Conference conversion: NLBMDA Industry Summit and HCN’s ProDealer Conference merge

WASHINGTON, D.C. —The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) and Home Channel News have merged their two annual conferences. The new event, dubbed The ProDealer Industry Summit, replaces NLBMDA’s Industry Summit and HCN’s ProDealer Conference.

The new conference will be held Oct.1 to 4, 2008, at the Westfields Marriott Resort in Chantilly, Va., and will be jointly run by both organizations.

The ProDealer Industry Summit is expected to bring together hundreds of dealers, distributors, builders, wholesalers and suppliers this fall and will focus on actionable information that LBM players can put to use as they face today’s challenging marketplace.

“We are excited to bring together two great conferences for the overall benefit of t h e industry,” said Diane Swenson, new president of the NLBMDA.

During the event-packed conference, attendees will enjoy guest speakers ranging from in-the-loop politicos to economists and industry players sharing their strategies. The ProDealer Industry Summit will also feature numerous net working opportunities, social events and sporting activities.

“We will now be able to offer to the industry a single event, combining all of the benefits of each conference, while delivering more value to the vendors and manufacturers who support these events,” said Jim Reynolds, managing director of the ProDealer Conference.

Content for the event and the conference’s agenda is in large part determined by the ProDealer Industry Summit Advisory Board, which includes a broad range of regional and national dealers. Contributors to this year’s event include Harold Baalmann, president of B&B Lumber and chairman of the NLBMDA; Paul Hylbert, CEO, ProBuild; Dan Fesler, CEO, Lampert Yards; Dave Snyder, vp, Builders First Source; Quent Ondricek, vp, Do it Best; Grady Gennings, vp, Orgill; Jeff Donley, senior vp, Carter Lumber; Tony Callahan, senior vp, Beazer Homes; and Rich Cortese, executive vp, TW Perry.

The NLBMDA represents more than 8,000 lumber and building material companies with more than 400,000 employees, 20 state and regional associations, and the industry’s leading manufacturers and service providers. NLBMDA member companies are the suppliers of builders and contractors in every state across the United States.

Home Channel News is the leading news organization serving the industry, read by more than 40,000 industry executives at LBM dealers, distributors, whole salers, hardware stores, home centers and co-ops.