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Keynote on Disaster Response Logistics to Headline 2025 AHFA Logistics Conference

Furniture World News Desk on 4/11/2025


The logistics expertise needed to address one of the most devastating disasters of the decade is the focus of a keynote presentation planned for the 2025 Logistics Conference to be presented by the Specialized Furniture Carriers division of the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) June 16-18 in Asheville, North Carolina.

 Conference keynote presenter Tony Williamson spent five years on the U.S. Disaster Relief Program management team for Samaritan’s Purse, a Boone, North Carolina, faith-based organization that provides disaster relief worldwide. It completed more than 200 helicopter missions delivering emergency relief supplies to some of the most isolated and hard-hit areas of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee after Hurricane Helene flooding last fall. In everything from small helicopters to Black Hawks and Chinooks, Samaritan’s Purse delivered generators, fuel, heaters, blankets, medical kits, food, water and Starlinks to communities that were cut off by flood waters, mudslides and washed-out roads. More than 13,000 Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief volunteers served over 700 families by mudding out flooded homes, clearing debris, removing downed trees and tarping damaged roofs.

Williamson will share his compelling perspective on the logistics expertise and agility required to mobilize federal, state and local resources, along with vast numbers of volunteers, to provide meaningful humanitarian aid.

“The 2025 Logistics Conference will be an unforgettable event in the scenic heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains,” says Specialized Furniture Carriers Executive Director Gene Clark. “And this location was chosen as the host of our three-day event for the specific purpose of channeling critical business resources back into this hard-hit destination. We’re calling on all logistics professionals, supply chain experts and industry leaders to join us in supporting Asheville’s recovery by attending this year’s conference.”

The Crowne Plaza Resort Asheville will host the event and is offering discounted room rates for up to three days before the conference. The room block will close on Friday, May 23, or when it has reached maximum capacity.

The conference also will be the center of dynamic and engaging discussions featuring experts across key sectors. The following industry panels are on the agenda:

  • Retailer Panel – Exploring supply chain innovation and evolving consumer demand
  • Final Mile Panel – Tackling last-leg delivery challenges and solutions
  • Port Panel – Insights on capacity, congestion and global shipping trends
  • Shipper Panel – Perspectives from brands navigating today's logistics landscape

 Attendees also will enjoy a special evening on Tuesday, June 17, at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company with Valerie Bauerlein Jackson, author of The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty. Jackson, a veteran Wall Street Journal reporter, takes readers on an immersive journey through Murdaugh’s life, family history and ultimate downfall in her definitive account of his arrest, trial and conviction for murdering his wife and son in 2021. 

“This conference event will blend storytelling, conversation and craft brews at one of Asheville’s most iconic venues,” Clark says.

Early conference registration is $349 per person for AHFA members and $599 for non-members until Wednesday, April 30. On May 1 the rate increases to $399 for members and $699 for non-members. Registration closes on May 31.   

Use the link above or contact Gene Clark for more information. 

 

 

About The American Home Furnishings Alliance
The American Home Furnishings Alliance, based in High Point, N.C., represents more than 200 leading furniture manufacturers and distributors. Its Solution Partners division has a diverse membership of more than 150 suppliers to the furniture industry worldwide.