The National Assn. of Wholesaler-Distributors' Distribution Research and Education Foundation released a new book by Brent R. Grover, titled More to the Bottom Line: Customer Profitability Analysis Tools for Distributors. The author answers questions such as whether wholesaler-distributors are spending time, effort and money on customers who don't deserve it and what they should do about it. Grover writes that distributors must generate a superior return on investment to simply compete, and that wholesaler-distributors can use profitability rankings to support customers offering the greatest profit potential—and reduce or eliminate losses from the least-profitable ones.

In the book, Grover takes readers through the rationale and the how-to, providing a new way of looking at and serving customers.

For more information, visit www.nawpubs.org.

Futurist Lowell Catlett, Ph.D., will be the keynote speaker at the Specialty Tools and Fasteners Distributors Assn.'s 28th Annual Convention & Trade Show in San Francisco, Nov. 14–16.

As a Regent's Professor at New Mexico State University, Catlett's knowledge of technology and its implications will be the subject of his presentation, "Future World– Future Minds."

For more information, visit www.stafda.org.

The Chicago Bolt, Nut and Screw Assn. announced its name change to Mid-West Fastener Assn.

After a preliminary vote asking members' interest in a name change indicated positive responses, the association asked members to vote on name options earlier this year. The purpose of the name change is to alleviate confusion as to the association being a small group of only Chicago-area companies, and instead indicate that it represents the entire region.

For more information, visit www.cbnsa.com.

Distributor members of the Fluid Power Distributors Assn. who submit data to FPDA's monthly Industrial Snapshot Survey now have access to certain data produced by the National Fluid Power Assn.

Only participating FPDA distributors are authorized to view selected summary numbers and graphs from the NFPA Confidential Shipments Statistics program, including monthly and month-to-year percent change in sales of total fluid power, total hydraulics, industrial hydraulics, mobile hydraulics, and pneumatics products, with graphs showing three-year trends, plus three end-use market summaries from the CSS Supplement.

For more information, visit www.fpda.org.

The Bearing Specialists Assn. is offering its members a one-two punch at improved profitability in 2004 with its annual convention program and Performance Analysis Survey.

The 2004 Annual Convention business program includes Jim Pancero on "Seven Questions to Evaluate the Competitive Marketing Health of Your Business," a program that is aimed at helping the experienced owner or manager identify the company's best areas, as well as areas offering the best opportunities for growth and improvement.

The Performance Analysis Survey helps participating firms measure their performance against industry peers, and provides information that can impact business planning and decision-making.

For more information, visit www.bsahome.org.

kgriffiths@reedbusiness.com