ProDealer Industry Summit kicks off today
The ProDealer Industry Summit kicks off today in Chantilly, Va., bringing together lumber and building materials dealers from across the country.
The event, presented jointly by the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association and Home Channel News, kicks off with keynote speaker Newt Gingrich on Oct. 1, followed by the NLBMDA’s annual leadership dinner and awards ceremony and a silent auction to benefit the Innocent Sellers Fund, which aids the NLBMDA’s efforts to protect pro dealers who are sued for products they did not manufacture, design or alter.
On Oct. 2, the Industry Summit will get in gear with a golf tournament benefiting the City of Hope, followed by HCN’s ProDealer of the Year dinner.
Oct. 3 will usher in a host of education sessions and panel discussions, including:
• “Housing Industry Outlook,” with Ivy Zelman, CEO, Zelman & Associate, offering a real-time overview of the volatile housing market.
• “Are You Ready For The Recovery?” In this session, leading economists and analysts continue the discussion on home-building trends, non-residential construction, builder consolidation, commodity pricing, and preparing for the turnaround from a financial and operations perspective. Moderated by: Ivy Zelman, CEO, Zelman & Associates; Panelists are Joshua Rosenbaum, Executive Director, Building Products, UBS Securities; Paul Jannke, SVP, Wood & Timber, RISI.
• “Energy Star: What’s Next?” – This session will address why the rules of home building have changed, and how builders and their suppliers can ramp up product offerings to address this new paradigm shift. Sam Rashkin, National Director for the Energy Star for Homes Program hosts this session.
• Keynote Builder Luncheon - Jerry Howard, EVP & CEO, of the National Association of Home Builders, addresses attendees – he has more than 20 years of association experience and a lifetime in the housing industry.
• “The Supply Chain Revolution” – In this session, home builders are taking a hard look at construction methods, plans and materials to see how they can reduce costs. Skus must be rationalized and suppliers have to prove their worth. Hosting are Tony Callahan, Senior vp, National Purchasing, Planning and Design, Beazer Homes; Ed Hudson, Director, Market Research Division, NAHB Research Center; Paul Hylbert, CEO, ProBuild; William Whiddon, Partner, Building Technology Inc.
• “Running a Tight Credit Operation” will address best practices in tough times, including a discussion of strategies to improve accounts receivable, when to extend or cut off credit, and how to double check a credit report and evaluate a new client. Hosting are Annie Catmull, Attorney, Walker Wilcox Matousek LLP; Diana Perenza, vp and credit manager, Florence Building Materials.
Check back at homechannelnews.com throughout the week for updates as the ProDealer Industry Summit gets underway.
