Saint Louis University to Hold Conference on AI and Autonomous Supply Chain
Maggie Rotermund
Senior Media Relations Specialist
maggie.rotermund@slu.edu
314-977-8018
Reserved for members of the media.
The one-day event is hosted by SLU’s Center for Supply Chain Excellence
ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis University’s Center for Supply Chain Excellence will host its third Tech-Chain conference, “Generative AI, Agentic AI, and the Road to the Autonomous Supply Chain,” on Friday, Oct. 30, at SLU’s Busch Student Center.
The third annual conference will convene more than 200 senior supply chain leaders for a day focused on Generative AI, Agentic AI, and the road to the autonomous supply chain.
This year’s theme — “Generative AI, Agentic AI, and the Road to the Autonomous Supply Chain” — reflects the industry’s rapid shift from AI experimentation to operationalized, agent-driven supply chains. The one-day program features a keynote, three speaker sessions, three practitioner panels, and an open networking reception.
“TECH-CHAIN has become the Midwest’s leading forum for the honest, practitioner-level conversation about AI in supply chain,” said Vineet Sharma, director of the Center for Supply Chain Excellence. “This year’s speakers bring exactly the kind of grounded, cross-industry perspective our audience is looking for — from advisory and enterprise technology to retail operations and grassroots AI enablement.”
The conference will feature four practitioner-led sessions and three executive panels with a focus on moving AI from pilot to production in supply chain. Sessions, and the practitioners leading them, include:
- The Real-Time, Agent-Native Supply Chain - Jett McCandless, founder & CEO, project44 and LSP44
- Four Forces Reshaping Supply Chains - Amber Salley, founder & managing director, Salley Advisory
- Where to Start with AI - Paul Lewis, CTO, Pythian
- Generative AI Use Cases and ROI - Caleb Carr, senior director, data science & engineering, Schnuck Markets
The executive panels include Scaling AI from Pilot to Production; AI for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises; and Agentic AI, Workforce, and Talent. The panelists represent Amazon, McKinsey & Company, Lowe’s, Staples, World Wide Technology, Medline Industries, ConverSight, and Wayfair, and others.
Event Details
- When: 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, October 30, 2026
- Where: Busch Student Center, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri
About the Center for Supply Chain Excellence
The Center for Supply Chain Excellence (CSCE) at Saint Louis University's Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business advances research, education, and industry engagement in supply chain management. The Center offers undergraduate and graduate curricula, executive education, capstone and consulting engagements with industry partners, and convenes leaders through TECH-CHAIN and related programs. It operates in service of Saint Louis University's Jesuit mission of higher purpose and greater good.
Saint Louis University
Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic research institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers more than 13,300 students a rigorous, transformative education that challenges and prepares them to make the world a better place. As a nationally recognized leader in research and innovation, SLU is an R1 research university, advancing groundbreaking, life-changing discoveries that promote the greater good.