THE National Trailer Dealers Association hosted the largest convention in its history October 1–3 at the La Quinta Resort & Club.
More than 500 trailer dealers and allied company representatives attended the three-day event. In addition to record attendance, the association is also on pace to reach 700 members heading into the New Year. The NTDA currently has 690 members.
The convention featured a special keynote address by Major Dan Rooney, USAF (Ret.).Rooney authored the book A Patriot’s Calling — Living Life between Fear and Faith, and is the founder of the Folds of Honor Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships to spouses and children of military service members disabled or killed in action.
The convention also featured a trucking industry overview by Bill Graves, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations and an economic overview by Eric Starks, president of FTR Associates, Inc. Concurrent sessions to help members better under the shale and natural gas revolution and its impact on the trailer industry; how to prevent lawsuits, reduce liability insurance costs, minimize taxes and create a successful estate plan; how to link a performance measurement system to a strategic plan; how legislative and regulatory changes could impact U.S. and Canadian dealers; and increasing service department profitability.
Leading the association in 2014-2015 will be Nick Lambevski, president; Jeff Barber, vice-president; Steve Robinson, second vice-president; Dale Martens, treasurer; and Gwen Brown, executive director.
Trailer dealers serving on the board of directors for the coming year are Charlie Blyth, TNT Sales; Charlie Cogdill, Border International/Great Dane. John Princing, Scientific Brake & Equipment; Jamie Vaughn, Twin State Trailers; James Veres, Southeast Trailer Mart; Paul Want, Utility Trailer Sales Southeast Texas
Two allied members will serve on the board: John Carr of HAVCO Wood Products and Lyn Simon, president of onewaytrailers.com. ♦