National Clothesline

The Tennessee Fabricare Association will offer several innovative small business growth strategies at its upcoming annual meeting and seminars in Chattanooga, TN.

The event will be June 9-11 at the convention center located at the Marriott Chattanooga.

Hoping to keep cleaners on the right track toward success and profitability will be guest speaker Larry Hollon, a man with a diverse business background.

He began his career as a Mechanical Engineer working in processing engineering. In addition to starting a manufacturing business and a staffing business during his life, he worked as a manager for 20 years before he became a business coach.

In fact, he has spent 23 years of intensive study learning about some of the leading business management methods worldwide. Now, he teaches those methods to other managers knowing full well that they are tried-and-proven methods and not just theoretical ideas.

On Saturday, June 10, he will speak to attendees from 9 a.m. until noon. He will provide an overview of some of the key ingredients for small business growth strategies.

Some areas of emphasis will include: how to win customer devotion by helping your customers satisfy a basic human need that most people just don ’t think about; the components of an effective integrated marketing program; how to take market share from competitors; selling more to the people who already buy from you; and broadening your niche.

Hollon will also help attendees examine and redefine which marketing tactics they use and how they are executed best. All small business cleaners can successfully create or expand a market segment with the proper innovative strategies in their product or service offerings and in their marketing tactics.

Following a lunch break, TFA will present another seminar in the afternoon from 1 to 3 p.m. Steve Goin will discuss the topic of “Drycleaner Environmental Response Program (DCERP) Issues”.

Both educational seminars will take place in the convention center’s Lookout Mountain Room.

Attendance for Hollon’s session qualifies for 4 CED points; attendance at the DCERP program qualifies for 2 CED points. Ten points in all are required to achieve certification.

Also during the weekend, there will be a reception with Allied Trade companies on Friday evening from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Registration costs for the annual meeting and seminars is $99 per person for IFI/TFA members. However, if two or more people from the same plant sign up, that cost goes down to $79 per member.

Non-members pay $129 per person. Two or more from the same plant can enjoy a reduced registration cost of $109 per person.

TFA has also secured a special discount room rate at the Marriott. The price is $109 for single/double occupancy per night. To make reservations, contact the hotel directly by calling (800) 841-1674 and mention the TFA annual meeting.

For more information, contact the TFA office at (615) 269-5312 or visit TFA’s web site at www.tnfabricare.com.

The South Eastern Fabricare Association has expanded the floor size of its July 29-30 trade show after selling all of the originally planned space.

The show will be held at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center in Savannah, GA. Exhibit hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

In addition to the exhibit, seminars are planned for both mornings of the show. On Saturday Jim Goulet of Steiner-Atlantic will discuss “Front Door to Back Door Maintenance” beginning at 8 a.m.

Sunday morning will feature Ann Hawkins of NIE Insurance on “The Game of Risk” in which she will explain the different risks of insurance in a one-hour program beginning at 8 a.m.

Following that, attorney Fred McCormack will discuss “Solvent Cleanup Programs: Where Are They Now?”

Attendees can register for the exhibit and make hotel reservations on line at www.southerndrycleanersshow.com. The web site also has a printable copy of the floor plan and list of exhibitors.

Pre-registration for the show is $10 per person and $5 for each additional staff person. On-site registration will cost $15.

A non-exhibiting allied trades registration fee will be $50.

Convention hotels are the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort, (912) 201-2000, and the Hyatt Regency Savannah, (912) 238-1234.

Convention rates at the Westin are $156 a night.

At the Hyatt convention rates range from $139 to $189 per night.

Information about exhibiting at the show and other questions can be directed to the SEFA office, (877) 707-7332.