University of Maryland Business School Honors President of Top Industry Association for Contributions

College Park, Md. – October 24, 2008 – The Logistics, Transportation and Supply Chain Management (LTSCM) Society and the Supply Chain Club (SCC) of the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business today named Rick D. Blasgen, president and chief executive officer of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), as the 2008 “Person of the Year.” The award is presented annually to an influential leader in the logistics, supply chain or transportation industries. Blasgen accepted the honor — presented annually to an influential industry leader — at a ceremony at the university’s College Park, Md. campus.

“Rick Blasgen’s dynamic leadership has had industry-wide impact as he has guided the organization into the 21st century,” said G. “Anand” Anandalingam, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. “His focus on globalization and integrating best practices through global strategic partnerships mirrors priorities here at the Smith School. For example, Smith’s development of a global Supply Chain Game, a real-time learning exercise, simultaneously engaged educational institutions in the U.S., Asia and Europe. It’s this level of engagement that is needed to really move the industry to the next level and I applaud Rick’s substantial achievements and successes.”

Blasgen serves the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals from the association’s headquarters in Lombard, Ill. He began his career with Nabisco, where he held various logistics positions of increasing responsibility in inventory management, order processing, and transportation and distribution center operations management. Blasgen became vice president, supply chain, at Nabisco in June 1998, then vice president supply chain for Kraft in June 2002. He joined ConAgra Foods in August 2003 as senior vice president integrated logistics.

Throughout the past 24 years, Blasgen has devoted much of his time to furthering a number of company’s supply chain management programs and initiatives. This experience has given him a solid foundation for his role at CSCMP.

Blasgen received a B.A. in business administration with an emphasis in finance from Governors State University in Illinois.

The LTSCM Society provides networking and career development opportunities for Smith School undergraduate students, while the SCC provides networking and placement opportunities for the school’s MBA students. Each year, the groups present the Person of the Year Award to an individual or individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the logistics, transportation and supply chain management industry. The award is presented as part of LTSCM Industry Day, which also included a student-organized lunch reception and afternoon career fair for Smith logistics, transportation and supply chain management students. Recruiters from more than 30 companies were expected to participate in this year’s event.

Previous Person of the Year honorees include John D. Porcari, secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation; a joint award shared by Jeffrey N. Shane, under secretary for policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and Ron Widdows, chief executive of global transportation company APL Ltd.; the Dell Corp., accepted by Ro Parra; Jeffrey Crowe, chairman of Landstar System Inc.; Linda Morgan, former chair of the Surface Transportation Board and the Interstate Commerce Commission; Michael J. Ward, chairman, president, and CEO of CSX Corp.; Don Schneider, president of Schneider National Inc.; Herb Johnson, past president of the Council of Logistics Management; and Edward Emmett, president of the National Industrial Transportation League.

The Smith School’s logistics, transportation and supply chain management program is consistently recognized among the best business school programs in the country. U.S. News & World Report ranked the undergraduate program No. 8 and the MBA program No. 12 in the United States in 2008. Smith’s supply chain management curriculum incorporates all aspects of the industry, including expanding global networks and cutting-edge technology. In addition to offering a range of academic courses, the school is home to the Supply Chain Management Center, which provides research, consulting services and education highlighting the latest advances in e-supply chain management.

About the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 13 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, executive MS, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations on three continents — North America, Europe and Asia.