Confronting Uncertainty and Global Trade: Day 2 of the ACORE Finance Forum
Building on the discussions from Day 1 of the ACORE Finance Forum, Day 2 shifted the focus to the most pressing barrier complicating the clean energy market: global uncertainty.
To help investors and developers navigate an unsteady landscape, Finance Forum keynote speakers Lori Ann LaRocco and Edward Fishman offered actionable insights for attendees.
Cutting Through Supply Chain Noise with Lori Ann LaRocco
Lori Ann LaRocco opened Day 2 of the Finance Forum addressing the physical realities of global trade flows. Drawing on her expertise in maritime trade, logistics, and supply chain data, she highlighted the uncertainty that’s reshaping how goods move around the world.
LaRocco helped attendees understand how shifting international trade restrictions, tariff debates, and global manufacturing dynamics are determining whether the critical components needed for everyday goods and America’s infrastructure actually arrive on time.
“Knowledge is power,” said LaRocco, when asked how companies can operate in these uncertain times. Her advice to attendees was to get to know your primary suppliers and the other suppliers throughout your supply chain. “Get to know the tier-one, -two, -three, -four, -five providers. Those providers will help you if they know you.”
“Take away the bluster and understand the flow. You have to be your own TV producer for your supply chain.”
Navigating the Geopolitical Chessboard with Edward Fishman
Fishman continued the discussion on supply chain during a keynote with ACORE President and CEO Ray Long. With a copy of his book, Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare, in hand, Fishman said that more countries have begun to understand how to demonstrate power by creating chokepoints to affect global supply chains.
“You could walk through New York City today and not know there is a deep global energy crisis going on, unless you saw a gasoline price sign,” Fishman said, referring to the effect of Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. “There is a potential advantage from this crisis, in that it could lead to real American energy dominance, which would be an all-of-the-above energy strategy.”
Fishman was clear-eyed in helping Finance Forum attendees understand how long the ramifications from this energy crisis or a future crisis can last.
“It’s easier to convince the private sector that risk has intensified than it is to convince them that a known risk has dissipated,” he said.
The Takeaways
Today’s networking breaks at the Finance Forum were full of handshakes and conversations among attendees about their supply chains. LaRocco stuck around for informal conversations with multiple attendees about their approach to logistics.
That’s the utility of ACORE events – they draw experts such as LaRocco and Fishman and provide information so business can gain a strategic edge to secure supply chains, mitigate evolving risks, and finance American energy deployment.
If you missed the Finance Forum, we hope you’ll keep an eye on our events page and join us soon!
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