Jan Schmidlkofer
Management Services Committee Chair
K&N Electric Motors, Inc.
As the chair of EASA’s Management Services Committee, I’m particularly interested in the quality of management sessions that EASA offers its members during the annual convention – and I’m pleased to say our committee had a lot of input into the sessions. Now that the 2023 Convention & Solutions Expo schedule has been finalized, I’m taking a closer look at the management offerings and planning to attend as many as possible. Following is an outline of those sessions and reasons why you’ll want to take advantage of as many as possible.
Saturday, June 24 • 1:30 – 5:00 PM
Family Business Succession Planning
Speaker: Tom Deans, Ph.D., Détente Financial Press
NOTE: Tom has been on EASA’s convention program in the past, and our committee strongly requested his return. Simply put, he is a GREAT speaker on family business issues, and this is a session that the key players in any family-owned EASA business should attend. (One of our committee members, in fact, said that a Tom Deans session at EASA “saved” his family. Now that’s a strong endorsement!)
I will also mention here that on Sunday morning, Tom will facilitate two sessions of “next generation” EASA family business leaders. These sessions will be an amazing opportunity to learn, share and commiserate with your peers!
SEE ALL SATURDAY EVENTS
Sunday, June 25 • 8:30 – 9:45 AM
Together Towards Success! Really? But Life Would be Easy If It Weren’t for Other People
Speaker: Connie Podesta
NOTE: You won’t want to miss this, because I’m sure we will be talking about it throughout the convention. Gain insight into the minds and personalities of people you deal with every day – colleagues, partners, customers, friends and family – so you can act rather than react to whatever life throws your way.
Sunday, June 25 • 10:00 – 10:50 AM
Leadership: Create an Enthusiastic Team to Get the Job Done
Speaker: Connie Podesta
NOTE: I can’t think of anyone I know who doesn’t want to learn more about creating an enthusiastic team.
Sunday, June 25 • 11:00 – 11:50 AM
Peer to Peer: Sustainability – Emerging and Developing Opportunities in the Motor Service Industry
Speakers: Bjorn Mjatveit, EMR Consulting AS; Edwin den Breejen, Bakker Repair + Services; Derry Sheehan, Avonmore Electrical Co., Inc.; Frederic Beghain, EASA Region 9
NOTE: Sustainability. We hear the term more and more in North America, but our friends in Europe are ahead on this front in many ways. This is a great opportunity to hear their perspective and gain insights into real opportunities for our industry.
Sunday, June 25 • 11:00 – 11:50 AM
Communication: Connect, Collaborate, Negotiate
Speaker: Connie Podesta
NOTE: Connie has a reputation for helping audiences understand WHY it’s important to change behaviors, re-think attitudes and get on board, so they can make things happen.
SEE ALL SUNDAY EVENTS
Monday, June 26 • 8:30 – 9:30 AM
Industry Research: New Insights from Plant Maintenance Customers
Speaker: Jerry Peerbolte, J. Peerbolte & Associates
NOTE: Jerry will present the research findings from the 2023 EASA End-User Research Study. In an hour’s time, you’ll hear what the end-user customer base thinks about key factors impacting the EASA industry.
Monday, June 26 • 9:45 – 10:45 AM
Peer to Peer: Open Management Forum
Forum participants: I will facilitate with committee colleagues Rebecca Keogh, Stewart’s Electric Motor Works; Kevin Krupp, York Repair; and Ryan Senter, Hibbs Electromechanical, Inc.
NOTE: We look forward to sharing management tips, experiences, disasters and triumphs – and hearing them from you as well! Come with your questions.
Monday, June 26 • 9:45 – 10:45 AM
How to Manage Your Sales Team – from an EASA Member
Speaker: Ron Keppel (Retired), Illinois Electric Works, Inc.
NOTE: It’s always great to hear from an individual who spent his entire career in the electromechanical field and who wants to now share that knowledge and experience with other electromechanical professionals.
Monday, June 26 • 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Peer to Peer: Get Better Results – Use an Operating System
Speakers: Kyle Fritz, Northwest Electric LLC; Tim Hebert, A&W Electric, Inc.; Paul Rossiter, Energy Management, Inc.
NOTE: I’m looking forward to hearing three EASA counterparts who are using operating systems to increase the efficiency and productivity of their companies. This is something my company hasn’t begun, so I look forward to hearing their scenarios and asking questions.
Monday, June 26 • 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Why Are You Getting So Many Calls/ Emails from Private Equity Investors and Bankers?
Speaker: Glenn Tofil, England & Company
Note: We’ve seen a lot of mergers and acquisitions during the last few years. Clearly our industry is squarely in the sights of investors and acquirers. This session will give us a capital market update on our sector among other key information.
SEE ALL MONDAY EVENTS
Tuesday, June 27 • 12:45 – 2:30 PM
Power Luncheon
Speakers: Kirk Anderson, NEMA M/G Energy Management Committee Chair; Tim Albers, NEMA M/G Technical Committee Chair; and Christopher Kuehl, Ph.D.
Note: I look forward to hearing an update on motors/drives regulations and how it impacts us, not to mention NEMA’s perspective on the supply chain and ESG policies. And then – who doesn’t want to hear acerbic Chris Kuehl give us an update on the global economy?
SEE ALL TUESDAY EVENTS