Bad loans, low home values, job losses: The last few years of this ‘perfect storm’ have meant people spending less, customers delaying purchases, tough decisions to make. The perfect storm is the recession we weathered in 2008 & 2009, and its effects, which are still lingering today.

Author and business guru Tom Peters will join PMMI members at the 2011 Executive Leadership Conference (April 3-5; Aventura, Fla.) (ELC) to discuss strategies for “Surviving the Perfect Storm.”

“Tom Peters is in the business of business, and he has been for 40 years,” said Chuck Yuska, President & CEO, PMMI. “There’s a reason Fortune magazine called him the uber-guru of management, and I know he’ll bring a lot of value to this year’s ELC.”

The session will focus on growth strategies for North American businesses and tactics business leaders can employ to consistently pursue excellence.

Making Gains in the Global Marketplace

As the domestic recovery slows in 2011, international markets will provide a prime opportunity for expanding a business’ reach and growing revenues.

“International markets are becoming more and more vital to growth in the packaging and processing marketplace,” said Yuska.

With Latin America predicted to see 4 percent growth, and East Asia expected to grow 8 percent in 2011, opportunities have never been greater. PMMI’s 2011 ELC will provide members with strategies and opportunities for growing beyond borders in “Competing in a Global Supply Chain,” led by U.S. Department of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue.

“During Tom Donohue’s time at the Department of Commerce, the organization has been very successful at dismantling trade barriers, building new trade agreements, and opening up foreign markets to American businesses,” Yuska noted.

Donohue also supports and advocates for the federal government’s growth strategy of doubling U.S. exports within five years.

“Tom Donohue drives U.S. business policies, and we’re very excited to have him leading the discussion at the ELC this spring,” added Yuska.

Why Industry Leaders Attend the ELC

Watch the video below to learn why PMMI leaders Mark Jacobson, Econocorp, Inc; Nick Wilson, Morrison Container Handling Solutions; and Rick Fox, FOX IV Technologies, Inc., don’t skip the ELC.

To learn more about this year’s ELC, and register, visit www.pmmi.org/elc2011.