By: Matt Wilson, NTEA president; Chairman & CEO of Switch-N-Go,
AmeriDeck & Bucks Divisions of Deist Industries Inc.
This article was published in the June 2016 edition of NTEA
News.
So far, 2016 is flying by — and what a year it has
already been. Chassis sales are higher, then lower. Labor markets are tight.
Some commodities are down, while others are working their way up. And, there’s
this whole election thing going on. It’s time for a reset — time to assess the
outside factors you can’t control and make sure your plan positions your company
for success regardless of these issues.
Do you have the resources to determine which direction
the U.S. and world economies are taking? Will the outcome of the election impact
your business? What are other leaders in our
industry doing to find
answers?
Four years ago, NTEA’s Board and staff knew these
questions were shared by many industry companies. The Association decided to
construct a forum to present many of these answers and deliver value to
attendees. Jump ahead a bit and, after one planning year and two successful
events, we are kicking off registration for the third annual NTEA
Executive Leadership Summit. This year’s conference will
be held Oct. 25–26 at the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa in Las Vegas,
Nevada.
As far as learning opportunities, the Executive
Leadership Summit provides top-level presentations on the economy, regulatory
issues and business trends which may be affecting your company. These sessions —
spanning one-and-a-half days — are unique to this event and truly separate from
other major education NTEA offers each year at events like The Work Truck
Show®, Green Truck Summit and Truck Product Conference. This year, we
have a seasoned group of speakers and topical experts, selected based on
attendee feedback and research by the Education Committee.
If you have yet to experience the Summit and ask a past
attendee whether or not the trip to Las Vegas is worth it, you will most likely
get an emphatic yes. You will, without a doubt, gain takeaways to implement in
your work, life and business. Another valuable aspect of this event is downtime
and evening meals with some of the top industry leaders and decision-makers.
Sessions and receptions are held on resort grounds, and, unlike other meetings
or shows, there aren’t multiple events taking place which might preclude you
from spending time with peers. Conversations have a chance to go deeper,
encouraging professional connections and greater sharing of
industry knowledge.
Timing can be a big factor in deciding whether or not to
attend. The Summit generally fits my team’s work schedule, and we have built it
into our annual strategic planning update process. The last two
years, we have had three or more employees attend. They focused on
learning as much pertinent information as possible to ensure their
updates (presented in the following days) are fresh, timely and relevant. If you
are attending the Summit this year with a few people from your business, I
recommend reaching out to NTEA’s staff to see what other companies have done to
make the most of the presentations and available meeting space. Similar to The
Work Truck Show, staff is here to help you maximize the value you
receive.
Registration is open at ntea.com/executivesummit, and more
information is featured in this month’s cover story. I look forward to seeing
old friends and new faces at this year’s event. In the spirit of planning, I’ll
be submitting my team’s registration as soon as possible. Don’t wait too long —
it will be October before we know it.