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You Had to Be There
But if you weren't, we've got you covered! NFDA's 2008 Annual Spring Meeting held last week at the Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, Ariz., was the association's biggest meeting since 2004. If you weren't there, here's what you missed…
- Mark Shannon of Tower Fasteners was elected NFDA President.
- Wendy Rose of Blue Chip Engineered Products was elected to the position of Vice President/Treasurer.
- The Welcome Reception Pig Races, 50/50 Raffle, Mulligan Sales and Silent Auction raised $9740 in funds for the Memorial Scholarship Program
- Click here to link to Speaker Presentations from the event
- Click here to link to the list of Registered Attendees
- Click here to see just a few photos from the event...more coming soon.
- NFDA 40th Anniversary Slideshow...coming soon.
NFDA would like to thank everyone who attended the 2008 Annual Spring Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. Your attendance at this event helped to make it a success. NFDA would also like to thank the meeting and event sponsors - Tinnerman, Yellow Transportation, Sentry Insurance, Brighton Best, Copper State Bolt & Nut, Creative Assembly Systems and Ken Forging, who helped support this event.
 Save the Date for Fall 2008
NFDA 2008 Fall City Meeting
September 16-18, 2008
The Hotel Intercontinental
Chicago, Ill.
Meet NFDA's New Board Members
Distributor Directors:
 Jack O'Donoghue
Accurate Fasteners Inc.
550 E 1st St
South Boston, MA 02127
Ph: 617-268-8300
Fax: 617- 269-8783
jod@actfast.com
 James Spillman
Creative Assembly Systems
6002 Groveport Road
Groveport, OH 43125
Ph: 614-836-1050
Fax: 614-836-1057
jspillman@creativeassembly.com
 Steve Turner
Great Lakes Fasteners & Supply
812 Hughes
Traverse City, Mich., 49696
Ph: 231-313-1913
Fax: 231-941-0185
sturner@glfasteners.com
Associate Director:
 Dave Monti
Fall River Manufacturing Co.
540 Currant Rd
Fall River, MA 02720
Ph: 508-675-1125
Fax: 508-675-8770
davem@fallrivermfg.com
To read more about NFDA's new directors, click here.
Industry Articles
Weak Rivets Sink Titanic
Courtesy of cnn.com
NEW YORK (AP) -- The tragic sinking of the Titanic nearly a century ago can be blamed on low-grade rivets that the ship's builders used on some parts of the ill-fated liner, two experts on metals conclude in a new book. READ MORE
Achieving a Green Supply Chain through Lean Manufacturing
Phil Friedman - Supply Chain Management Review
With growing media attention, increased consumer awareness, additional regulatory scrutiny and the growing consensus within the scientific community on the link between human activity and climate change, issues focusing on environmental and social responsibility are not a fad, but a core business issue for manufacturers. READ MORE
Surviving an Economic Downturn
By Steve Wolkenhauer
From an e-mail received from a reader...
“We are a small distributor, with annual sales of $35 million. Like most, we're a little nervous about the economic situation. Without getting into your proprietary strategies, in a future article, could you offer a quick checklist of things to look at, to be sure we're ready for any eventuality? I'm sure that other readers would have interest as well.”
Sure. I notice that you are not a foodservice distributor, but I assume many readers here are not. If you buy stuff in great big trucks, warehouse it for the shortest period of time you can, and you ship it out through a sales force to someone who uses it up, you fit right in. The strategies of running a profitable distribution house are the same, no matter what's in the boxes. READ MORE
Burn Your Boat!
By John Boe
I believe that the great NFL Hall of Fame coach, Vince Lombardi, had it right when he said, "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor." Do you agree with coach Lombardi or are you the type of person who has difficulty staying focused and keeping commitments? Do you allow the negative influences of fear, anxiety, self-doubt and worry to dominate your thinking and sabotage your results?
Sadly, most people fail to achieve their goals, not because they're lazy or lack self-motivation, but because they were never "fully committed" to succeed! I can't think of a single great achievement that has ever been attained without first a plan of action and then an unshakable commitment to its accomplishment. Walt Disney was arguably one of the most creative dreamers and determined men of the twentieth century. Walt understood the power of commitment and would frequently tell those around him, "When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably." READ MORE
Why Good Salespeople Often Turn into Mediocre Sales Managers
By Dave Kahle
We've all done it. Promoted a good salesperson, often our best, to sales manager. My files are full of cases where the results were below expectations for everyone involved. Principals and CSOs are often disappointed in the lack of results, and the sales managers are confused and frustrated with the lack of achievement of their teams.
A variation on this theme usually produces even more angst. A good salesperson, without any real management experience, is hired from outside the company to fill a sales manager position. When these decisions go bad, the hurt feelings, negative attitudes and difficult situations which result can be ugly.
Not that this is always the case. Many CSOs and executives rose through the ranks in just this fashion, contributing exceptionally at every stage. But, these cases are generally the exception, not the rule.
The rule is that few good salespeople make good sales managers.
Why is that? READ MORE
Products & Services
Don't Miss Out on this Outstanding Member Benefit
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This new service is an exclusive NFDA member benefit and free to all NFDA members. Click here to learn more.
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