Speaker lineup

Consolidation, e-commerce, and Facing the Forces of Change, are all on the agenda for the 15th Annual Meeting

By Staff -- Industrial Distribution, 4/1/1999

Expanding Horizons -- Mastering Change

The theme of this year's convention -- Expanding Horizons -- captures the feel of the wide open spaces of NAHAD's host state, Texas, and elements presented in the "Facing the Forces of Change" study, which reflect the need for adaptation and expansion in the business setting. NAHAD's keynote speaker, Mark Sanborn, will discuss the need to master change.

Forces, some visible and some unpredictable, shift the playing field from day to day. Being "change skilled" is one of the most valuable assets anyone can possess, says Sanborn. And the ability to change faster than the competition is key to survival and success. This presentation provides the tools members need to master change -- for themselves, their team and their organization. Members will learn how to cope and even thrive in an ever-changing world.

Sanborn presents over 90 programs yearly on leadership, team building, customer service and mastering change. He is the author of "Teambuilt: Making Teamwork Work," "Sanborn on Success," and "Only the Best on Success," along with numerous videos and other training programs. In 1995, he was featured as one of five Masters of the Microphone by Presentations Magazine. Sanborn has earned the Certified Speaking Professional designation and been awarded the Council of Peers Award of Excellence from the National Speakers Assn. At Ohio State University, Sanborn worked his way through college as an after-dinner speaker. After graduation, he was an account executive, regional manager, and associate publisher in the magazine publishing industry. He entered the professional speaking field full time in 1986.

Patrick W. Dolan

Facing the Forces of Change: Four Trends Reshaping Wholesale Distribution

"Facing the Forces of Change: Four Trends Reshaping Wholesale Distribution" is the fifth in a series of Delphi studies on future trends in wholesale distribution, conducted by Arthur Andersen in partnership with the National Assn. of Wholesaler-Distributors' Distribution Research & Education Foundation.

The prior studies tracked the evolutionary change resulting from the wholesale distribution industry moving from the growth phase to the mature phase of its life cycle. In addition to the continuation of these long-term trends, this study identifies four mega-trends that are expected to bring about revolutionary change in the wholesale distribution industry over the next five years -- electronic commerce, strategic alliances, supply chain integration, and globalization. This new "Facing the Forces of Change" study is a survival kit for beyond the year 2000 that will help members improve their business.

As Arthur Andersen's Worldwide Wholesale Distribution Industry director, Pat Dolan works with wholesale distribution companies in various commodity lines to tackle their strategic and operational issues. Dolan is author of "Facing the Forces of Change: Transforming your Business with Best Practices," "Facing the Forces of Change 2000: New Realities in Wholesale Distribution," "The Technology Maze," and "Facing the Forces of Change: Beyond Future Trends in Wholesale Distribution." He has performed various studies for many industry trade groups and given speeches on topics such as strategic planning, reengineering, productivity improvement and the quality process for wholesaler-distributors.

Adam J. Fein

Alliance Strategies for an Evolving Marketplace

Alliance relationships -- distributors pooling resources to create a new, separate organization for joint action -- now permeate the world of industrial distribution. Distributors are joining these groups to survive the increasing turbulence of a changing channel system. In this presentation, Adam Fein, of Pembroke Consulting, will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different alliance structures to answer important questions about members' own business strategies: Should you participate in an alliance? What are the major challenges and opportunities facing these groups? How should you measure the return-on-investment from participating in an alliance?

As president of Pembroke Consulting, a strategy consulting firm helping companies master the challenges and opportunities of industry consolidation, Fein is widely respected as an expert on strategic planning in consolidating industries. He wrote "Consolidation in Wholesale Distribution: Understanding Industry Change," a report published last year by the National Assn. of Wholesaler-Distributors. The report summarizes Fein's research on the triggers of consolidation in 54 different industries. A resident of Philadelphia, Fein is a graduate of Brandeis University and the Wharton School of Business.

Bart A. Basi

Building a Business Plan that Works

A well-written business plan is essential to the capital-raising process for your company. It is a way for an investor -- either a venture capitalist or other provider of funds -- to review your company's potential. Today, most investors and banks will not even consider putting money into your company without reviewing a business plan. A business plan is also a management tool. It can help you focus, in a logical and organized fashion, on the future growth of your company. It will enable you to monitor and assess progress.

Bart Basi is an expert on closely held enterprises. He is an attorney and a certified public accountant. The combination of these two disciplines, with his extensive experience, gives him insights and expertise on financial and tax matters that are invaluable for business stakeholders. Basi can furnish white papers on up-to-the-minute financial trends and tax decisions that can provide a competitive edge for members' companies. In addition, he will be available for one-on-one consultations (of about 20 minutes) without charge for members who wish to schedule an appointment. Most appointments were made prior to the convention, but some will be accepted during the meeting, if space permits.

William R. McCleave, Jr.

The Small Distributor's Role in the Evolving Channel

Supply channel consolidation, distributor alliances, national chains, and integrated supply are just a few of the hard-hitting forces reshaping the distribution landscape. In the midst of the turbulence, many small and specialty distributors are responding with a survival strategy based on past successes. Will this approach work in the future? This seminar explores the answer to these and other questions related to the future survival of small and specialty distributors. Observations and data are based on personal interview results of an industrial distribution research project completed in the fall of 1998.

Bill McCleave is president of W.R. McCleave & Associates, a Texas consulting firm specializing in relationship management for distributors, manufacturers and customers. He is recognized as one of the leading experts in integrated supply and has worked in a wide variety of distributor/industrial customer relationship capacities. As a former senior manager of a regional distribution company, past president of a national distributor organization, and a five-year faculty member of Texas A&M's Industrial Distribution program, McCleave brings a unique perspective to distribution education. He received his undergraduate degree from Clemson University in mechanical engineering and his doctorate in industrial engineering from Texas A&M.

Terry Brock

Expanding Horizons -- A Practical Guide to Electronic Commerce

No matter what your level of computer expertise, you've heard about commerce on the Internet. Electronic Commerce, Net Marketing, CyberMoney -- whatever term is used -- this new wave of doing business is already creating enormous wealth and forecasts a bountiful future for those who can and will embrace it in the right way. This presentation will take members through the steps they'll need to follow to prosper from e-commerce, in addition to pointing out issues they'll need to consider to make this new way of doing business successful for their companies.

Terry Brock is an internationally recognized speaker and trainer in computers and technology. He applies his knowledge of these two subjects to help businesses increase their communications possibilities and marketing potential. A regular columnist for the American Cities Business Journal, Brock's column "CyberSense," is carried by business journals across the U.S. Brock has a bachelor's degree in communications, and an MBA with a concentration in marketing from Georgia State University .