Want to use your time effectively AND hear many views on critical issues facing your purchasing cooperative? Attend the “Think Tank Tables” at the National Cooperative Business Association’s 2010 Annual Conference for Purchasing Cooperatives, taking place September 12-15, 2010, in Indianapolis, IN.
The Think Tank Tables give you a chance to learn best practices that cooperatives around the country are implementing and allow you to share ideas with your peers—all within 30 minutes. That’s right—just 30 minutes! You use your time wisely and get a concentrated dose of good information!
Below is a description of each of the Think Tank Tables for the 2010 conference. Some sessions will be offered more than once. Check the program book on site for a full schedule.
- Co-op to Co-op Business Opportunities
- Effective Committees: Helping Them to Work for Your Organization
- Improving Your Meetings
- Increase Distributor Spending with Preferred Suppliers
- Knowledge Gaps and How to Close Them: Co-ops Uniting Members and Suppliers with Training Online
- New Initiatives & Increasing Participation
- Show Members the Value of Your Co-op: Quantifying and Communicating Your Value
- Succession/Exit Planning for Retiring Members
- The Client Commitment Index
- Using Information to Better Manage Your Co-op
- Voluntary Workplace Benefits
- What Policies Should Your Board Have?
- Working with Generation Y
Co-op to Co-op Business Opportunities
There are over 29,000 cooperative businesses in the United States, covering virtually every type of business. If we include cooperatives around the world, almost 1 billion people are members of at least one co-op. Join NCBA’s Adam Schwartz to discuss ways that your cooperative can increase the value you provide members by creating business opportunities with other co-ops. This table will:
- Give an overview of the forthcoming NCBA Co-op Directory, an online tool which will provide contact information for the 29,000 cooperatives in the United States.
- Get your ideas on how you and NCBA can create an ongoing strategy to grow the cooperative economy.
- Discuss the co-op equity fund that NCBA is creating and learn how your cooperative can invest in and/or receive investment through the fund.
Hosted by: Adam Schwartz, NCBA Vice President Public Affairs and Member Services
Headquartered in Washington, the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) creates cooperative connections across all sectors of the nation's more than 29,000 cooperative businesses, including agriculture, food distribution and retailing, childcare, credit unions, housing, healthcare, energy, and telecommunications cooperatives. In addition, NCBA's CLUSA International Program has helped develop cooperatives and other sustainable businesses in over 50 countries since 1953. CLUSA currently runs 23 projects in 11 countries. To learn more about NCBA, visit www.ncba.coop.
Effective Committees: Helping Them to Work for Your Organization
Join Starnet’s Jeanne Matson to examine the effective use of a committee structure as a guiding force in your cooperative. The discussion will include sharing best practices on identifying the committee list and scope of responsibilities, determining the level of staff involvement, encouraging membership involvement and ensuring that the members genuinely own the actions and decisions of the committee. In addition, the discussion will include how best to incorporate the recommendations of the committees into the larger leadership structure of the co-op.
Hosted by: Jeanne D. Matson, President & CEO of Starnet Commercial Flooring Partnership
Starnet is comprised of over 170 locally owned full-service flooring contractors representing more than 300 locations throughout North America and United Kingdom. With $2 billion in annual sales, Starnet is the single most influential force in the contract flooring industry. To learn more, visit www.starnetflooring.com/.
Join Vicki Johnson of Vicki Johnson & Associates to explore ways to create engaging and valuable meetings. This table will explore:
- How to get more members to your meetings
- Innovative program ideas and networking ideas
- Engaging your members
- Getting your members to give you ideas
- What value does your meeting supply for your members
Hosted by: Vicki Johnson , Principal, Vicki Johnson & Associates, LLC
Vicki Johnson & Associates offers a full range of meeting support services to associations and corporations during times of transition and higher staffing demands. Services include site selection and contract negotiation, budget analysis, registration processing, exhibit sales and trade-show management, event and meeting planning logistical services and creative production management services. Learn more by visiting http://www.vjmeetings.com.
Increase Distributor Spending with Preferred Suppliers
Join Mike Smeaton of the Safety Marketing Group (SMG) for a discussion of the value of using joint marketing agreements (JMAs) to encourage growth among your preferred suppliers. By managing these relationships, SMG ensures cooperation and growth among its distributors and suppliers. Mike will discuss the process and best practices.
Hosted by: Mike Smeaton, President / CEO, Safety Marketing Group
The Safety Marketing Group (SMG) is a network of the dominant industrial safety equipment distributors in North America. Its member companies are unified to furnish the dedicated customer service and flexibility provided best by independent entrepreneurs, owned and operating on a local level. The SMG is a corporation--organized as an industry cooperative--which is focused on group purchasing and group marketing of quality safety equipment products. To learn more about Safety Marketing Group, visit http://www.safetymarketinggroup.com/public/home.cfm.
Knowledge Gaps and How to Close Them: Co-ops Uniting Members and Suppliers with Training Online
IMARK Group has called BlueVolt the “best member program” they have ever implemented. Join representatives from BlueVolt and BlueHawk to learn how BlueVolt’s online learning solution can help you streamline communications and learning between your suppliers and your members. The session will focus on how you can:
- Augment the in-person training your members rely on from supplier representatives by delivering training online
- Provide an online training platform available 24/7 that allows members to access training modules from your preferred suppliers at no cost
- Verify and report knowledge retained by users at the member level
- Reward training accomplishments, drive participation and create a learning community between members
Hosted by: Lisa Bordeaux, BlueVolt and Lance Rantala, BLUE HAWK
Portland, Oregon-based BlueVolt connects and advances participants in industries through its leading online Learning + Marketing Platform, its comprehensive, quality learning catalog, and its talented professional services team. The Platform enables online training and learning experiences including social/collaborative, blended, on-demand and live multi-camera webcast with enterprise-level functionality and performance. BlueVolt’s unique approach to training encourages learning with its proven reward program that is valuable to both content consumers and content sponsors. As of May 2010, BlueVolt delivered over 675,000 courses to over 84,000 registered users. Visit BlueVolt at http://www.bluevolt.com.
BLUE HAWK was established to ensure the survival and growth of the Independent HVAC/R/R Distributor. BLUE HAWK allows independent businesses to use their combined purchasing power to attain competitive pricing for the goods and services they use. At a time when the relentless expansion of manufacturer owned distributor networks and large corporation-owned distributor chains is intensifying, independently owned operations have turned to BLUE HAWK to help level the playing field with these large competitors. Learn more by visiting http://www.bluehawk.coop.
New Initiatives & Increasing Participation
Join BizUnite’s Jason Larson for a discussion of how to launch new new products/services as well as ways to increase participation in these programs by using tradition and new media to spread the word. This session will focus on:
- Implementing an Integrated Communication Plan
- Launching new products/services
- Training employees
- Testimonials & Feedback
- Building relationships
- Increase participation for members/customers
Hosted by: Jason Larson, BizUnite
BizUnite delivers savings to member-focused organizations of small to medium sized businesses. We have developed a customizable online marketplace that includes business service programs designed to help member-focused organizations reduce costs and increase profitability. We offer savings on payment processing, office supplies, shipping, wireless services, payroll processing, and much more. Visit http://www.bizunite.com to learn more.
Show Members the Value of Your Co-op: Quantifying and Communicating Your Value
You know your co-op adds more value than the rebate check, but many of your members believe that check is the total value you provide. In reality, your cooperative may be providing more value in dollars and cents than what your members get in rebates. How can you show members the total value of your cooperative? Scott Bebenek of IDI Independent Distributors will discuss IDI’s Member Value Card and share with you the ways he tracks all of the value a member gets from his co-op. This table will explore:
- Identifying the value you are providing to your members
- Quantifying that value for members
- Presenting value data to your members on an ongoing basis
- Driving further member compliance through accurately quantifying their benefits
Hosted by: Scott Bebenek, President of IDI Independent Distributors Inc.
IDI Independent Distributors is a network of Canadian distributors specializing in bearings, fluid power products, industrial supplies, janitorial supplies, power transmission products and safety supplies. IDI currently consists of 100+ member companies in 200+ locations across Canada, employing 2,300+ employees and commanding sales in excess of $1 billion. Learn more at http://www.idiind.com.
Succession/Exit Planning for Retiring Members
Cooperatives across all sectors are realizing the need to address succession planning, especially to ensure the continued growth of the cooperative. Join Mike Klascheur of Castle Wealth Advisors to discuss the following questions:
- The average age of co-op members is close to 60. What can we do to help protect our membership?
- How can we help members with retirement and succession planning and at the same time keep them in the co-op?
- How can we grow our co-op and not lose members at retirement?
- How can we help the next generation of business owners take over their family businesses and keep them in the coop?
- Is the next generation in each family business properly trained to take over the family business?
- What types of information and services can we provide to the next generation of business owners to help them with a smooth transition?
Hosted by: Mike Kalscheur, Castle Wealth Advisors, LLC
Castle Wealth Advisors (CWA) is a fee-only comprehensive financial advisory firm which has specialized in helping closely-held family businesses for over 35 years. CWA works with many of the largest retail buying cooperatives and not only attends the annual conventions but also provides newsletters and videos which the coop can use for member education. Visit CWA at https://www.castle3.com/castle3/web/me.get?web.home.
Learn more about the Client Commitment Index (CCI), a new and innovative way to measure vendor performance as commitment to your co-op. The CCI is a dashboard that audits and maps every participant, according to the current state of the relationship. Using the CCI, cooperatives can measure the intention and opinion of key individuals in the relationship and offers a new way to look at vendor commitment using four “zones”:
- The Zone of Commitment
- The Zone of Satisfaction
- The Zone of Apathy
- The Zone of Rejection
Join Trent Bartlett of Capricorn Society Limited to learn how this new vendor measurement system has improved every aspect of Capricorn’s relationships and has resulted in more profitable sales.
Hosted by: Trent Bartlett, Capricorn Society Limited
Capricorn Society Limited is the one of largest independent automotive parts buying groups in the Southern Hemisphere, providing services to mechanical workshops, service stations, auto electricians, smash repairers and other automotive repairers in Australia, New Zealand and the Republic of South Africa. Capricorn acts as a critical intermediary in the automotive value chain by facilitating strategic partnerships between its members and leading automotive suppliers. Learn more about Capricorn by visiting http://www.capricorn.coop.
Using Information to Better Manage Your Co-op
Robert Ward with LBMX, Inc. will host this discussion of ways that information can help your cooperative:
- Manage credit risk in any economy
- Solve supply chain challenges; member support, claims, rebates, payments, supplier involvement
- Ensure members get the rebate payments they deserve
- Get members to buy more from the Co-op
- Improve rebates earned through focused purchasing
- Re-direct staff to activities that are more strategic to the Co-op
Hosted by: Robert Ward, Director of Implementation, LBMX, Inc.
LBMX is a leading provider of technology solutions for purchasing co-operatives, dealer members and their suppliers. These solutions comprise rebate and purchase analysis software, member electronic document delivery and complete EDI services to assist members and groups to connect to suppliers. This has resulted in significant operational efficiencies for LBMX group customers as well as providing access to line item member purchase detail upon which better buying and rebate decisions can be made. To learn more about LBMX, visit http://www.lbmx.com.
Learn how employers small and large can offer employees insurance products that can help them protect themselves and their families—without increasing costs or staff time. Voluntary benefits, which are paid for by the employee, can help your organization retain employees.
Join Patrick J. Coughlam of Amalgamated Life Insurance Company to explore issues related to offering voluntary benefits in the workplace, including:
- Employer perspectives
- Changes impacting voluntary benefits
- Employee enthusiasm for voluntary benefits
- Transitioning to voluntary benefits
- Voluntary products for the workplace
Hosted by: Patrick J. Coughlan, Amalgamated Life Insurance Company
Amalgamated Life Insurance Company is America’s Labor Insurance Company®, offering quality insurance and benefit programs for working people. Recognizing the importance of benefits programs to unions, trust funds and other individuals, we help our clients access world-class insurance programs designed to balance cost while maximizing member satisfaction. With deep roots in the labor community, we understand the needs, concerns and priorities of today’s fund administrators, union leaders and members. To learn more, visit http://www.amalgamatedlife.com.
What Policies Should Your Board Have?
Governance by your board of directors is critical. Having policies that guide and protect your board can enable your cooperative to operate at a high level. This session will discuss policies common to most cooperatives as well as the rational and value of these policies. During this session, attendees are encouraged to share the impact and value that specific Board policies have had on their cooperative.
Hosted by: David P. Swanson, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Dorsey & Whitney LLP is a business law firm, applying a business perspective to clients' needs. We make it our first priority to know the context in which you do business - your market, your competitors, your industry. Visit Dorsey & Whitney at http://www.dorsey.com.
BizUnite’s Barth Getto will lead this session examining Generation Y and its influence on your workplace environment—and, for that matter, the future of corporate America. This session will discuss:
- Who is Generation Y? (Characteristics)
- New Generation/New Lifestyle
- Hiring & Recruiting Generation Y
- Effect Generation Y has on the workforce
- Technology savvy aspects of Generation Y
- Conflicts between Generation Y and older employees/generations
Hosted by: Barth Getto, BizUnite
BizUnite delivers savings to member-focused organizations of small to medium sized businesses. We have developed a customizable online marketplace that includes business service programs designed to help member-focused organizations reduce costs and increase profitability. We offer savings on payment processing, office supplies, shipping, wireless services, payroll processing, and much more. Visit http://www.bizunite.com to learn more.
