ORLANDO, FLA . — Over 200 delegates attended the annual meeting of the Fluid Power Distributors Assn., held at Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resort, March 2-5. The turnout was a marked improvement over last year's annual meeting, when just 135 delegates attended.

Many attendees credited the better turnout to improving business conditions at the end of 2002, a good location, and a hard-hitting business program. Last year's annual meeting was held just six months after the September 11 tragedies.

The business program opened on Monday, March 3, with presentations on "The Many Faces of Differentiation," playing off the convention's theme, "Differentiation: Stand Apart to Get Ahead." Speakers representing various segments of the supply chain — distribution, logistics and the end user — talked about ways companies can differentiate themselves in their marketplaces.

An afternoon presentation by Tom Pryor, president of Integrated Cost Management Systems, Inc., was titled "Gross Margin Profiling." Pryor explained that by using activity-based costing methods, distributors can evaluate profit on an account-by-account basis, allowing them to formulate better pricing strategies and generate more profitable business.

On Tuesday morning, the talk shifted to selling strategies when Barry Banther of Banther Consulting took to the podium to explain how distributors can take their inside sales departments from "good" to "great." Banther's premise is that inside salespeople have gained prominence and become more important in the customer's eye in the last five years. Therefore, distributors need to act accordingly and make sure inside salespeople have the knowledge and tools needed to meet customer requirements.

In a separate session on Wednesday morning, Banther shifted the conversation to outside salespeople, focusing on how their roles are changing in the 21st century. Banther also gave a practical, interactive session on improving customer service within a company, listing five strategies for turning customer service into "customer success."

Other workshops included a presentation by Dr. Al Bates of the Profit Planning Group on cash management and investment planning for distributors; a financial analyst's perspective on the manufacturing/distribution industry; a motivational speech on the FISH philosophy of doing business, developed by the Seattle fish market Pike Place Fish; and three focus groups on various topics lead by well-known industry consultant Dr. William McCleave, of W.R. McCleave & Associates.

On the last day of the convention, Tom Ralls of Hyspeco was installed as FPDA president for 2003-2004.

Ralls thanked the association's past presidents, its New Jersey-based staff, and the general membership for their continued support of the association and its work.

"I'm honored and humbled," Ralls said in accepting his new post. "Your confidence and friendship is treasured and will forever be held in high esteem … I look forward to the next year."

FPDA members will meet again October 25-28 in Indianapolis for the association's Joint Fall Conference with the National Fluid Power Assn.