CHICAGO — Six hundred people from the power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) industry came together Oct. 21-24, 2015, where tools and information to Spark a Movement: Inspire. Motivate. Lead. were delivered through cutting edge presentations, the latest in business and market information and a venue to help build the networks that are so critical to business success.
The PTDA 2015 Industry Summit, held at the Hilton Chicago, is now history, but many predict the conference will have lasting reverberations as industry leaders take home what they learned and implement new ideas at home in their industrial distribution and manufacturing businesses from over fourteen countries.
“This conference was about two things: making connections and equipping attendees to become game-changing catalysts within their organizations," said Elliot Wilson, president of Lovejoy Inc. and chair of the 2015 Industry Summit Planning Committee. "Under the ‘Spark a Movement: Inspire, Motivate, Lead’ theme, participants enjoyed several days of non-stop relationship building while concurrently being educated by four fantastic keynote speakers. Making connections also included those between participants and our industry association, which will ensure we can collectively continue to support a strong and thriving power transmission/ motion control industry."
PTDA 2015 Industry Summit at a Glance
- Held Oct. 21-25, 2015 at Hilton Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- Theme: Spark a Movement: Inspire. Motivate. Lead.
- Outside of the United States, international delegates attended from Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Philippines, Romania, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom
Industry Summit Highlights:
- The prestigious Warren Pike Award was presented by PTDA to John Masek, senior vice president, Bearing Service Inc., Livonia, Mich.
- The Wendy B. McDonald Award was presented by the PTDA Foundation to Elizabeth Moon, director purchasing, Kaman Industrial Technologies Corporation, Bloomfield, Conn.
- Alan Beaulieu of ITR Economics provided specific management objectives and accompanying recommendations to guide PTDA members through the next few years
- MD-IDEX was well attended with over 650 meetings during the four-hour formal networking program
- The new format of IML Talks with Deeper Dives allowed participants the opportunity to hear three powerful keynote speakers and truly benefit from the depth of their experiences. What they found:
- Phil Hansen dazzled participants and even enlisted their assistance to demonstrate how capitalizing on your perceived weaknesses and working together with others can lead to positive outcomes.
- Ryan Estis fired up the crowd by challenging participants to step out of their comfort zone and embrace the new paradigm of communications in the "era of the customer."
- Scott Klososky, back for an encore to his 2012 talk, educated participants about the power and limitations of networked communications.
- The Milton B. Schott, Jr. Memorial Open in support of the PTDA Foundation's work to attract right-fit individuals to careers in industrial distribution raised over $23,000.
- PTDA spouses/companions and delegates raised $5,400 for the Greater Chicago Food Depository
- PTDA member companies pledged $54,550 in contributions to the PTDA Foundation, supporting the work of Industrial Careers Pathway®
- PTDA Next Gen (those aged 40 and under) held a special event identifying over 34 new Next Gen members to participate in future Associations activities.
To celebrate a week of great work, participants were treated to a Roaring 20s Speakeasy at Chicago's Navy Pier where two original pieces of art, created during Phil Hansen’s Deeper Dive sessions, were given to lucky winners of a random drawing. In addition, many tried their hand at Blackjack, craps and roulette just for fun.
Looking to 2016:
The PTDA 2016 Industry Summit will be held on October 19-22, 2016, at the Marriott Marquis & Marina, San Diego, Calif. Registration opens in June 2016.
The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) is the leading global association for the industrial power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) distribution channel. Headquartered in Chicago, PTDA represents power transmission/motion control distribution firms that generate more than $16 billion in sales and span over 3,400 locations. PTDA members also include manufacturers that supply the PT/MC industry.