NPE 2019 to Offer 30 Management Sessions

When National Pavement Expo returns to Nashville Feb. 27-March 2 next year, contractors will be able to choose from 30 management sessions – 28 of which feature new topics. Those management sessions complement 24 technical sessions that cover paving, sealcoating, striping, sweeping and pavement repair.

Among the new management sessions are two topics presented by returning speaker Dave Sulkin, American Asphalt Company, who will present:

4 Ways to Grow Your Business: Take Your Pick! – Sulkin says that aside from mergers and acquisitions, there are only four ways to grow any business: maintain the business you have, sell more work to current clients, sell new services to current clients, or develop new business. He’ll examine each approach with an eye toward helping you identify which approach (or combination of approaches) is best for your business. He’ll cover why differentiating your company is so important (and provide effective, inexpensive tips you can put to use immediately) and he’ll teach how to overcome the three greatest challenges to being able to grow.

Sulkin also will present:

How to Hire Successfully: Interviewing Tips and Hiring “Best Practices” – As a veteran of the pavement maintenance industry with a background of successful hiring, Sulkin is just the right person to discuss how to improve your hiring efforts and even retention rates by instituting hiring “best practices” and learning how to conduct successful job interviews. He’ll identify where the hiring process typically goes wrong (and how to make it right), why new hires often fail, (and how to improve their chances for success), and when (and if) you should hire an agency to help you out. Interviewing tips will be provided.

Also presenting two sessions is veteran NPE speaker Roger Bostdorff, B2B Sales Boost, who will present:

The Game Plan for Building and Sustaining Family Business Success – In this interactive session, owners and top-level managers will learn the Game Plan for Building and Sustaining Business Success, a planning and management process that ensures your family business runs smoothly and profitably. The Game Plan focuses on the 5-step Closed Loop Process to produce positive results in top line revenues and bottom line profits. Topics will include human resources, sales, production, marketing, customer service, production, motivation, and leadership.

Bostdorff also will present:

If the Problem is Price…What is Your Solution? – In a session that answers the question, what do you do when it appears that almost every sales opportunity comes down to price? Bostdorff will explain what you and your sales team can do to minimize price-based buying decisions, including what steps to take when your market puts you in a price-focused position. Bostdorff will provide insights into what to do when confronted with a price-focused customer, including tips on how to handle that objection without giving away all of your profit.

Still another veteran NPE presenter tasked with two sessions is Bill Silverman, Springboard Business Coaching, who will present:

How to Build Your Management Team and Get More from Your Managers – Silverman emphasizes why a team of trusted managers is so important -- then he’ll teach how to put that team together. He’ll cover tips to develop your managers into effective leaders who take full ownership of their functions, and he’ll alert contractors to the pitfalls and challenges that stand in the way of successfully developing your management team and he’ll detail how to overcome them.

Silverman will also present:

You Want Change? Here’s How to Make Changes Stick! – In a session placed on the final day of NPE for a reason, Silverman will help contractors implement what they learned at NPE back home – and make it work. He’ll discuss why most change efforts fail,  how to spot the barriers and resistance points that derail most change efforts, challenge change management “myths,” and provide a framework for guiding effective, long-lasting change based on how change really happens. “Easy-to-implement ‘best practices’ to help accelerate change and make your business improvement efforts stick will also be provided.

Because finding and hiring workers is a major challenge facing contractors, NPE will introduce NPE attendees to a new speaker, Kathy Cole, DK Cole Co., who will present:

Hiring Process Strategies to Improve Results & Manage Risk – A construction-hiring specialist will take contractors on a “deep dive” into processes and strategies to improve hiring while mitigating risk. Cole will cover how the speed of your process impacts your results (including how to solve typical process bottlenecks), how to correct common process blunders to prevent bad hires and potential legal problems, and how to increase your candidate pool. She’ll show how to analyze candidate behavior, learn how to interpret it, and learn how to develop standard practices to deal with red flags that may arise from it. Plus, she’ll cover how to handle “the difficult topic of compensation” with candidates.

Mark Herbick, Pursant Inc., returns to NPE after a brief break and will present:

Preparing for and Executing a Successful M&A Transaction -- Merger & Acquisition specialist Herbick says every contractor needs to understand you can’t wait until “the last minute” if you hope to maximize your chances for deal success. He’ll explain the macro-level and paving and pavement maintenance industry-specific drivers of valuation, and identify what to do to increase your business’ value over the long (and short) term. He’ll also cover common deal terms, structures, processes, timelines and other key metrics.

New speaker at NPE, Larry Oxenham, American Society of Asset Protection, will present:

How to Become Invincible to Lawsuits & Save Thousands in Taxes – Will detail how contractors can “get your financial house in order” and the tools to protect yourself from lawsuits while saving “thousands of dollars in taxes.” He’ll discuss how to structure your business for lawsuit protection, how to reduce liability insurance costs, and how to minimize taxes including five tax reduction strategies that often go unused.

Mike Rorie, Go iPave, who has presented sessions at NPE before, will present:

Why You Should Be a “Systems-Driven” Company – and How to Make it Happen – Rorie says that operating your business without systems causes confusion, chaos and frustration for owners, employees and customers. In this session he’ll outline the five major advantages systems-driven companies enjoy over their competitors and “the steps you can take to implement repeatable, scalable systems at your pavement maintenance company.” He’ll cover how to adopt a “systems mindset,” the three different types of systems to explore for your business, options for building vs. buying systems, and tips for what to look for in any system you implement.

Pavement Advisory Board member Gary Rabine, Rabine Paving, will offer a unique approach to leadership and training in his session:

Mentorship Excellence: The Key to Personal and Industry Leadership – Because college isn’t for everyone, Rabine recommends a “mentoring” process that instills leadership characteristics and develops leaders. Rabine will discuss how mentors shaped his entrepreneurial mind, how you can establish a mentoring program within your company, and how mentoring can make a significant impact on the development of your employees – and even on those who mentor them.

First-time NPE presenter Amanda Flynn, Top Job Asphalt, will present:

How to Improve Company Culture to Benefit Your Bottom Line – Flynn says creating a strong company culture is the single most important step a contractor can take in creating a workplace where employees are engaged, love to work and where they want to stay.  She’ll discuss the basics of a good company culture, outline the steps to creating a strong culture and show how to incorporate them in your company with little to no cost. She’ll detail how improving your company’s culture can benefit your bottom-line and even make it easier to new employees.

Nick Howell, T & N Asphalt Services, Pavement Advisory Board member and author of From the Owner’s Desk column in Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction will present:

Improving Cash Flow (including Debt Collection) to Help You Survive, Thrive – and Grow – Howell’s session will “help contractors establish themselves, offer tips on how to improve cash flow, and tie managing cash flow to your budgets (so you can plan your growth).” He’ll cover the basics of how to establish credit, how to progress to larger credit lines, and how to transition from personal credit to business credit (essential if you want to grow!) He’ll also provide an overview of credit options that can facilitate your cash flow, discuss collections, and provide effective invoicing tips, techniques to make sure you get paid, and how to handle delinquent accounts.

Among the new topics by Brad Humphrey, Pinnacle Development Group, are:

How to Measure Your Performance & Productivity – Humphrey says “measuring your success by revenue alone is not always the best way to really capture how well you are doing as a company.” In this session he’ll cover a variety of performance “metrics” that can provide you with an overall view of how your business is doing. He’ll discuss a “Balanced Scorecard” for your business, “performance realized” vs. “performance projected,” how to measure your quality of performance, how (and why) to measure your customer relationships, and how to measure your “internal resources.”

Long-time consultant and presenter Guy Gruenberg, Grow Consulting, presents a new session:

The Stand-Out Business: 4 Steps to Separate Your Business from the Pack – Gruenberg says every business needs to stand out from its competition and in this session he’ll define his Stand-Out Factor, and teach the four steps every contractor should take to identify their Stand-Out Factor – “their unique formula for long-term success.” “You will be guided, encouraged and coached to discover and develop your unique differentiation advantage – to clearly articulate it and then to learn the best practices to provide the service experience, create the employee team, and run the operations that support your Stand-Out Factor.”

For details including dates, times and complete conference descriptions visit www.nationalpavementexpo.com.