Captain Phillips takes on retail supply chains

Richard Phillips is headlining an upcoming supply chain conference organized by several food trade organizations. If his name doesn’t ring a bell, try Captain Phillips, as in the guy Tom Hanks portrayed in the 2013 movie of the same name.



The Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute said Richard Phillips would serve as a keynote speaker at their annual Supply Chain Conference to be held February 15-17 in Phoenix. Phillips was the captain of the Maersk Alabama in 2009 when it was navigating a normally routing trade route off the coast of Africa. After the vessel was hijacked by Somali pirates Phillips was taken hostage for five days. The harrowing ordeal was chronicled in the 2013 movies titled Captain Phillips.



He should be able to bring a unique perspective to any discussion of supply chains and logistics in a global economy.