KC SmartPort Annual Industry Briefing

Wednesday, April 8, 2026
3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | KC Convention Center

KC SmartPort’s Annual Industry Briefing brings together hundreds of top industry leaders to discuss trends impacting industrial momentum in the KC region.

This year’s program highlighted the assets, infrastructure and strategies that have shaped our region’s rise to a top 15 U.S. industrial market. Additional information about the 2027 Annual Industry Briefing will be available soon.

2026 Featured Speakers

Lisa DeNight

Managing Director, Head of North American Industrial Research
Newmark

Lisa DeNight serves as Managing Director, Head of North American Industrial Research at Newmark, where she researches and analyzes industrial trends and commercial market implications, focusing on timely thought leadership and elevating data integrity.

DeNight’s expertise is in statistical data collection and analysis, interpretation and advisement on economic and real estate trends, driving thought leadership initiatives and generating market insights.

Based in Miami, Florida, DeNight has over a decade of commercial real estate research experience and frequently speaks on topics related to industrial real estate for national and international audiences, publications and broadcast media.

Didi Caldwell

Founder & President
Global Location Strategies

Didi Caldwell is Founder & President of Global Location Strategies and Founder & Board Chair of Strata Platforms. With 27+ years advising on billions in global FDI, she’s been called “The Factory Whisperer” by Bloomberg and is a frequent commentator on Bloomberg TV and CNBC.

Under her leadership, GLS has become a world leader in site selection and incentive negotiation services and has been named to the Inc 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies list twice. A leading voice on location competitiveness, Didi combines strategic insight, technology innovation, and thought leadership to guide investors worldwide.

Dave Harrison

President & CEO
VanTrust Real Estate

As President and CEO of VanTrust Real Estate, Dave Harrison is responsible for the leadership, management, and coordination of all the company’s vertically integrated disciplines.

In 2010, after ten years as vice president and general manager of Opus Northwest, LLC’s Kansas City office, Dave founded Caymus Real Estate, which in 2012 became VanTrust Real Estate. Dave has more than forty years of experience in the development and commercial real estate industries. He is skilled in the packaging and delivery of build-to-suit and speculative development projects, as well as real estate development consulting and value creation.