Industry Summit celebrates PTDA’s 50th anniversary

The 50th Anniversary Industry Summit of the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA), held Oct. 21-23, 2010, at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix, AZ, featured the theme ‘A Summit of Possibilities’. It was attended by more than 680 people, including top-level decision-makers from distribution and manufacturing firms in the US and Canada. As well, delegates attended from France, Germany, Mexico, Trinidad and the United Kingdom.

The total number of delegates was up 25% compared to the 2009 summit, and the companies represented were up 12% from the previous year.

PTDA was founded on February 10, 1960. Its first annual convention was held later the same year. The annual summit provides a mix of educational sessions on industry trends, distributor-manufacturer meetings and peer networking forums.

The opening keynote address was presented by Mike Rayburn, known as the World’s Funniest Guitar Virtuoso, who combined unique musical talents with motivational snippets. Several other industry and marketing presentations were part of the three-day event.

One of the most popular talks, Making Sense of the Economy, was presented by economist Alan Beaulieu, who offered a generally optimistic outlook for the next three years, especially for the Canadian market.

The association named Penny Omns, director, BCB Corporate Services, North Vancouver, BC, the 21st recipient of its Warren Pike Award for lifetime achievement in the power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) industry.

After presenting this award, PTDA executive vice-president Mary Sue Lyon was herself honoured for 16 years of service to the association. Lyon is retiring at the end of 2010. Commenting on her reason for stepping down, she said, “On December 21, 2008, I was lucky enough to walk away from [a major car accident] with a broken arm, a concussion and a new perspective on what is important in life — that I spent more energy, effort and time on my personal relationship with Terry, my life partner, my friends and my family. It was my proverbial wake-up call.”

The Industry Summit’s signature event, the Manufacturer-Distributor Idea Exchange (MD-IDEX), brought together existing and potential channel partners to plan for the upcoming year. The program featured more than 400 meetings through pre-scheduled ap pointments and open times.

For the fifth year, the Industry Summit included a Motion Control Showcase, featuring 20 motion control suppliers with live demonstrations of the latest products and equipment. The showcase is targeted at members considering expansion into the motion control arena, looking for additional suppliers to support current offerings or interested in networking with other market players.

PTDA, a Chicago-based trade association for the industrial power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) distribution channel, represents 185 power transmission/motion control distribution firms that generate more than $10 billion in sales and span 3,500 locations in North America and 11 other countries. PTDA members also include 181 manufacturers that supply the PT/MC industry. For more information, visit www.ptda.org.

Additional reports and more details on the PTDA Industry Summit can be found online at www.mromagazine.com.

1. Michael St. Jacques and Oswaldo Almeida, NSK Canada; Yvon Goudreau, Kinecor LP; and Jean-Sebastian Lavigne, NTN Canada. 2. Dave and Diane Strutt, PTDA. 3. Yvon Goudreau and Adrian Trotman, Kinecor LP. 4. Mary Sue Lyon of PTDA presents the association’s Warren Pike Award for lifetime achievement to Penny Omns, BCB Corporate Services. 5. Mary Sue Lyon, PTDA executive vice-president, was honoured for 16 years of service to the association. Lyon is retiring at the end of 2010. Board member Randy Breaux, Baldor Electric, presented her with a music box as one of several parting gifts. 6. Bill Roebuck, MRO Magazine; Ted Chisholm, BDI Canada; Mary Sue Lyon, PTDA; Cory Shaw, Timken/QM Bearings; Evan Boere, Timken Canada; Sean Hazelton, Emerson Industrial Automation and Dermot Strong, Motion Industries/BC Bearing Engineers. 7. Tamara Somerville, Posi Lock Puller, with Ajay and Neera Bajaj, Rotator Products. 8. Brian Short, Kaydon Bearing, and Earl Rogalski, Garlock Klozure. 9. Tom Karch, SKF Canada; Jos Sueters, Tsubaki of Canada; and Tony Bisante, RBI Bearing. 10. EASA board member Gary Siemon, Ampro Electric, was a first-time attendee at PTDA. 11. More than 60 women at the PTDA Industry Summit participated in a fundraising walk to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure fundraising campaign.