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Participate In The Warehouse Automation Movement
“Your customer’s warehouse is one of the few remaining areas that is still open for efficiency and profit gains”
As a Sales Partner with LTW, distributors can introduce their customers to a proven warehouse technology that reduces operating cost, improves efficiency, reduces product damage and maximizes storage capacity. Read more...
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Follow Us Live |
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 “It’s too easy to get complacent if you become satisfied with achievements. Customers are too valuable and too easy to lose if you lose focus for even one second. Intense commitment to the present and future is the only way to make sure you’re in position to keep winning those awards and maintaining your reputation.” Read more...
Chris Powers
Editor, The MHEDA Journal
@liftmoveandstor: “Learning online search tips from Sam Richter. Scary how easy it is to find personal info about strangers.” |
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Join The
Conversation |
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“One of the major hurdles when defining a company brand is achieving employee buy-in. If employees don’t commit to the brand and all of the promises that go along with that brand, then the brand is meaningless. The trick is taking employees from knowing the brand to living it.” Read more...
Steve Guglielmo
Editor, MHEDA Media
@MatHandlingEdge: “Gregg Lederman reports that 85% of customers are willing to pay more for great service... interesting in keeping with customer service theme.” |
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UNEX Manufacturing
For over 47 years UNEX® has been developing and manufacturing products and solutions that improve the order picking process.
Order picking is the most labor intensive operation in the warehouse, accounting for 40-60% of total cost. To maximize the productivity of your operation it is paramount to optimize order picking efficiency. Read more...
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| Convention Fun Fact |
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The 2012 MHEDA Convention will be held at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel in Miami Beach, FL, from May 5-9, 2012. It will be the third time that Miami has hosted the Convention, having previously hosted in 1979 and 2004.
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Pack And Ship
Problems Solved
Deliver More Value – Expand Your Automation Product Offerings
With order shipment volumes on the rebound, distributors can increase sales opportunities, revenue and profits by delivering more value to customers in the pack and ship area. In-motion scanning, weighing, dimensioning and print-and-apply of both packing sheets and shipping labels deliver a rapid ROI to order fulfillment operations. Read more...
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Convention Connections
Review the daily events of the past week, including all the Convention photographs.
Day 1 - Sunday, May 1
Day 2 - Monday , May 2
Day 3 - Tuesday, May 3 |
| Featured Article |
The final full day of the 56th Annual MHEDA Convention was an informative one, as attendees were treated to a series of speakers and seminars. The Ritz-Carlton’s Brian Grubb began the day by discussing corporate culture and how it plays a role in the foundation of every company. “Excellence is created by design. It’s very easily duplicated. Culture is not one aspect of the game. Culture is the game,” Grubb said.
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Convention Chair Richard Donnelly (l) recognizes Kevin O’Neill of Steele Solutions for his service on the MBOA.
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“Brand Integrity Guy” Gregg Lederman followed up with a discussion about engaging employees with the five dimensions of brand integrity. “People don’t buy because of a logo. You have to live your brand in every interaction of every day. If we’re not managing behaviors and defining expectations, we are not managing our brand,” he said.
Following the opening keynote presentations, attendees went to a series of educational workshops on sales compensation plans, branding and online marketing. See comments from attendees in the “Heard in the Hall” section below.
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Keynote speaker Sam Richter taught the crowd some online search secrets.
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After lunch, sales guru Sam Richter took the stage to discuss the potential dangers lurking on the Web. His presentation focused on your personal and company reputation and how it could be affected by what is said about you online. “A reputation takes decades to build but can be destroyed in one second based on what you or others say about you online,” Richter said. Then, attendees chose from one of three other best practice workshops on online search secrets, sales management and tax laws.
The night wrapped up with a trip to “Club MHEDA.” The festive affair found Convention attendees networking, dancing to the music of The Walkens Band and a dueling piano show by Dunlap & Wilson. With another great Convention behind us, don’t miss next year’s event, May 5-9 in Miami Beach.
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With another opportunity to network at Convention's traditional closing party, attendees marked the 2011 Customer Convention as one for the record books.
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Club MHEDA was the perfect place to wish happy birthday to Hal Ingram of Gregory Poole Equipment and 2010 MHEDA First Lady Barb Morrison.
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Leaders in Motive Power
An independent and progressive company committed to the future, East Penn Manufacturing Company owns and operates the largest single-site battery manufacturing campus in the world. East Penn’s high-tech lead-acid battery facilities, which include state-of-the-art computer monitoring and quality control systems, have made the company the most technologically advanced battery manufacturer in the industry. Read more... |
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| Meet A Speaker
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Meet Convention Chairperson Richard Donnelly
As MHEDA’s 2011 President-Elect, Richard Donnelly was tasked with planning the association’s 56th Annual Convention. It was no easy task, as much of the planning coincided with the material handling industry’s ascent from the depths of the economic downturn. Handling that challenge and devising a schedule of topics that is relevant to the current economic cycle was Donnelly’s favorite part of being Convention Chair. “We wanted to know how customers’ needs have changed through this downturn and, as a result, what should change on our end to meet those needs. That is why this is called ‘The Customer Convention.’ We hit on topics that are of interest to everybody and will have takeaway value for everyone who attended.”
Donnelly, a former lieutenant in the U.S. Army, joined Gregory Poole Equipment Company (Raleigh, NC) in 1983 and has served as the company’s executive vice president since 2000. He joined the MHEDA Board of Directors in 2005. He has been to more than 15 Conventions and values the educational and networking opportunities they afford. “Attendees gain insights that can be applied to their businesses,” he says. “Those things more than pay for the cost associated with attendance. That takeaway value is something I really focused on while planning Convention.” His favorite memory in planning the show was all of the hard work that he and the MHEDA staff put in to create an agenda that addresses the critical impact factors impacting the industry. “I’m so pleased with the turnout and proud of the show that we put together. I look forward to serving as your MHEDA President in 2012!” |
| Heard In The Hall |
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“Brian Grubb’s presentation really drove home the point that customer loyalty is a result of respecting and taking care of your employees.”
Mark Williams, President
Intermountain Lift Truck
(Salt Lake City, UT) |
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“The general session definitely makes me think about how to make sure our brand message to customers is more consistent. We need to look at the good moments of customer service and duplicate them.”
John Stephens, President
Allied Caster & Equipment Company
(Charlotte, NC) |
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“Alan Rigg gave some great tips to retain high-performing salespeople. Do you want a traditional sales compensation plan or do you want salespeople to get compensated for selling the things that you want them to sell?”
Hal Ingram, Vice President Lift Systems Division
Gregory Poole Equipment Company
(Raleigh, NC) |
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“Engaged employees are more profitable for the organization. We must redouble our efforts to make sure that employees are committed to providing what the customers want.”
Jason Milligan, VP/GM Mobile Equipment Division
Hy-Tek Material Handling
(Columbus, OH) |
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“The branding seminar was outstanding. I have a lot of work to do when I get back to work to start transforming our branding efforts.”
Randy Matthai, President
Matthai Material Handling
(Baltimore, MD) |
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“Bart Basi explained some new tax laws I wasn’t aware of that are really going to affect our business. It was a very helpful presentation.”
Gregory Meyer, Treasurer
Meyer Material Handling Products
(Indianapolis, IN) |
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“The online marketing seminar was informative. The challenge for business owners is being able to talk knowledgeably about online marketing and being more informed as a consumer.”
Scott Larsen, President
R. H. Brown Company
(Seattle, WA) |
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“Traditional commission plans do not create new business opportunities long term. New business development must be handled with a clear commission plan.”
John Faulkner, President
FMH Material Handling Solutions
(Denver, CO) |
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“The sales management workshop gave me a game plan and tips for recruiting sales managers that I plan to implement. Excellent information.”
Dan Helms, President
Conveyors & Drives
(Atlanta, GA) |
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“Sam Richter offered much valuable information. I have used several of his online search tips and plan to go back, download his toolbar and implement the things I learned today.”
Steve Thoemke, President
American Warehouse Systems
(Blaine, MN) |
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Connection, Data Key
Communications, Inc, is responsible for the contents or the opinions expressed by contributors.
Copyright © 2011 Data Key Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
No portion of this newsletter may be reproduced in whole or in part without
written permission of the publisher. 
