Amidst one of the worst U.S. economic downturns, the chairman of the American Truck Dealers Saturday commended his fellow dealers for attending the group's annual convention in Washington, D.C., and encouraged them to think beyond depressing headlines.


"Those of you here today have chosen 'to keep your oars in the water' despite the rip tide that is raging through our industry," said ATD Chairman Kyle Treadway, president of Kenworth Sales Co. in Salt Lake City.

In remarks to attendees at the 46th annual ATD Convention and Expo, Treadway encouraged dealers to maintain a positive attitude and prepare for a sales recovery.

Treadway offered as an example the story of Dave Denniston, a world-class swimmer who narrowly missed competing in the 2004 Athens Olympics. After a 2005 sledding accident that damaged his spinal cord, Denniston was able to compete in the 2008 Paralympics, held in Beijing two weeks after the regular games.

"Our world is changing," Treadwell said. "We can dwell on bygone days, or take a page from Dave Denniston's book and focus on what's left."

Treadway pointed to several indicators that suggest a brighter market may be coming: Interest rates are more friendly; consumer and corporate purchasing power has improved; wage pressures have eased; and driver turnover rates have been cut in half.

Although "the world is changing," and the future is unknown, Treadway urged his fellow dealers to remember the fundamentals of the business, such as "the customer is king" and "quality sells" and "people do business with people they like."

"We need to stay close to our customers, close to our suppliers, even close to our competitors, to keep a pulse on the market," Treadway said. "The key word here is 'relationships.' Are you building or reinforcing the links between you and the folks who can change your destiny?"