Showing Gratitude

It's November and we're coming up on the American holiday of Thanksgiving. It's a time when family and friends gather to express our combined gratitude for all that we have and reflect a bit on the past year. It's also the start of the busy holiday season. It's...all good.

At the same time we're gearing up for our Annual Conference and Trade Show that will happen in Southern California. San Diego is not only beautiful but also warm this time of year.  You should know that your staff has been working on this for months and the early indication is we're going to have many new faces with us. If you're on the fence when it comes to attending consider the benefits of joining us.

• Face Time - You'll have the opportunity to visit with the decision makers of our association and that gets business done;
• Learning Time - Our speaker is an expert on "generational differences" in the workplace. You've got to hear this;
• Social Time - Our group is not afraid of having a good time and we spread that cheer all around;
• Marketing Time - How can you better market your products and services? We're here to help;
• Giving Time - Once again we'll be raising funds for St. Jude's Hospital and Clinic. A worthy cause.

Today it's time to make that decision and join us. Here is a link for the agenda as well as the registration link. This is truly the time to act.

Finally your Board and Staff are so very grateful you are an NTPDA Member. Our group has grown over the past sixteen months and you've been most generous in renewing your membership fee. In addition many of you have made a contribution to this years event. We thank you and we'll be sharing that message of gratitude in the weeks to follow and also make a big splash in California come January.

Thank you for being a member...it does matter! 

Marketing & Advertising with Jeff Pfeifer of TractorHouse

Advertising and marketing products and services can be a nightmare. So many avenues and so little resources. Here, during the NTPDA Annual Conference and Trade Show, we sat down to talk about those topics, the use of print and digital media with Jeff Pfeifer of TractorHouse.com.  TractorHouse has been coming to our annual events for years and not only does the Lincoln, NE based company produce products that put buyers and sellers together they also create and host many of the websites currently in use by our members. Click the player to listen to a wide-ranging conversation about several of the ways you can take your product or service to the consumer who is motivated to buy.  This conversation originally aired on News/Talk 1540 KXEL based in Waterloo, Iowa.  Enjoy...

Thanks for listening!

The award winning Insight on Business the News Hour with Michael Libbie is the only weekday business news podcast in the Midwest. The national, regional and some local business news along with long-form business interviews can be heard Monday - Friday. You can subscribe on PlayerFM, Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or TuneIn Radio. And you can catch The Business News Hour Week in Review each Sunday Noon on News/Talk 1540 KXEL. The Business News Hour is a production of Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications. You can follow us on Twitter @IoB_NewsHour.

 

The Nashville Recap...NTPDA23

What a great time we had at our Annual Conference and Trade Show in Nashville!  We've just looked at our post event survey and you seem to agree that it was the best event we've had in years.  For those of you who didn't make it...we hope you'll consider joining us for our Summer Event later this year. But, in the meantime, let's recap what happened just a few days ago. You can click on the images to enlarge them.  More photos will be in our March Bulletin.

Thursday

For the Members who came in early they took advantage of doing a networking and team building exercise at the Escape Room. We had lunch at the famous Merchants Restaurant (which caught fire early in the morning on Saturday...yikes!). Then if was on to the Country Music Hall of Fame and the RCA Studio B Tour...so much history there 

Then we kicked things off on Thursday evening with music and fun.  Our entertainment was singer/songwriter Hayley Payne with food and drinks at the Renaissance Hotel Bridge Area. If you want to hear the interview with Hayley here is that link. 

We were honored by the fact some NTPDA icons were able to make the event. The Schaefer Family came by and we spend the rest of the week with Dick, Gene and Jerry who had a great time and it was wonderful to catch up with them. Then many of our members headed downtown to take in Broadway and the dozens of music venues up and down the strip.  If you can believe it bands start playing at 9AM and the last cord is struck around 4AM the next day.  Whew!  Some folks decided to skip downtown and instead head to our Hospitality Room sponsored by Freight Partners Group.  Thank you!

Friday

Friday morning many of our members loaded onto a bus to take in the tour of the Jack Daniels Distillery, have lunch and motor back to the hotel for the opening of our Trade Show/Happy Hour and Silent Auction.  Meanwhile teams took to the Cornhole Tournament sponsored by All States Ag Parts competing for the grand prize of $1,000.  At 8:00PM it was off to Broadway or to the Hospitality Room. Needless to say, it was a very busy day!

Saturday

The morning started with a Build Your Own Bloody Mary competition at 7:00AM! Then it was off to breakfast in the Trade Show area with Coffee & Conversation as members mingled with our displayers and each other...some call it networking. The Cornhole Tournament continued, lunch was served and we raised thousands for St. Jude with our silent auction. Early in the afternoon the displayers held their meeting to talk about the event and to elect an Associate Member to the Board.  We welcomed back Steve Haas from Freight Partners Group as our newest Board Member.  The General Session was held and we elected two new Board Members:  Welcome to Tom Roelofsen with Abilene Machine and Cody Levan from Schaefer Enterprises. Great to have you both join us. 

Our Board Meeting took about an hour, thank you President Trey for keeping us on track!  Then it was on to the dinner giving out awards, Lifetime Memberships to Jerry and Dick Schaefer as well as a Lifetime Membership to Jeff Griggs from All States Ag Parts.

Then all eyes turned toward the finals of the Cornhole Tournament the victors were Jim Hopp from Sparex, Inc. and our own Mike Hanson from NTPDA. Each awarded $500 for the win and they then donated $500 back for St. Jude.  The final action on Saturday was the "Chuck Challenge" where we raised another $2,000 for St. Jude.  

It was a great adventure and we're looking forward to heading to Pennsylvania this summer.

Thank you all for being Members of NTPDA...we are truly family! 

Getting Closer to Nashville 2023 - NTPDA

On the off chance that you need a nudge to head to Nashville for #NTPDA23 here you go.  We've had a large number of members telling us that the revised schedule focusing more on the social aspect of our group is a big draw.  From the Jack Daniels Tour to the "Cornhole Tournament" to the great Trade Show and a host of things to see and do in "Music City" this is quite the adventure. Wanna see what we're going to be doing and be able to register? Sure you do and here is the agenda and the registration link and yes, you can still save money if you register before the 31st.

Plus, NTPDA will be "buying down" your room cost by $150 a night for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. That too should be a draw! 

One other thing to tease you about.  Our Early Arrival Party will take place on Thursday starting at 5:00PM and here is our entertainment for that evening.  Meet Hayley Payne!

 

We are soooooo looking forward to seeing you in Nashville for #NTPDA23!!

Bulletin Deadline Coming Up!

Hello Members!  A reminder that the deadline for our Conference and Trade Show Bulletin is the 16th of November.  This is a great opportunity for you to
reach every member in our association with your message/advertisement prior to going to Nashville.  We're on a really tight turnaround this time because we want to get the Bulletin to you well before the middle of December. 

So, if you've got business news or if you are advertising with new copy we're going to need that before the 16th.  If you are in the holiday mood you can also send holiday greetings to your members with a small ad. You can send your ad and presser to [email protected].  Please be aware of the deadline...it really matters with this edition.  So you have ad information here is a LINK to the ad sizes and rates.

One more thing Kim and I just finished our weekly phone meeting and I can share with you we've received lots of registrations for our Nashville event in January. This looks to be a fantastic conference and trade show.  To get registered you can follow this LINK.

Thank you for being a member!

Michael & Kim

Three Important Things!

Look, we know you are busy so we won't take up much time...however, there are THREE important things to share with you right here, right now.  

Early Registration for Nashville

It's already shaping up to be a popular Conference & Trade Show and what is really neat is that you'll not have to pay the hotel nightly rate of $270.00 plus tax. The NTPDA Board has authorized a "buy-down" of your hotel rate for Thursday, Friday and Saturday of $150 per night. That means your nightly rate for those three nights comes in at $120.00 plus tax. That, friends is a significant savings.  So, that is "Thing One" about registration. "Thing Two" is that if you register, using THIS LINK you'll also save money. Registration is $300 per person until the end of October and then it jumps to $375 per person for November/December.  We've already had a number of people register and we encourage you to do it now.

The Whova App

This is also some really big news. We're using an application that will be on your smartphone. The Whova App is a great way to connect with other NTPDA Members and Guests.  When you register you'll be getting a link to download the app that features photos, contact information and a way for you to connect with our trade show displayers.  Plus you'll be able to ask us questions and more.  This is a total game changer.  That is "Thing One" about Whova. "Thing Two" is an advertising opportunity for your company to be placed on the app so that you can promote products and services to attendees. The cost for that is just $500 and Whova stays live for weeks following our event in January. For more about this opportunity contact Kim or Michael for details. We think you're going to love it. Want to LEARN MORE?  Check out this VIDEO! 

The December Bulletin

And, finally the deadline for entry into the 2022 Conference and Trade Show Bulletin is November 16.  We're on a really tight schedule because we want to get it into your hands well before the holidays.  So...if you have news about your business or if you want to take this opportunity to highlight your presence at our Conference and Trade Show...let's get this done.  You can send your news and your ad directly to Michael via email: [email protected] 

CORNHOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, I lied...there is a fourth thing.  We're seeking sponsors to help us with the two prizes we're doing for our brand new Cornhole Tournament. First Prize is a cool $1,000 and second place walks away with $500. If you would like to sponsor this event (and it's already starting to fill up) let's do it.  You can contact Kim or Michael to reserve your place.  [email protected] or [email protected] 

OK, that's it and under 500 words!

It's Going To Be Awesome!

Very soon we're going to be sending out a link, by email, to those of you who have registered for our Annual Conference and Trade Show scheduled for January 19 - 21 in Nashville. The link will take you to the Whova Event & Conference App which will give you the power to communicate with other conference attendees, post photos, make appointments, check the agenda, gather contact data at the trade show booth, experience some great contests and more. This also means that we'll be going mostly paperless in January.

Over the summer Kim has been working on making sure this will be a positive experience and we're almost at launch. When you get your notice via email you can start to build your profile in the app. That would include your photo, details about your company, contact information, etc. 

One more thing. The Whova App also allows you to market your company to attendees. Yes, there is advertising space that scrolls from page to page. The Board has recommended that  advertising space be sold to our membership at $500 per advertiser and we already have two spots taken!  You can advertise your website, special deals and more. It's a new and exciting way to market your company to our membership. And, the app stays live for weeks after the event. If you would like to claim an advertising spot connect with Kim by email, [email protected] or me at [email protected] and we'll get you hooked up.

Also a reminder that you can register for our Annual Conference and Trade Show now and save.  Here is that link, and check out how fancy this looks...also another big change. 

We hope you'll engage with this new technology because it will truly enhance your experience. So, you know, I've used the Whova App at several national events and it's really slick.  Be watching for your email invite and thank you for being a member!

Michael & Kim

A Global Giant in Ag Parts - Worthington Ag with Mike Winter

From very humble beginnings nearly sixty years ago, Worthington Tractor Parts Inc. has evolved into a company that sees its subsidiaries doing business not only in the Western Hemisphere but also in Australia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Italy and more. My guest is Mike Winter the President of this vast company. Here we talk about the early days, the business growth, what they offer to their customers and some interesting details about a corn-head many farmers laughed at back in the 1980's...but no longer.  Oh, one other thing, Mike gave us an exclusive about a new development that deals with Capello Corn Heads and the U.S as well as he concern about Ukraine. 

Thanks for listening!

The award winning Insight on Business the News Hour with Michael Libbie is the only weekday business news podcast in the Midwest. The national, regional and some local business news along with long-form business interviews can be heard Monday - Friday. You can subscribe on PlayerFM, Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or TuneIn Radio. And you can catch The Business News Hour Week in Review each Sunday Noon on News/Talk 1540 KXEL. The Business News Hour is a production of Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications. You can follow us on Twitter @IoB_NewsHour.

NTPDA Leadership with Scott Schelling and Trey Russell

Over 40 years ago a group of agriculture equipment recyclers got together and formed the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association (NTPDA). The group was small and mostly confined to the United States. Today the association has members not only in the U.S. but also Canada, Italy, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and Malaysia. Here I sit down with Scott Schelling the Immediate Past President and owner of Rock Valley Tractor Parts of Iowa and Trey Russell the incoming President and second generation to Russell's Tractor Parts of Alabama during our time at our Annual Conference and Trade Show. We talk about what they've gotten out of the association and what may be coming in the future.  Plus a "Shout Out" about the Summer Mixer coming in July. 

Thanks for listening!

The award winning Insight on Business the News Hour with Michael Libbie is the only weekday business news podcast in the Midwest. The national, regional and some local business news along with long-form business interviews can be heard Monday - Friday. You can subscribe on PlayerFM, Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or TuneIn Radio. And you can catch The Business News Hour Week in Review each Sunday Noon on News/Talk 1540 KXEL. The Business News Hour is a production of Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications. You can follow us on Twitter @IoB_NewsHour.

Some Phyllis Cox Photo Memories

All of us at the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association want to take a moment to wish Phyllis the very best in her retirement. She's been with us for nearly 25 years and has made so many friends and we have so many memories. We visited earlier today, on her last day with us, and don't worry...she has plenty of projects lined up to keep her busy. Here, from over the years are some Phyliss Photo Memories.  Enjoy!  You can click on the image to enlarge. 

 

Here's to you Phyllis and thank you!!