• A Grand Gathering of the Best in the Industry

    April 1, 2006
    Where can you go to gather with your industry peers and share in the common purposes, operations, problems and goals of your business? Where can you meet

    Where can you go to gather with your industry peers and share in the common purposes, operations, problems and goals of your business? Where can you meet with those peers to work toward the good of your industry?

    At HARDI's Mid-year Business Conference and Central & Great Lakes Regional Meeting, that's where! The beautiful Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, will be host to the June 10-13, 2006, event.

    More casual than the annual conference, the midyear business conference still offers the same important elements as any HARDI gathering: meetings to advance the industry, peer networking, education and time left over for some on-the-greens recreation.

    The three-day meeting will kick off on Sunday with essential committee and council meetings.

    Sunday Committee/Council Activities

    Most HARDI initiatives begin at the committee or council level. Leadership holds conference calls to carefully develop the agendas, but during the actual meetings, members interact in an open forum, and anyone is free to bring up any subject for discussion. Plan to actively participate in these sessions to help realize your value and the value of your association.

    What's Hot?

    The Refrigeration Systems Council under the leadership of Frank Meier believes the need to reclaim more R-22 refrigerant is a top priority for discussion. It might be determined to develop an action plan to support the Refrigerant Response Use Initiative Task Force created by the Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Institute (ARI).

    Near-term forecasts by the EPA suggest that perhaps 30 percent of servicing needs for R-22 will have to be provided by reclaimed R-22 refrigerant. Without an active reclamation program, shortages of R-22 and steeply rising prices are likely scenarios. Stay tuned.

    Air-conditioning interests who gather to attend the HVAC Systems & Equipment Council will no doubt continue to discuss the impact of 13-SEER efficiency standards on product availability and best strategies for equipment distributors. Chairperson Greg Trimbach expects another standing-room-only meeting.

    Controls distributors continue to sift through the data from their customer survey responses to develop a value-added services model for the controls market that customers want and will pay for. Controls Council Chair Terry Turner invites any interested wholesaler to attend these sessions.

    Kevin Mahoney, chair of the Plan & Spec Council, reports a very successful educational session at the January ASHRAE/ARI Expo in Chicago. Building interest in the council is his group's top priority. A first step toward establishing some business ratio benchmarks for the commercial “rep” is under discussion.

    HARDI committees continue to address a plethora of topics and activities. Education is hard at work on the Counter Certification program. Management Methods is moving to include more HR topics, while Logistics is looking closely at warehouse productivity at the same time Supply Chain Technologies explains cost savings using e-commerce. Suppliers are making every effort to fine-tune the booth program for October, and manufacturer reps are talking about changes and improvements in business relationships. Government & Trade Relations is emphasizing the “trade” aspect when developing the agenda for their meeting. Lastly, Executive Development is concentrating on reaching out to “up-and-comers” among member companies.

    Monday morning will play host to the ever-popular regional Vendor-Distributor mini-meetings. A trade-show-type program offers the chance for HARDI supplier members to travel around the room to the distributors and hold important discussions with them about the value of their product offerings. Monday afternoon will coax attendees to the links as they take in 18 holes at The Highlands — a Scottish-style championship golf course.

    Tuesday will also host a golf outing on The Brute course — a traditional American-style 18-hole championship golf course — but only after another productive morning. The day will start out with a brief business meeting for the regions and be followed by the educational session titled “Putting the Health Back into Health Care: Consumer-Driven Health Plans and Worksite Wellness.” Insurance and benefit solutions experts Paul Shaheen with the Horton Group and Bill Yankowski from Interactive Health will discuss the always hot topic of health care, including the ins and outs of Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Accounts. There will be plenty of time at the end of the session for questions and answers.

    HARDI members can't afford to miss this meeting. It's another grand opportunity offered by the association to join a gathering of companies that share common purposes, operations, problems and goals so closely with each other's firms. Share in the camaraderie and keep your finger on the pulse of all aspects of the industry.

    Further particulars including hotel and registration details are available on HARDI's website at www.hardinet.org or by calling the HARDI office at 888/253-2128.