean manufacturing: the Five S System – Workplace Organization. Benefits include fewer accidents, improved efficiency, reduced searching time, a visual workplace and a solid foundation for continual improvement.

The 1993 reforms in Maine set the stage for a new workers' comp culture. It’s hard to believe that 15 years has passed since the Workers’ Compensation Act was passed into law, but it’s easy to see that there have been significant changes brought on by this law. We’ve assembled a panel of four workers’ compensation law experts to discuss the distinct provisions of the 1993 reform. Using first hand experience, they will offer opinions about these changes and how they’ve benefited employers, employees, and the overall business climate.

When you understand human nature, it’s like having the Owners Manual to Maximum Employee Performance. It allows you to bring out the best in your people and… avoid the management mistakes that damage morale and performance. Unfortunately, many common management practices go against human nature. Notes best selling author Peter Senge: “Our prevailing system of management is fundamentally inconsistent with human nature.” Because of this, most workers operate at a fraction of their true potential. The more you understand human nature, the more everyone wins.

Paul Carrier, M.D., Medical Director, Beacon Occupational Health
Douglas Goumas, M.D., Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon, The Orthopedic Center

By 2014, there will be an overall increase in working people by 17 million, and 11 million of those employees will be over 55. We’ve all heard innuendoes about how older employees are higher paid and offer more job knowledge than their “green” counterparts. But we’ve also heard some labor pundits submit that the trade–off will be higher health care costs and higher rates of disability among these “experienced” workers. Who do you believe? Or is a little bit of both? This class will focus on the “baby boomer” labor population and provide insight on this phenomenon which is likely to become a major component in workers' compensation and health care over the next few decades.

This is a continuation of Workshop F at 9:15 a.m.

Peter Vidmar is the highest-scoring American gymnast in Olympic history. The winner of numerous national and international titles, he finished his successful career at the 1984 Olympic Games. As the USA men’s gymnastics team captain, he led his teammates to America’s first team gold medal with their stunning upset victory over the defending world champions, the People’s Republic of China. He went on to win the silver medal in the individual all-around competition (the only American to have ever won an Olympic all-around medal), and with a perfect score of 10, he captured the gold medal on the pommel horse. As one reporter put it, "No US gymnast has ever come so close to perfection."

Vidmar continues to contribute to the Olympic movement today. He serves as the co-chairman of the US Olympic Committee Summer Sports Summit, an annual series of workshops designed to prepare America’s medal hopefuls to win gold in future Olympics. He had worked for many years as the gymnastics commentator for CBS Sports and ESPN, and continues to work as a journalist or broadcaster at
each summer Olympics. He has also served on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports, the executive board of the United States Olympic Committee, and the executive committee of USA Gymnastics.

He is now a powerful and entertaining speaker at corporate meetings and trade shows, and Successful Meetings  magazine has listed him as one of the top ten speakers in the country. He is also the author of the book Risk, Originality, and Virtuosity: The Keys to a Perfect 10. Very few speakers can motivate an audience like Peter Vidmar can. With over two decades of experience in helping people throughout the country to realize their own potential, Vidmar does much more than just speak about his experiences. In his inspiring, humorous, and entertaining presentations, he also performs portions of his Olympic routine on the pommel horse to drive home his message. He demonstrates the three components of a perfect score in gymnastics – risk, originality, and virtuosity (ROV) – and discusses how they apply to success in business and in life.