PDIS to address credit management, post-bankruptcy collections
Tough times require tight fiscal policies, as many dealers have learned during the spate of recent builder bankruptcies. The ProDealer Industry Summit will address this topic in a session called, “Running a Tight Credit and Collections Operation,” scheduled for Oct. 3 in Chantilly, Va.
Two speakers will approach the issue from different angles and address issues that affect businesses of all sizes, from single lumberyards to multi-state chains. Diana Perenza, vp and credit manager of Florence Building Materials in Huntington, N.Y., will offer strategies to improve accounts receivable, as well as tips on when to extend or cut off credit and how to double check a credit report and evaluate a new client. Perenza is a paralegal who has lobbied, at both the state and national level, to reform lien and bankruptcy laws.
Annie Catmull, a Houston-based commercial bankruptcy attorney, will advise building material dealers and suppliers on what to do after a customer files bankruptcy. An associate with Walker Wilcox Matousek, Catmull can address the issues of preserving supplier claims, joining court-appointed committees of unsecured creditors and handling demands and lawsuits from bankruptcy trustees for payments made by a customer prior to his or her bankruptcy filing. Catmull has represented debtors and creditors in chapter 7 and 11 court cases, involuntary bankruptcies, shareholders and parties purchasing assets from bankrupt entities.
The ProDealer Industry Summit, scheduled for Oct. 1 to 3, is a joint conference of the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) and Home Channel News. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich will kick off the event at the Westfields Marriott. Ivy Zelman, one of the building industry’s most widely recognized analysts, will deliver her housing forecast and moderate a panel of industry experts.
Other educational sessions will include “The Supply Chain Revolution” and “Energy Star: What’s Next?” Jerry Howard, executive vp and CEO of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), will also address the summit. A golf tournament benefiting the City of Hope will round out the social networking events and tabletop exhibits. For more information about the conference, visit www.prodealer.com.
