Wednesday 24 October 2012

Davis Controls Ltd. - Expand Your Borders


I am very fortunate that my role at Davis Controls Ltd provides me the opportunity to network regularly with some of brightest minds and best companies in our industry.  For me, the most important of these peer group opportunities comes from our participation in the Association for High Technology Distribution, the primary industry resource for increasing efficiency and opportunity.

 

As President of the AHTD (an association comprised of automation solution provider and manufacturer members who deliver technology-based products, services and solutions to the automation marketplace),  it was an honour and a pleasure for me to welcome members and their spouses to our Fall Meeting in historic Quebec City last week.  It was exciting for us to have our meeting at the picturesque Chateau Frontenac, the most photographed hotel in the world.  A record number of members and a record number of spouses from around the world attended this meeting.   Being in the heart of Old Quebec, we had the opportunity to explore this charming city, stroll the boardwalk, ride the funicular, taste poutine and enjoy the history and hospitality of the most European city in North America.

 

We were extremely pleased to open our fall program with General Rick Hillier (Ret’d).  During his illustrious career, General Hillier was appointed the Deputy Commanding General of III Corps, US Army in Fort Hood, Texas.  He went on to assume command of NATO’s Stabilization Force’s (SFOR) Multinational Division in Bosnia-Herzegovina and NATO- led International Security Assistance (ISAF) in Kabul, Afghanistan.   General Hillier was appointed as the Chief of Defence Staff in 2005, the highest rank in the Canadian armed forces and retired from the Canadian Forces in July 2008. General Hillier is an Officer in the Order of Canada and he spoke to our group on the subject of leadership.  His anecdotes from the field were spellbinding.

 
 

One of the workshop presenters on Thursday afternoon was Todd Youngblood, Managing Partner & CEO of the YPS Group.  Todd is a recognized authority on Sales Process Engineering and hosts a radio podcast dedicated to the methodical, relentless and continuous improvement of the sales process.  I had the pleasure of participating in one of Todd’s interviews and was given the opportunity to talk about Davis Controls Ltd and my role in the AHTD

Click on this link to hear the interview:

 

Our Friday’s keynote address featured Tom Koulopoulos, the author of nine books and founder of The Delphi Group, a 20 year old Boston based think tank.  Tom was named one of industry’s most influential consultants by Information Week magazine and his work has been praised by Tom Peters, who called his writing a “brilliant vision of where we must take our enterprises to survive and thrive”.  Tom’s presentation was both stimulating and entertaining.

 

We all appreciate a good musical performance, a concert or even a symphony orchestra, but I’ll bet that most of us have never had the experience that we enjoyed Friday evening.  The Painchaud Family of Quebec City are internationally renowned for their musical talent and entertaining performances.  Classical multi-instrumental musicians and Grammy nominees in their own right, this family of four brothers and a sister are phenomenally talented and hysterically entertaining performers.   This special evening will not be forgotten by anyone who was there to witness their entertaining performance.

We concluded our stay in Quebec City on Saturday morning with a talk by Barry Lane, Vice President of Mendel Tours.  Barry provided us with a fascinating history of Quebec, a World Heritage City. 

 

As wonderful as Quebec City is, it’s the people and the program, not the place that make our meetings so special….Thank you to all of our members and spouses for the wonderful memories from my five day stay in QC.  Some are even saying that it was our best meeting ever.

 

Only six months until our next AHTD meeting in Palm Springs, California.

 
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                                                                          www.daviscontrols.com

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