ASCR 2005 Convention Features Cutting Edge Speaker
Millersville, MD, January 4--Critical issues facing owners and managers of cleaning and restoration firms will be under the microscope at the 60th annual convention of the Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration. ASCR convention-goers will convene for Solutions – the Education Summit in Palm Springs, California March 15-19, 2005.
"The first goal for our convention program is to strike a balance between key business issues, such as managing small businesses, profit and overhead, strategic accounting, marketing, and business diversification for long-term growth, and functional topics like leather care, evaluating and caring for oriental rugs, and environmental matters," said ASCR president Ken Adams. "Secondly, we’ve invited new, cutting edge speakers who share their unique perspectives, as well as engage in meaningful dialogue to generate ideas and information that create a competitive advantage for our members."
Bill Crookson, who calls himself a "recovering entrepreneur," will share with ASCR members in Palm Springs his unique perspectives on how family-owned businesses can successfully compete in today’s environment and best be positioned for future success.
Dr. Crookson has carved out a highly successful three-pronged career as an academic, business owner, and consultant. He is currently director of the Family Business Program and professor of Clinical Entrepreneurship at the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California. A former successful business owner, he also consults and coaches owners and managers of numerous family businesses.
Anti-trust expert Arthur Herald will lead ASCR Restoration Council members in their continuing discussions of profit and overhead. He will help them examine options and specific courses of action for dealing with this matter, which is directly affecting the financial health of members’ businesses. Herald, an attorney with Webster, Chamberlain, and Bean in Washington, D.C., has chaired the Anti-trust Law Committee of the District of Columbia Bar Association on four different occasions.
Bank of America senior vice president Bill Fink will bring 21 years experience in the financial services industry to discussions of strategic accounting -- one of the most important aspects of running cleaning and restoration businesses. Fink’s business acumen, coupled with his experience as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Small Business Development Center, makes him a popular and dynamic speaker on accounting and financial matters.
When Melinda Ballard and Ron Allison were awarded millions in 2001 for the bad faith handling of water damage and mold growth in their 22-room mansion in Dripping Springs, Texas, they were represented in this high profile case by Chicago-based trial attorney Michael Duffy. Duffy, who specializes in toxic mold litigation, is certain to strike a chord with members of the ASCR Environmental Council.
Dr. Melinda Burn of Invista will take part in a panel discussion on green fabrics, furnishings, solvents and cleaning products. Burn, who earned her doctorate from highly-regarded University of California at Berkeley, has written extensively on changing regulations that will dramatically impact producers, distributors, and users of a range of products for the cleaning and restoration industry beginning January 1, 2005.
Marketing expert Jeff Tweedy of Syngenta will share his company’s extensive research on segmenting consumers in the carpet cleaning marketplace. The data, generated as a basis for Syngenta’s anticipated introduction of a new product for eliminating and preventing indoor allergens produced by dust mites and mold in wall-to-wall carpeting, will give ASCR Textile Council members a valuable perspective on pinpointing the most lucrative opportunities in their markets.
Other convention speakers can be found on the ASCR website; www.ascr.org
