Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week has released a preliminary schedule of seminars and events designed to help parts and service distributors improve their businesses.

The week, Jan. 23-27, will bring virtually all factions of the truck aftermarket together for a series of seminars and a trade show. Held at the Mirage in Las Vegas, it will be the first of its kind in industry history.
HDAW will kick off Monday, Jan. 23, with the annual Heavy Duty Manufacturers Assn. Heavy Duty Dialogue, whose theme is “2007 and Beyond: Managing the Business Cycle.”
Keynote speaker will be Mike Burns, president/CEO, Dana Corp., who will present a manufacturer’s perspective on business in today’s global market. Other speakers scheduled: Norman Mineta, U.S. secretary of transportation; Chris Patterson, Freightliner Corp. president/CEO, and Dr. Clinton Longenecker, University of Toledo professor of management and business administration.
The Dialogue will also include three expert panel discussions, on the outlook for 2007, protecting intellectual property, and future purchasing trends and strategies. HD Dialogue registration information is available at: http://hdma.org.

Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week, which requires a separate registration, begins its own program on the following morning. The schedule:

Tuesday, Jan. 24
– HDAW Opening General Session
Registration information available at: http://hdaw.org

The Heavy Duty Aftermarket: Past/Present/Future
Presenters: R. Pete Joy, Heavy Duty Aftermarket Manufacturers Council and president, Haldex North American Sales Division; Dave Scheer, HDAW Joint Operating Committee chair and president, Inland Truck Parts Co.
Keynoters: Tom Gosnell, president, ArvinMeritor CVS; Bill Ryan, chairman/CEO, Point Spring & Driveshaft Co.

These “multi-track” educational sessions will follow:
The Aftermarket Economy: What Distributors Should Know
Joe McAleese, president/CEO, Bendix CVS, will introduce Stuart MacKay, president, MacKay & Co. for an overview of trends.
Recruiting and Retaining Winners Instead of Whiners
Moderator: Lee Greer, owner, Greer’s Inc. Presenters: Chuck Udell, senior partner, Essential Action Design Group; Jimsey Keith, director, University of the Aftermarket, Northwood University.
Getting Results: Five Absolutes for High Performance
Vicki Black, vice president/general manager, Dana HVTSS, will introduce Dr. Longenecker, who will address practices of more than 2,000 high-performance managers.

The exhibit hall will open at noon, and these educational sessions will take place in the business/technical theater in the hall:
The Impact of Counterfeit Parts
Dick Bell, president, Bell Frame & Brake Service Inc., will introduce a panel discussion on counterfeits, intellectual property rights and brand protection. Moderator: Paul Foley, chairman, Motor Equipment Manufacturers Assn. Brand Protection Council. Panelists: Lee Kadrich, executive director, Heavy Duty Distribution Assn.; Tony Lupo, partner, Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC.
New Developments in the Heavy Duty Brake Business
Gene Damron, general manager, Page Brake Warehouse, hosts panel that includes: Chuck Kleinhagen, president, Haldex CVS Div.; Paul Johnston, engineering director, ArvinMeritor.

Wednesday, Jan. 25
Morning devoted to pre-scheduled one-on-one distributor/manufacturer meetings. Exhibits open at noon, with these sessions in the business/technical theater in the hall starting at 1 p.m.:
The Truth About e-Business and Electronic Ordering
Moderator: Bill Phillips, vice president, Phillips Industries. Panelists: Edward Kuo, general manager, HDeXchange Inc.; Jim Schein, vice president, Karmak; John Minor, executive vice president/COO, Midwest Wheel Corp.
Shop Management and Adding Service to Your Operations
Presenters: Robert O’Connor, president, R.L. O’Connor & Associates Inc.; Dave Scheer, president, Inland Truck Parts Co.

Thursday, Jan. 26
Morning devoted to prescheduled one-on-one meetings. Exhibits open at noon, with this seminar starting at 1 p.m. in the business/technical theater:
What Do the Fleets Want From a Distributor?
John Minor, executive vice president/COO, Midwest Wheel Cos., will introduce a panel of fleet executives. Moderator: Bruce Plaxton, president, BGP Marketing Solutions. Panelists: Michelle Calbi, vice president of purchasing, Swift Transportation Inc.; Bill Fowler, director of maintenance, Con-Way Central Express, and others to be named.

Friday, Jan. 27
Morning devoted to prescheduled one-on-one meetings.
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