Segway Inventor To Speak At PTDA/FPDA Fall Meeting

Chicago, IL — Inventor, entrepreneur and tireless advocate for science and technology, Dean Kamen will be the opening keynote speaker for the co-located PTDA 2009 Industry Summit and FPDA 2009 Network Symposium to be held on October 22-24, 2009.

The event — the first time the two organizations have co-located their fall meetings — will take place at the brand new Hilton San Diego Bayfront in California.

Most well-known as the inventor of the Segway Personal Transporter, Kamen is president of DEKA Research & Development Corp., Manchester, NH. DEKA is focused on the development of revolutionary new technologies that span a diverse set of applications.

Co-locating the fall meetings of the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) and the FPDA Motion and Control Network (or simply FPDA, which was formerly known as the Fluid Power Distributors Association), will create natural synergies, both organizations expect.

The theme for the co-located meeting is “What’s Your Next Move?” and will feature programming designed to help participants prepare for life after the recession. Attended by leaders in the industrial distribution industry, members from PTDA and FPDA will share keynote speakers, workshop sessions and networking events over two days.

“Working together with FPDA on this conference is just another way we’re recognizing that many of our members are multi-faceted, seeking to be a complete resource for their customers,” said Drew Tucci, 2009 PTDA president. “By joining forces with FPDA for this event, we’re able to bring to our collective membership speakers like Dean Kamen who can spark the innovation and energy they need to design their next move.”

“The leadership of the FPDA Motion & Control Network is looking forward with great anticipation to this co-located event with PTDA,” said Richard Neels, FPDA president-elect, who will assume the association’s presidency in spring 2009 and will preside over the fall event. “As distributors in the industrial and mobile markets, FPDA and PTDA members have a lot in common, and by co-sponsoring many of the events, we are each able to offer our members a top-notch program and unparalleled networking among distributors and manufacturers. With both associations contributing to the program planning, this is shaping up to be an extraordinary event and we’re proud to be part of it.”

In addition to Kamen, Alan Beaulieu of the Institute for Trend Research will speak at the closing luncheon, offering his insights into this unprecedented economy. Workshop sessions will assist participants in positioning their companies to be ready to ride the first wave of upturn with focused content on uncovering the hottest markets, planning for entering those new markets and minimizing the risks associated with seizing opportunities.

A key component of the co-located meetings will be the Motion Control Technical Conference and Showcase. The Motion Control Technical Conference is for technical specialists in the power transmission/ motion control (PT/MC) industry to learn about motion control trends and technologies. Part forum, part technical benchmarking, the Technical Conference focuses on the latest trends and information in the motion control arena.

For more information, visit www.ptda.org/IndustrySummitor www.fpda.org.