Seminars of particular interest to PROs include:
Portable Sanitation Association International (PSAI)
1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Panel Discussion, Cost Analysis: Delivery, Removal, Moves and Tipovers (two sessions)
Experienced portable restroom contractors will talk about many aspects of expenditure tracking with a goal to help operators understand their actual cost per service and avoid pricing their services below actual operating cost. This panel discussion will span two seminar hours.
National Association of Wastewater Transporters (NAWT)
8 a.m. to 9 a.m.: Bob Kolvey, What I Need to Know About Trucking Safety
This presentation will introduce and stimulate a discussion about new CSA (compliance, safety and accountability) requirements and how they impact drivers and companies. It’s a topic vital to small businesses that operate truck fleets. There also will be a discussion about accurately filling out logbooks.
1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Tom and Todd Frank, Is There Value in Processing My Own Sludge?
This presentation from contractors who run their own processing plant will help liquid waste contractors determine the feasibility of operating an independent dewatering facility. They will walk through the NAWT Excel cost spreadsheet to help contractors answer financial questions.
Northwest Michigan Onsite Wastewater Task Force
8 a.m. to 9 a.m.: Harnessing the Power of the Internet to Grow Your Business
Does the world of social media seem daunting or of questionable value to your business? This session will teach you how to tweet effectively, use Facebook to your advantage and join other companies in your area on LinkedIn.
9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Social Media – Taking it to the Web, Infinity and Beyond!
Do you need to be a graphics wizard to have a cool website? No, but a few basic design rules and a simple free Web service like Wordpress.com can get your business quickly up and running online. This session looks at how COLE Publishing organizes its Web content and how a business can incorporate the social media tools reviewed in the previous session.
Scott Hunter, Business Coach
8 a.m. to noon: Keeping Employees and Customers Happy
Ninety percent of new companies fail within 10 years. One key reason: unhappy employees or unhappy customers. It takes leadership to create and keep a winning atmosphere at work. This three-part session teaches you how to do exactly that. It tells why people become unhappy and customers get disappointed – and how to produce the opposite result.
3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.: How to Be Successful and Profitable in Any Economy
Many companies fail because their owners run them by the seat of their pants and have never learned what’s needed for a company to succeed. This program tells what it takes, day in and day out, no matter what is going on in the economy, to have a company that is profitable and fulfills the owner’s vision and objectives.
