In session: conference seminars aim to improve dealers' businesses

Prosales, August, 2004 by T.J. Cantwell

2004 NLBMDA/PROSALES Industry Summit The Breakers Hotel, Palm Beach, Fla.

If you're like most lumber and building materials dealers, you are constantly looking for ways to increase your efficiency and improve your bottom line, and the 2004 NLBMDA/PROSALES Industry Summit, which will be held Sept. 23-25 at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., has a full educational program that will give you the tools to do both.

In addition to the high-level keynote and panel discussions planned for the general sessions on Friday and Saturday, two innovative educational breakout sessions organized by NLBMDA are planned for Friday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m. The concurrent seminars will provide attendees with a forum to learn useful skills and techniques in the areas of human resource management and operations analysis.

* "Improving Productivity and Profits." Led by Steve Davis, president of MGT Strategies, this seminar will focus on the need for real strategic management through regular and timely analysis of the performance of your business to ensure greater productivity and ultimately higher profits. Dealers will learn what key information should be gathered, how to analyze the data, and how to incorporate strategic management into the fabric of their business to increase profitability and efficiency.

* "The Essence of Employee Empowerment." Joakim Whalstrom. executive vice president of sales and marketing for Hancock Lumber Co., will present dealers with unique ideas on how to create an innovative and cool place for employees to work. Participants will walk away with the knowledge to translate their employee empowerment program into increased productivity.

For more information and to register, see the conference brochure on page 61, visit www.industrysummit.org, or call NLBMDA at 800.634.8645.--T.J. Cantwell is director, regulatory and industry affairs, for NLBMDA.