Record crowd turns out for NAHAD 2000

By Staff -- Industrial Distribution, 5/1/2000

Monterey, Calif.-A record 950 attendees showed up for the 16th Annual Meeting & Convention of the National Assn. of Hose & Accessories Distributors, held last month.

NAHAD president Lee Helfer, president of Specialty Hose Corp. in North Canton, Ohio, officially welcomed members during opening ceremonies held Sunday, April 9, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Monterey.

"Thank you for taking time from your busy schedules to join us here in Monterey," said Helfer. He gave a special welcome to NAHAD's 127 first-time attendees and to the volunteers who helped bring two long-time NAHAD initiatives to completion.

Helfer announced the availability of NAHAD's Hose Assembly Guidelines, the fruits of six years' labor to bring voluntary hose assembly standards to the industry.

The other key initiative was the NAHAD Institute, an industry education program launched two years ago and field tested with select members during 1999. Brochures describing each program were available at the convention. Helfer described the NAHAD Institute as "one of the more major ... member benefits" the association has introduced in recent years.

Before introducing keynote speaker Dr. Roger Blackwell of The Ohio State University, Helfer encouraged members to take advantage of the networking opportunities afforded by the convention. He also thanked his family, business partners, the NAHAD board of directors and volunteers, and the association's management team for support during his tenure as NAHAD president.

"It's been a wonderful experience," Helfer said. "Enjoy the convention and have a good meeting."

Blackwell covered a range of marketing issues in his nearly two-hour opening speech. One of the points he continued to drive home was the importance of distributors and suppliers working together to bring new products to the marketplace. Distributors know their markets better than anyone else, he reasoned, so it only makes sense for them to work with suppliers to develop and design new products. In concert with that, it's also key for distributors to understand their "customers' customers'" problems, said Blackwell-a point that will help distributors bring new solutions to customers.

Following Blackwell, sales consultant Jim Pancero talked about "Shifting Your Selling Skills to the 21st Century." The day ended with a talk by Roger Herman of the Herman Group on "The Evolving Workforce/Workplace-Trends, Strategies & Tactics."

NAHAD's annual Conference Table Program was held Tuesday morning, with over 100 manufacturers displaying product information. The annual meeting of members and a series of educational workshops made up the third full day of the convention, Tuesday, April 12. Also on Tuesday, Helfer passed the gavel to Chuck Connors of Omni Services, who will be NAHAD's president for 2000-2001.

NAHAD will meet for its 17th Annual Meeting & Convention next May in Puerto Rico.