PTDA celebrates 50 years with industry summit

The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary Industry Summit from October 21 to 23, 2010 in Phoenix, Ariz. The summit was designed to help distributors and manufacturers work together to move their companies and the industry forward. Keynote and educational sessions were aimed at helping attendees grow their businesses and bottom lines by focusing on using existing capabilities and careful planning to tap into new markets and capture opportunities.

Themed "A Summit of Possibilities," the event attracted more than 680 participants, up 25 percent compared to 2009. There were delegates from Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Mexico, Trinidad and The United Kingdom.

Industry summit highlights
• Opening keynote address by Mike Rayburn;
• The inside scoop on the emerging wind energy market with Tom Maves, deputy director, Manufacturing and Supply Chain, from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and Brian Lind, sourcing manager with Iberdrola Renewables;
• Specifics on driving new business by leveraging Web 2.0 for B2B Marketing with David Griffith, president and CEO, Modern Group Ltd.;
• Maintain corporate expertise by transferring the skills and knowledge in seasoned employees to others in the company with Wayne Rivers, president of The Family Business Institute Inc.;
• Make sense of the economy with noted economist Alan Beaulieu; and
• Executive vice-president Mary Sue Lyon was honoured for 16 years of service to the association. Lyon is retiring at the end of 2010.

50th anniversary activities
• Past leaders and founding members were recognized at the Welcome Breakfast and Keynote;
• Seven of the association’s eight founding member companies were represented; and
• Nearly 30 of the association’s past Presidents and Manufacturer Council Chairs were present.

Motion Control Technical Conference and Showcase
For the fifth year, the summit included a Motion Control Showcase, featuring 20 motion control suppliers with live demonstrations of the latest hardware. The showcase is targeted at members considering expansion into the motion control arena, looking for additional suppliers to support current offerings or interested in networking with other market players.

The conference included a panel discussion entitled "Motion Control: Accelerating the Opportunity." The discussion broke down the barriers to expansion and simplified the steps involved in growing your own Mechatronics business.

The 2011 Industry Summit will take place from October 13 to 15 at the Hilton Washington in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.ptda.org.