EDUCATION

Please select an education category to view the full list of courses:
Special Pre-Convention Leadership Seminar
Management and Leadership Courses
Financial Strategy Courses
Benchmarking Your Company's Performance

Wednesday, Sept. 30 • 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (lunch included)
Special Pre-Convention Leadership Seminar:
Leading and Managing Marketing in a Precast Concrete Firm
Seminar Fee: $495 Early Bird; $525 after Aug. 11
Each additional registrant from the same company is only $250 per person.

This course is a one-day executive level precast marketing
course that will build marketing acumen and skills in defining,
developing and leading your company’s marketing efforts.
Acquire specific marketing tools, references, examples and
applications for the precast concrete industry. Key topics will
include:

1. Analyzing & Segmenting your Customer Markets
2. Identifying your Core Competencies & Competitive
   Advantages
3. Selecting your Target Markets and Identifying the
   customers you can best serve
4. Defining your Value Positioning
5. Developing your Product strategy (analyzing sales mix,
   plant capacity and profitability)
6. Communicating to your Customers :

a. Developing your message strategy (What to say: the
three things you want customers to say about you)
b. Defining your creative strategy (How to say it)
c. Determining the message source (Who should say
it - customer testimonials)
d. Planning the marketing communication (Where
to say it: Web site, sales, sales brochures, sales
presentations, trade events, broadcast media, prints
media, etc.)

About the Presenter:
A faculty member at Pepperdine University, Doreen
Shanahan worked for more than 20 years in the corporate
world in a variety of marketing and communciation positions.
She has developed and written more than 80 E2B (education
to business) cases with multi-national businesses across a
wide spectrum of industries.

Management and Leadership Courses

These events are included for all Full Package and Partner Package attendees.
Please indicate how many registrants will attend each of these events when registering:

How to Manage Change Effectively
Presenter: Mary Ann Masur, Synergy Consultants
Saturday, Oct. 3 • 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
REPEATS: Saturday, Oct. 3 • 3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Do you want to be more comfortable with change? Do you
want to manage the phases of change effectively? Do you want
to help your team transition smoothly? If you answered yes
to any of these questions, then this workshop is for you. This
interactive program will focus on understanding changes that
you have experienced, learning your comfort level with change,
knowing the phases of a transition and what occurs in each
phase, and developing an increased awareness of the impact of
change.

You will learn to:
• Identify the opportunities available from a specific change
• Define seven dynamics of change
• Develop a personal action plan for change

Sell More than Price
Speaker: George Hadley, Hardhat Presentations
Saturday, Oct. 3 • 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

People don’t always buy low price: They buy the best
perceived value, differentiation or a personal relationship. Today’s
customer demands exceptional service, perfect quality and
many choices. Customers expect you to give them exactly what
they want, improve how they do business, and help them make
more profit. Even in this competitive price-driven economy, you
can become the preferred provider of products and services
using proven marketing and sales ideas that work. Learn how
to create loyal customer relationships by offering more than low
price, setting yourself apart from the competition and becoming
a trusted partner in your customer’s growth. Presented by a
successful business owner in a fast-paced, fun, and enthusiastic
style with lots of action ideas.

You will learn to:
• Create loyal customer relationships
• Persuade your customers to buy only from you
• Set yourself apart from your competition by acquiring a
special skill set

From Here to High Performance
Speaker: Dr. Scott Toussaint, Toussaint and Company
Sunday, Oct. 4 • 3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Knowing the mechanics of your business is not enough to
guarantee successful business outcomes, especially in this
economy. Studies have shown that up to 70 percent of the
factors influencing success relate directly to the leadership
skill of a well-functioning team. The ability to communicate a
vision and move a team and management to that vision is what
separates marginal business workgroups from high performance
teams. In order to develop the communication, integration
and leadership skills necessary to move from mediocre
performance and take your team to the next level, you’ll need to
understand how the human element can be the critical factor.
This interactive, highly participative seminar will equip you to
lead your team to successful business outcomes in this difficult
economy.

You will learn to:
• Recognize how organizational structure impacts project
success
• Identify methods to increase trust, engage in conflict,
leverage commitment, hold team members accountable
and realize superior results
• Develop your leadership strategy

Financial Strategy Courses

These events are included for all Full Package and Partner Package attendees.
Please indicate how many registrants will attend each of these events when registering:

Keys to Keeping the Money Flowing from Your Banker
Presenter: Don Humphrey
Saturday, Oct. 3 • 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Learn how you can keep the money flowing! This course will
explore what bankers are looking for in a business client. We will
discuss tactics you can use to build an effective relationship with
your banker and ways to maintain that relationship. Learn what to
avoid in order not to damage the relationship. Gain insight about
expanding your business and purchasing equipment. Take away
action items to employ that will strengthen the relationship with
your banker.

You will learn:
• How to build and maintain an effective relationship with
your banker
• When to find a new banker
• Red flags that will damage your banking relationship
• How you can help your banker help you

Stimulus? What Is It and What Does It Mean to Me and My Business?
Presenter: Ronald Wainright, Jr., CPA, Dixon Hughes PLLC
Saturday, Oct. 3 • 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
REPEATS: Saturday, Oct 3 • 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Understanding how federal and state tax changes could
impact your bottom-line is critical in these challenging economic
times. An expert on tax policy and tax legislation, Ron Wainwright
will discuss the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
of 2009 (the stimulus package) and describe tax changes
anticipated in the upcoming Federal budget.

You will learn:
• The latest details about American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009
• Specifics about anticipated tax changes within the
proposed Federal budget

Reducing Your Cost Structure
Presenter: Mike Strain, MJS Management Services
Sunday, Oct. 4 • 1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

In a slow economy, adjusting your cost structure is an urgent
challenge. This course provides an in-depth discussion on
identifying and quickly implementing cost structure reductions
in a typical precast concrete plant and includes techniques to
identify major opportunities for your business.

You will learn to:
• Analyze and evaluate major elements of their cost structure
• Benchmark your current cost structure and identify
variances from high performance benchmarks
• Identify cost structure targets and the short and long term
impact on the business
• Employ methods to implement cost structure adjustments

Benchmarking Your Company's Performance

This event is included for all Full Package and Partner Package attendees.

Meet with NPCA's independent business performance analyst to receive expert advice on your company's financial benchmarks.
One-hour appointments will be scheduled throughout Friday and Saturday
Please contact Jessie Schwer by e-mail (jschwer@precast.org) or at (800) 366-7731 to schedule your appointment.

The NPCA 44th Annual Convention once again offers you the chance to sit down one-to-one with the analysts who prepared the 2009 NPCA Benchmarking Report.

The most comprehensive financial and human resources report in the precast industry, the annual Benchmarking Report analyzes plant sales, operational data, and compensation and benefits information for plants in North America.

The study is conducted by Industry Insights, an independent research firm specializing in customized research for trade associations and other industries. Analysts from Industry
Insights will be on hand during the Convention to meet individually with survey participants. Get a detailed analysis of your company’s key performance measures - only at the NPCA 44th Annual Convention.

Even if you did not participate in the Benchmarking Survey, you may still schedule a consultation with an Industry Insights analyst to review your financial statements.

One-hour appointments will be scheduled throughout Friday and Saturday (Oct. 2-3).

Please contact Jessie Schwer by e-mail (jschwer@precast.org) or at (800) 366-7731 to schedule your appointment. For more information on the Benchmarking Survey, please visit www.precast.org/benchmarking.