Annual at 60
12 May 2008
The Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association invites its members from around the world to join in a celebration of the Association’s 60th Anniversary during the 2008 Annual Conference, 15 to 19 April, at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida, US. The Annual Conference is expected to attract more than 600 attendees from all facets of the industry.
The schedule includes more than 50 educational sessions, networking events and committee meetings. Attendees will be informed and entertained by a roster of top-notch speakers during special sessions.
Pat Williams, senior vice president of the Orlando Magic, a National Basketball Association (NBA) team, will be the opening session speaker. He will use humorous anecdotes to help explain his seven keys to leadership and how to be a more effective leader, communicate more successfully and make profitable decisions.
Williams has been building and leading teams in professional sport for more than 40 years, culminating in a world championship with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. Known as a master marketer, he spearheaded the movement to bring a professional basketball team to Orlando, Florida. In 1996, Williams was named one of the 50 most influential people in NBA history. As one of America’s top motivational, inspirational, and humorous speakers, he has addressed employees from many of the Fortune 500 companies and the Million Dollar Round Table.
Also from the world of sports, Carey Mullen will examine how to cultivate the ”Champion Within.• During his 11 years as a leader of the Canadian Ski Team, he became a two-time Olympian, multiple world record holder, and World Cup Champion, Mullen persevered through three near fatal crashes that left him with double vision and memory loss before he finally regained 100% health.
Having spent more than 20 years studying the success strategies of high performers, he will explain how anyone can champion greatness in themselves and others. Beyond his athletic accomplishments, Mullen has a successful business background as a former sales and general manager for Dale Carnegie Training and is president of a real estate investment company. As a community leader, he has founded two charitable foundations, while serving on the board of directors for the Calgary Olympic Development Association and the National High Performance Advisory Committee.
Mike Schmidt, former director of communications at motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson Motor Company, will share insights on nontraditional communications and customer relations. Schmidt was active in one of the most celebrated turnarounds in corporate history – while being paid to ride motorcycles. In 1985 he was asked to help restore the company’s image and create demand for its motorcycles.
Harley-Davidson became one of the most visible and frequently reported-on companies in the world. Learn his techniques to build an entirely new corporate culture, rekindle relationships with customers, or reach out to new ones in completely non-traditional ways.
Three top executives from NBIS, SC&RA’s exclusive insurance and risk management provider, will use a hands-on workshop style approach to deliver specific information on contract management.
Emphasis will be on the most common contract oversights, deficiencies and failures both for the crane and transportation sectors of SC&RA membership. Among topics to be covered are negotiating payment terms and retention; type two indemnity; insurance; and completed operations.
Kevin Cunningham
NBIS executive vice president, previously was president of SRS, which was the exclusive provider of SC&RA insurance and risk management programmes before being acquired by NBIS in 2006.
Robert Moore, vice president and chief legal counsel, was previously a principle at Stone & Moore, which has been outside legal counsel since the beginning of the SC&RA/SRS partnership.
Bill Smith, president of claims & risk management, went to NBIS after years of experience in cranes and construction at OSHA, Maxim Crane and the Union of Operating Engineers.
Down to work
Unless otherwise noted, dozens of committee meetings are open to all Annual Conference attendees. These meetings offer international members an outstanding opportunity to learn about the most important issues facing their North American counterparts and how SC&RA is working to make a difference.
Attendees will be further educated at the Products Fair’s 56 display booths. For three hours, many of the industry’s top suppliers of products and services will be on hand to discuss visitors’ needs. Free refreshments and hourly cash prizes will help move things along.
International members also are encouraged to attend social and networking functions. Of particular importance is the International Members Reception, which draws members from all over the world.
For members who have never attended an SC&RA Annual Conference, the First Timers Reception offers an opportunity to meet the association’s officers and staff, network with other first-time attendees and receive first-hand information on how to get involved. Still another networking opportunity is the President’s Reception, where John Ward and his wife Mary invite all attendees and registered spouses to help kick off the 60th Anniversary celebration.
Many of the best networking opportunities traditionally occur during sporting events. Scheduled events include a golf tournament on golf legend Raymond Floyd’s 18-hole Raptor Bay course; the annual round-robin, mixed doubles tennis match; a friendly game of volleyball open to players of all ages and skill levels; and a fun-run or walk. For those not athletically inclined, an optional tour of the winter estates of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford has been scheduled.
The fun continues at this year’s Ladies Group Foundation Gala. Attendees will don tropical prints, Hawaiian shirts and shorts, in keeping with the Parrot Heads in Paradise theme. The event will feature fine dining, gaming tables and dancing.
