NationaLease is gearing up for its 66th Annual Meeting coming up on Sept. 12-13 in Chicago.

The event will kick off with a keynote address by transportation industry speaker and consultant Dan Baker, who will address the differences and similarities among generational segments of the transportation workplace.

"With the migration of younger generations into a society previously dominated by the 'Greatest Generation' [born before 1942], it's very important that everyone see and understand the implications of how each of the four segments, which also include the Baby Boomers, Generation X, and the Millennials, interact and relate," Baker said. "Bringing younger people who are entering the workforce up to speed, while mellowing the approach of the older generation, is a genuine challenge of our time."

Bill Bosco, a consultant to the truck leasing industry, will also give a thorough overview and update on the Lease Accounting Project, an ongoing project to create a common standard on lease accounting to ensure that the assets and liabilities arising from lease contracts are recognized in the statement of financial position. The talk will discuss how the project will impact lessee customers and lessors and what transportation professionals can do to prepare for it.

On Sept. 13, the NationaLease Young Executives group will gather to give their spin on transportation issues. The industry panel will be moderated by Terry Young of Advantage Truck Leasing, a NationaLease member. That will be followed by a CSA Update & Review led by Frank Molodecki of Diversified Truck Leasing and Don Van Witzenburg of Reyes Holdings, a provider of transportation services for brewers and foodservice providers around the world.

Later on Monday, economists Dr. Barry Asmus of the National Center for Policy and Jim Meil of the Eaton Corporation will direct a panel discussion on current economic conditions, credit availability, and interest rates. They will also examine the outlook for truck freight and sales in 2010 and beyond.

Rounding out the agenda will be roundtable discussions on customer Web access and the outlook for NationaLease in the next decades, as well as a board of directors open forum, a question-answer-debate gathering open to all NationaLease members.

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