ASSOCIATIONS

By Staff -- Industrial Distribution, 8/1/2000

PTDA's convention in paradise.

PTDA's convention in paradise. In celebration of the Power Transmission Distributors Assn.'s 40th anniversary and the new millennium, the association's 2000 convention will be held Oct. 25-28, 2000, at the Hilton in Waikoloa Village, on the Big Islands of Hawaii.

Ira Blumenthal, an international business development expert and consultant, will give the keynote presentation. Blumenthal is president of Co-Opportunities, Inc., an Atlanta-based business development company, and author of "Ready, Blame, Fire! (Myths and Misses in Marketing)."

In keeping with the convention theme, "Power of the End User: Rules and Roles for the New Millennium," PTDA will offer the following roundtable/educational sessions:

Thursday, October 26:

• E-business: What's Real?

• Tactics for the Independent Distributors

• Meeting Customer Demands Saturday, October 28:

• E-business: Critical Success Factors

• Meeting Customers Demands Panel

• Logistical Tactics

PTDA will once again sponsor the popular Manufacturer-Distributor Idea Exchange (MD-IDEX) and will, for the first time, set aside additional time for longer private meetings between channel partners.

On the lighter side, attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy volcano tours, snorkeling, horseback riding, helicopter tours, deep-sea fishing, golf and more. The convention will end Saturday night with a dinner/dance featuring the Motor City Angels Band.

For more information, call PTDA at 312-876-9461.

Compensation report reveals wage

Compensation report reveals wage escalation. The Specialty Tool & Fasteners Distributors Assn. and 35 other hard goods associations sponsored the 2000 Employee Cross Industry Compensation Report, which included responses from 2,400 distributors.

The overwhelming Compensation Report finding is that wage escalation is rampant. Between 1995 and 1999, wages for almost every operating employee position increased by at least 15 percent, with key positions increasing 20 percent or more.

STAFDA members were able to offset some of the wage increases with higher levels of sales productivity. In STAFDA's 1999 Operating Performance Report, based on '98 data, the typical member increased gross margin per employee from $60,396 in 1994 to $67,703 in 1998, an increase of approximately 12 percent. However, wages have increased close to 20 percent.

For more information, contact the STAFDA office at (262) 784-4774.

NIRA and SEMAA announce plans to merge.

NIRA and SEMAA announce plans to merge. In May, the North American Industrial Representatives Assn. and the Safety Equipment Manufacturers' Agents Assn. agreed to a merger of the two trade associations, effective Jan. 1, 2001.

Both NIRA and SEMAA were started in 1986 with the primary goals of elevating the skills and reputations of multiple-line representatives in their respective industries while educating manufacturers to the advantages of outsourcing their field sales functions. SEMMA has concentrated their efforts exclusively in the industrial safety products market while NIRA members serve a broader industrial base.

"This new affiliation will allow SEMAA to stay the course on its dedication to industrial safety while taking advantage of all of the NIRA member benefits and services-especially its annual management and marketing conferences," says Craig Lindsay, president of SEMAA.

For more information, call NIRA at 312-240-0820 or SEMAA at 312-240-1104.

NFPA names new executive director

NFPA names new executive director The National Fluid Power Assn. named Linda Western its new executive director in May. She succeeds Dennis McGuirk who resigned after three years of service to the association.

Western joined NFPA in 1989, beginning her work there as director of communications and member relations. In 1991, she became director of association services and development. She is NFPA's liaison to other associations serving the fluid power industry and its customers.

For more information, call NFPA at 414-778-3344.

Send Association News to senior editor Susan Srikonda, 275 Washington St., Newton, Mass., 02458; call (617) 558-4722; fax to (617) 558-4327; or e-mail to ssrikonda@cahners.com.