ASCR Convention to Focus on Critical Business Issu
Millersville, MD, December 2--The 60th annual meeting of the Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration won’t resemble the first 59 in many respects.
The Association has taken a new approach with its 2005 convention to increase the return on investment for both participants and exhibitors. The meeting, slated for March 15 to 19 in Palm Springs, California, will feature analysis of some of the most critical issues impacting the financial health of cleaning and restoration companies, as well as out-of- the box speakers from leading corporations, law firms, and the nation’s finest business schools.
"ASCR is focused on continually providing greater value to our members and exhibitors who support our convention and other association meetings," said Ken Adams, ASCR president. "The best way to do that is to develop meeting agendas that focus on critical business issues affecting the health of their companies and provide them with truly excellent, out-of-the-box speakers, whose unique perspectives can help them address those issues. That draws large numbers of members, which benefits our exhibitors and the Association as a whole."
Featured speakers include noted attorney, Michael Duffy, renowned for his involvement in the Melinda Ballard mold remediation case in Texas, and Bill Fink, senior vice president of Bank of America and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School. Fink will focus on strategic accounting for cleaning and restoration firms. He will also make a special presentation on strategic accounting exclusively to exhibitors.
The issue of profit and overhead -- one of the most critical facing the nation’s restoration firms -- will be one front-burner topic on the agenda. The debate was joined at the ASCR Restoration Council meeting in Philadelphia in September, when a leading legal expert and a professor from the University of Michigan business school discussed the issue and offered options for addressing it. Those options will be reviewed by the experts in Palm Springs and a course of action will be developed by leaders of restoration firms in attendance.
Business diversification and marketing, which many industry experts feel are critical for the long-term growth of cleaning and restoration businesses, will also be prominently featured on the convention program. Among the speakers addressing the topic will be marketing expert Jeff Tweedy of Syngenta and ASCR technical advisor Martin King, who will lead a panel discussion on business diversification.
Rebuilding Florida in the wake of several devastating hurricanes will also be in the spotlight during the ASCR meeting. A panel discussion, featuring restoration contractors and suppliers in the middle of the action in Florida, will review how restoration companies and their suppliers can more efficiently and effectively deal with large-scale disasters.
Other noted speakers in the cleaning and restoration disciplines are Geoff Clark, who will review recent trends in microbial remediation, and Martin Gurian of DesignTex, Inc., an expert on high tech upholstery fabrics, as well as green fabrics and furnishings.
The Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration, located in Millersville, Maryland, is the only international trade association in the cleaning and restoration industry. It has more than 1,300 national and international member firms specializing in cleaning, treating, and repairing damaged buildings and their contents. It is comprised of three Councils: ASCR Environmental Council, ASCR Restoration Council, and ASCR Textile Council. More information is available on the ASCR website: www.ascr.org
