With the second annual Aftermarket Distribution Summit less than a week away, the Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network announced that distributor registrations for the event in Lake Geneva, Wis., are up nearly 70 percent over last year. The Aftermarket Distribution Summit, Sept. 12-15, combines CVSN’s annual fall meeting and Truck Parts & Service magazine’s Truck Parts Seminar. Additional details for distributors and suppliers, including registration information, are available at either www.AftermarketDistributionSummit.org or www.cvsn.org.
“CVSN is both pleased and excited at the record level of support among distributors for the Aftermarket Distribution Summit,” says Tom Stewart, CVSN president and president of Carolina Rim and Wheel. “The number of distributor companies attending this event is 70 percent above last year, and the total attendance among suppliers, distributors and media is expected to be a record for any CVSN event. The Summit is now viewed by distributors and suppliers as a major industry event that provides valuable educational takeaways, as well as opportunities to expand alliances which lead to stronger business relationships between suppliers and distributors.”
Stewart added that the Summit features a strong lineup of keynote speakers and educational sessions. The business sessions, which are conducted by Truck Parts & Service magazine, include:
• Maximizing Margins & Profits: Reviews pricing strategies and looks at best practices for calculating margins, determining optimum timing for price changes and balancing the need to generate revenue versus profit. Panelists include Harry Amoroso, president of B & A Friction Materials; Dave Clark, business analyst with Karmak; and Paul Raymond, president of Parts for Trucks.
• Build Your Business Online: Focuses on creating a sales-ready Web storefront, marketing and promoting with eTools and using social networking to strengthen and build a customer base. Panelists include April Chapman Broussard, a social media consultant with Speakin’ Up; Craig Fry, a partner with Wade & Partners; and Kyle Jernigan, director of interactive marketing for Randall-Reilly.
• Grow With A Purpose: Explores how to analyze potential markets and business opportunities and how to best take advantage of them. Panelists include: Bill Ault, president of Equipment Data Associates; Mike Betts, president of Betts Spring Co.; and Dave Scheer, president of Inland Truck Parts.
In addition to the business sessions, the Summit will include a lineup of speakers that includes:
• Bill Lasky: Lasky, president and chief executive officer of Accuride Corp., will provide his assessment of the heavy-duty aftermarket, where it is now and what the future will bring. Lasky also will touch on how planning the strategies for future success have become more difficult when survival takes center stage.
• Brent Grover: Grover is a managing partner with Evergreen Consulting LLC and an NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence distinguished fellow. He serves as an adviser to the distribution channel on strategic planning and mergers and acquisitions. He is the author of six books, including the best-selling “Strategic Pricing for Distributors” published last year.
• Rick Farrell: Farrell is president of Tangent Knowledge Systems, a Chicago-based sales training and development firm. He has more than 25 years of sales experience, 10-plus as a sales trainer. He is the author of an upcoming book, “Selling has Nothing to do with Selling.” He will show attendees how to retool their sales organization to meet the realities of the new economy.
• Scott DeGiorgio: DeGiorgio is general manager of the Automotive Repair Solutions Group at Mitchell-1, a provider of information to the transportation industry since 1918. DeGiorgio oversees product and business management for the repair information product line consisting of the OnDemand and ShopKey branded repair and transmission products, as well as the commercial vehicle division that provides technical information for vehicle maintenance, service and repair for the commercial truck and trailer markets. This session, that will demystify the search for service parts, is hosted by the Heavy Duty Distributor Association (HDDA).
• Wayne Munn: Munn, founder and principal advisor of Getting to Global, will discuss leading information technology (IT) capabilities and trends that are strategic in increasing business competitiveness and profitability. Attendees will gain actionable insights into how to leverage the business-enhancing capabilities of existing solutions to successfully meet customer requirements regardless of prior technology experience and with limited resources. Following the presentation, attendees will have a greater confidence and skills in solving business challenges with technology solutions. Wayne Munn’s presentation is being hosted by Datalliance/HDX.
Additionally, the Aftermarket Distribution Summit will include three sets of private strategic planning sessions scheduled between distributors and suppliers; a spouses’ program; networking opportunities, including the Tenneco Challenge Golf Tournament and a tour of Lake Geneva; and presentation of the CVSN President’s Award to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the industry. Regarding the latter, the 2010 recipient is industry icon Harvey Peterson of CATCO Parts and Service.
