As a new twist on getting more of its members involved, ASA's Vendor Member Division will be hosting "Hot Topics" roundtable discussions on March 18, 2003 from 11:30am to 1:00pm, in Boca Raton, Florida, immediately after the close of the SWA conference booth program.

Over a casual lunch, manufacturers and others who are members of the VMD will be invited to participate in one of four topical roundtable discussion groups. Volunteers from among the VMD officers will each chair one of these groups, and solicit feedback from VMD members.

This session, the first of its kind hosted by the VMD, is designed to get people talking, to share ideas, and to research ways of addressing common industry challenges. It'll also provide a great opportunity for manufacturers to get their voices heard by other industry groups, once summaries of these discussions are shared after the meeting.

The topics and discussion leaders are as follows:

  • Technology Advancement - David Siegal, Hercules Chemical

  • Trade Show Consolidation - Ken Clark, Sunroc Corp.

  • Striking Balance between Wholesale and Retail Customers - David Lipkin, American Standard

  • Emerging Industry Issues and Trends - Robert Vick, NIBCO, Inc.

Members of VMD and other manufacturer participants in SWA's convention will receive information about how to register for this program, hosted by the VMD, by fax and email. For more information, contact VMD's staff liaison, Julianne Bendel at jbendel@asa.net or phone 312-464-0090.

For information about how to take part in SWA's 75th Annual Convention program (March 16-18), call 770-534-1155.