About Our Speakers

Lisa Reismanhasm
Managing Director
Aptium Global Inc.

Lisa Reismanhas over 16 years of experience in management consulting and metals based strategic sourcing. She is currently a co-owner of the metals-based sourcing firm Aptium Global Inc and Editor of the award-winning blog, MetalMiner ™ www.agmetalminer.com that provides sourcing and trading intelligence for global metals markets.

In addition to past roles at Andersen and Deloitte Consulting, Lisa has also owned and operated her own metals trading company, sourcing and selling a full range of metal products from and to emerging markets.Her industry clients span multiple industry sectors. She has worked in the aerospace and defense, trucking and shipbuilding industries as a trader and in the high tech, automotive, mining, cable, earthmoving equipment, industrial and building products sectors as a consultant.

Lisa earned her MPA from New York University, where she received a Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Administration Fellowship. She also holds a BA in political science and journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Lisa is INCOTERM certified and holds a Six Sigma Black Belt. Her opinions have been quoted in numerous mainstream and industry magazines such as The Christian Science Monitor, Business Credit Magazine, Darwin Magazine, The Industry Standard, GlobalAutoIndustry and Automotive Industry Action Guide among others. She has authored columns on Lean Sourcing in tight commodity markets for Modern Plastics Worldwide. She currently serves as Editor-at-Large of Surplus Record, an industrial publication with a circulation of 75,000. Lisa is married to fellow blogger, Jason Busch, author of the very popular sourcing site, SpendMatters. They live in Chicago with their two sons.


Howard Rappaport
Global Business Director - Plastics
Chemical Market Associates Inc.

In 1999, Howard joined Chemical Market Associates, Inc. (CMAI) as Director of the Polyolefins Division. Howard now serves as the Global Business Director for Plastics. He is responsible for CMAI’s commodity and engineering plastics services worldwide. He collaborates with CMAI’s European, Asian and Middle East offices to contribute to the Global Plastics & Polymers Reports, Monomers Market Reports and World Polyolefins Analysis, as well as various single client studies for CMAI’s Business Advisory Services Division.

With almost 30 years of experience in the plastics and polymers industry, Howard was instrumental in the development of CMAI’s Plastics Processors Conferences in 2004. These events are now slated as major annual CMAI conferences in the U.S. and Europe. In 2005, Howard led the efforts to publish the World Plastics & Polymers Review, a comprehensive, study reviewing the world markets for Polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE and HDPE), Polypropylene, Polystyrene, EPS, PVC and PET resins. He spearheaded the development of the Global Plastics & Polymers Report –Asia Middle East / India Weekly plastics service in 2008. He is a sought after industry speaker, and has been quoted in various publications and media including: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Financial Times, Fortune Magazine, Forbes Magazine, Bloomberg, National Public Radio, The BBC as well as numerous other chemical & plastics industry publications.

Prior to joining CMAI in 1999, Howard held various plastics industry management level positions in commercial development, business management, product management, sales/marketing, and customer service. Company affiliations include American Hoechst - Huntsman Chemical, Webster Industries, Cain Chemical - Occidental Chemical, Himont – Montell Polyolefins, and Westlake Polymers.

He has extensive experience with numerous thermoplastic materials, fabricating processes, and markets, including LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE, PP, PS, EPS, Nylon, UHMW, and PTFE. Howard has also been involved in the business planning, and commercial development of major start-ups of new capacity in the polyolefins business, as well as leading several cross functional business teams consisting of R&D, manufacturing, sales/marketing, and technical service.

Howard has been an active member in the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) since 1980, the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI), the American Plastics Council (APC) and the Film and Bag Federation (FBF).


Brian Kraus
Director, Global Strategic Procurement
Amway Corp.

Brian Kraus is the Director, Global Strategic Procurement for Access Business Group, a division of Amway Corporation, headquartered in Ada, Michigan. Amway Corporation is a global leader in direct selling, with over three million Independent Business Owners in over 80 countries and territories world-wide. In his role as Director, Brian is responsible for managing over $2.0 billion in direct and indirect spend across multiple global locations. Brian became Director in 2006 and has restructured the Division, developed a comprehensive vision and roadmap for Global Strategic Procurement and drove significant economic results.

Before becoming Director, Brian served as Finance and Supply Chain Manager for Access Business Group. In his role as Finance Manager, Brian was responsible for all budgeting, planning and business case/supply chain analysis for the supply chain organization.

Prior to his employment with Amway, Brian was a Consulting Manager with Deloitte Consulting, providing finance transformation services to clients in retail, energy, higher education and entertainment sectors. In addition, Brian was also a Corporate Banking Officer for National City Bank, providing a full range of banking services to manufacturing, real estate, retail and hospitality clients.   

Brian received a MBA from Western Michigan University, a BSBA from Aquinas College, is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and is Certified in Financial Management (CFM.) Brian has participated in executive education courses at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.   

Brian is an alumnus of Inside Grand Rapids and has served as a Junior Achievement volunteer instructor. Brian is a member of the Western Michigan University Externship Advisory Council and is also a member of the Procurement Strategy Council Executive Advisory Committee.


Michael C. Valentino
Sourcing Analyst
Amway Corp.

Michael C. Valentino is currently a Sourcing Analyst at Amway, where he manages Strategic Procurement programs and activities specifically related to cost control, market intelligence, and risk management on a global basis. Primary responsibilities include the development, education, and implementation of programs and projects to support global strategic objectives and operating plans. His passion for collaborating on cross-functional projects and strong analytical background has contributed to his success in developing supply management programs to meet the specific needs of the organization.

He also has experience in the automotive industry as an Engineer at Mercedes Benz and as a Financial Analyst at Ford Motor Company. In those roles, he primarily concentrated on process improvements and cost management in the areas of warranty, product development, sourcing and logistics.

He has dual undergraduate degrees including a BA in Physics from Hamilton College, a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia and an MBA from Michigan State University.