ISD members reach for success
By Staff -- Industrial Distribution, 12/1/1998
Hilton Head, S.C.--"Communicating Success" was the theme of the Independent Sealing Distributors' 7th Annual Convention, held Oct. 8-11 at the Westin Resort.The meeting attracted 236 attendees and 41 tabletop exhibitors, the most suppliers ever. Highlights included talks by consultant Al Walker on reaching excellence; management consultant Peter Land on critical communication skills for better leadership; an executive's guide to new technologies by computer expert Terry Brock; and author/entrepreneur/football coach Bill Brooks' presentation on how to sell by communicating a differential advantage.
Round table discussion groups were also held, plus technical workshops on metrication, an overview and selection criteria of non-metallic, high-temperature expansion joints, and one workshop on gas seal technology.
Incoming ISD president Robert Kane, president of Hoffman-Kane Distributors, Inc. in Pittsburgh, Pa., says ISD is considering adding more technical presentations at future meetings.
Kane says the meeting's theme will also be his focus as president for the year. "We want to make sure everyone knows what each other is doing, where we're going and be responsive to members' needs," he says.
One way ISD intends to do that is through its ambassador program, through which volunteers contact other distributors within one of a dozen regions -- particularly members who do not attend meetings -- to find out what their needs are. "It's a pipeline to get information out and membership retention," he says.
Looking ahead, Kane says among the greatest concerns for independent distributors is the spread of integrated supply contracts and the continuing vendor reduction by end users. Many ISD members desire more loyalty from manufacturers so they can be second-tier suppliers to integrated supply deals.
New ISD officers for 1998-99 also include vice president John Raczenski, Anchor Industrial Sales Inc., Kernersville, N.C.; treasurer Doug Jenkins, Southwest Seal & Supply, Inc., Albuquerque, N.M.; and Jerald Johns, Valley of Birmingham, Pelham, Ala., immediate past president. New board members include James Bond, Hi-Tech Seals, Inc., Edmonton, Alberta; Jeff Hamilton, Engineered Seal Products, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa; associate liaison Robert Rutherford, EGC/GBSA, Chardon, Ohio; and associate liaison alternate August Sabbe of , Houston, Tex.
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