SUMMER 2019

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THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
STAFDA ULTRA-RELEVANT WORKSHOP SPEAKERS AT STAFDA CONVENTION from page 38
With an inside line on upcoming trends and how
they’ll impact companies – including Artificial Intelligence
and blockchain technology – Peter will distill the essence
of key elements by looking at technology, globalization,
economics, demographics, energy, and politics. He’ll
draw on his background as a journalist and serial
entrepreneur to weave together the big-picture story and
explain how everyone can reinvent the world.
3 Ways to Increase Employee Engagement.
Don Yaeger: As the longtime editor of Sports Illustrated
(SI) and author of 30 books, Don’s known enough
athletes and coaches to take what he’s learned from
the greatest winners of our generation and apply those
philosophies to business. Don is steeped in the culture
of teamwork and knows for any team to function at its
highest level, employees need to be engaged. Research
shows 87% of employees claim they aren’t engaged
by their work and 24% are unhappy enough to be
“purposefully unproductive.” Don will explain how to
create “feel-it moments” when a team feels who it is
in service to and why it matters. People connect more
deeply around things they feel and effort increases when
people feel responsible to (or for) others. There IS a
difference between showing up to work and showing up
to serve; people serve people or causes, people work for
an employer.
Economic Update. Alan Beaulieu: An economic
savant who needs no introduction. His forecasts are
96% accurate and Alan always draws a standing-room
only crowd. He’ll offer an end-of-year forecast and
provide insight into 2020. Key market sectors Alan
studies are the U.S. and Canadian industrial production
indices, construction producer price index, short term
interest rates, and several construction markets. With
the 2020 presidential election only a year away, he’ll
address how the upcoming election will impact U.S.
business and the global economy.
The following programs are two targeted, roundtable
interactive sessions.
Smaller Equals Stronger: Double Down on your
Strategic Advantages to Win More Customers. J
Schneider: Distributors are being attacked from every angle
in today’s market including directly from manufacturers.
Large national distributors and ecommerce sites use
their critical mass to lure customers by using their scale,
resources, and enormous databases to predict end-user
behavior, measure Lifetime Value (LTV), and crosssell
products to further penetrate the same targeted
end customers. For regional and local distributors,
they have clear advantages too. They have intimate
knowledge of their customers, territories, deep product
expertise, industry experience, and have built personal
rapport over years of trusted service. As Vice President-
Strategy for Dorn Marketing, J will offer regional and
smaller distributors new strategies to leverage their
strengths and up their game by applying some of the
best same practices and tools national distributors and
manufacturers employ to gain new business. He’ll touch
on segmentation, value proposition, product offering,
leveraging suppliers, and the customer experience.
21st Century Leadership – How to Cultivate
Leadership in Today’s Workplace. Jeff Butler:
A hot button topic for many STAFDA members is
how to develop the NextGen to assume leadership
positions. This session is for company CEOs and upper
management who are incorporating NextGen employees
into key company roles, developing a succession plan,
or grooming up-and-rising stars into management. He’ll
share how to develop leadership traits among the
NextGen to provide inspiration and achieve extraordinary
results.
Please visit www.stafda.org for more information
on the Nashville Convention & Trade Show and STAFDA
membership.
SPECIALTY TOOLS & FASTENERS DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION