NSCA on IT Trends
Jan 5, 2011 12:00 PM
Connect with your peers and learn new business models for success at NSCA’s Business & Leadership Conference, Feb. 17-19, in San Diego.
NSCA’s newest member benefit, the quarterly podcast, is now available. NSCA Executive Director Chuck Wilson and Paul Cronin, president and CEO of Atrion Networking Corp., discuss what NSCA’s systems integrators can learn from the IT world and how NSCA members can apply their revenue-generating tactics to this industry. Find out how the IT business model differs from our industry, hear how the IT world survives without margins, learn about managed services and block time, and more. To listen to this podcast, visit www.nsca.org/webinar.
NSCA Education Foundation Announces Position Changes
The NSCA Education Foundation has elected Steven Emspak, partner at Shen Milsom & Wilke, to its Board of Directors. Additionally, NSCA recently hired Barbra Snitker as the managing director of the NSCA Education Foundation.
Emspak is a long-time supporter of the foundation through Shen Milsom & Wilke but even more significantly through his leadership and involvement with the industry band, the Drunk Unkles. The “Unks” have been involved with the NSCA Education Foundation for more than seven years, raising more than $450,000 for the foundation’s initiatives.
The foundation is widely known for providing students with training opportunities as they advance their careers within the commercial electronic systems industry. Many of the industry’s leading manufacturers have sponsored the scholarship program, student memberships, and the creation of an endowment for future scholarship opportunities, including the promotion of Electronic Systems Professional Alliance (ESPA) and its introductory-level certification in the electronic systems industry.
To further this mission, the NSCA Education Foundation has hired Barbra Snitker to assist in fundraising through both corporate sponsorships and events to further promote the foundation’s mission.
Snitker participated in both political fundraising and event management working for Congress and the Executive Office of the President. Her talents relate well in establishing relationships and further engaging industry representatives with the foundation.
This year alone, the foundation:
- Raised more than $65,000 through charitable events such as the Industry Charity Concert featuring the Drunk Unkles at InfoComm 2010
- Began working more closely with ESPA to develop training and certification programs for students entering the industry
- Distributed scholarships through the Robert Bosch and Monte Wise scholarship funds.
The NSCA Education Foundation is funded by generous contributions from members of its President’s Club, industry members, and numerous charity events throughout the year. For more information about the NSCA Education Foundation, visit www.nscafoundation.org or call (800) 446-6722.
NSCA on IT Trends
Jan 5, 2011 12:00 PM
NSCA’s New Focus: Profitable Business Practices
NSCA has long been in the business of helping systems contractors/integrators solve problems, save time, and make money by leveraging its expertise and numbers. NSCA’s mission has always been to build better systems integration companies.
What you may not know is that NSCA has been steadily making more changes and refining its focus to help business owners and managers improve their business performance and grow profits.
The changes the association has made could profoundly affect your ability to increase the profitability of your business and protect it—if you take advantage of NSCA’s offerings. For example, NSCA provides its members with:
- Research and strategies on new and enhanced revenue opportunities:
High-level, industry-specific ideas and strategies to improve profitability and productivity during sessions at NSCA’s annual Business & Leadership Conference
Business strategies on emerging technologies, such as mass notification and emergency communications (MNEC)
Transforming business models to generate more profitable recurring revenue through managed services, assessments, and programmed maintenance. - Legislative alerts, webinars, and specific information on government issues that affect your ability to do business or could cost you money, including:
Labor issues and OSHA
Federal mandates, licensure, and card check
Healthcare reform and HR issues
Prevailing wage/wage classification. - Timely, concise, industry-specific business information, whether it is through NSCA’s biweekly blog or weekly email, so you can quickly scan to find what interests you and click for more information or the full article. NSCA is also making this information more accessible and readily available to you through new media such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs.
- Money-saving member benefits and programs, including:
SystemsPlus Insurance Solutions
Essentials of Systems Integration Online.
Be sure to watch your email inbox each Friday for NSCA’s weekly email, which includes details on these initiatives as well as tips to help you improve your company. Check out www.nsca.org or call (800) 446-6722 for more information on these and many other tools for NSCA members.
Your Best Resource: Your Peers
No amount of textbook knowledge will match the combined years of experience by your industry peers. NSCA’s Business & Leadership Conference is the event playing host to the industry’s leading systems integration business owners and managers. Join your peers and hear their success stories, challenges, and tactics to survive the economy and look toward recovery, Feb. 17-19, 2011, in San Diego.
This year’s event will provide key networking opportunities to engage attendees in interactive forums designed to facilitate open and honest conversation.
- Executive Power Hour Roundtable
The global outbreak of various business challenges means leaders must consider their company’s sustainability. Hear leading integrators, manufacturers, consultants and other stakeholders discuss positioning for growth and profits, non-traditional competition and how to address it, investing in your resources, BIM/design technology, and ROI. - Beer ‘n’ Bull: Where Has the Traditional Distribution Model Gone?
How do products get to market with the channel having drastically changed over the last few years? How will the channel change with more and more dealers and distributors being overlooked? Join industry visionary, Gary Kayye, and several other key industry players, for this open and candid discussion on the future of distribution models. Find out how it will affect your business and how you will profit in the new economy.
Additional events designed to engage attendees to share insightful knowledge include:
- The Excellence in Business Awards
New this year, the panel of winners will discuss their successful sales, marketing, management and leadership strategies during a question and answer session from the audience. - First-time Attendee Orientation
Hear from veteran participants how to make the most of your experience and how they profited from strategies they learned from past NSCA conferences. - Beach Party
Unwind with your peers in this relaxed environment and reflect on the information learned during the day’s sessions. - Closing Night Party
Join your colleagues as you enjoy music from Caliber, and its industry-favorite lead singer Brian David (Prusinski) from West Penn Wire. Enjoy live music from classic rock to reggae and funk as you relax with old friends and new acquaintances. - Golf
Attendees receive a 30 percent discount at the 18-hole Championship Golf Course ($98/person including cart rental).Set up a foursome on Thursday morning. Reservations must be made in advance by contacting Jessica Delaney at [email protected] or (858) 675-8540.
In addition, to further facilitate networking and initiative conversations prior to the event, speakers and attendees from past and the upcoming event are discussing the event, topics, challenges, and successes on NSCA’s LinkedIn discussion group. Visit www.nsca.org/blc for links to NSCA’s groups.
The only conference designed specifically for commercial electronic systems executives, managers, and business owners will be held at Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf Resort and Spa. Registration for the NSCA Business & Leadership Conference is only $849 through Jan. 5, 2011. After that date, rates will increase to $949. For more information or to register, visit www.nsca.org/blc or call (800) 446-6722.
