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Mineta to Keynote Top2Top

Pet Age Staff//September 12, 2013//

Mineta to Keynote Top2Top

Pet Age Staff //September 12, 2013//

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Former Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Commerce Norman Mineta will keynote the 3rd annual Pet Industry’s Top2Top Conference in Amelia Island, Fla. next year, the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council said.

“Secretary Mineta will share his vast experience on what business executives can do to ensure their views are properly represented in the government decision-making process,” Mike Canning, president and CEO of PIJAC, said. “With his years of public sector involvement at every level of government, Mineta’s keynote session will greatly benefit the entire pet industry.”

Mineta’s career in public service has been both distinguished and unique. For almost 30 years, Mineta represented San Jose, Calif., first on the City Council, then as mayor and then as a member of Congress. Mineta served as the chairman of the House Transportation and Public Works Committee from 1992 to 1994 and chaired the Subcommittee on Aviation and the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation.

In 2000, Mineta was appointed by President Bill Clinton as the United States secretary of commerce.  As secretary of commerce, Mineta was known for his work on technology issues, for achieving international cooperation and intergovernmental coordination on complex fisheries issues, and streamlining the patent and trademark process.

Mineta was appointed secretary of transportation by President George W. Bush, where he served until 2006.  Following the terrorist acts of Sept. 11, 2001, Mineta guided the creation of the Transportation Security Administration, an agency with more than 65,000 employees, the largest mobilization of a new federal agency since World War II.

His keynote session will address the need for every business executive in the pet industry to become more active in working with elected officials.  He will focus on what works and what does not when industries engage on public policy.   Additionally, he will provide an insider’s view of the messaging lawmakers find persuasive and discuss how best to make a compelling case to achieve favorable government outcomes.  And of course, he will discuss his pets.

The Pet Industry’s Top2Top Conference provides leaders in the industry with the opportunity to set the course for the future of the industry, gain powerful insights that will make a difference in your business today, and create valuable relationships with other leaders in the industry.

The conference will be held at the Amelia Island Plantation on April 23-24, 2014. Conference registration opens in mid-September.

For more information, visit www.pijac.org/Top2Top.