ANNUAL MEETING BUSINESS PROGRAM

IEDA presents ...

A PANEL DIALOG

MORE INFO TO COME

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Saturday, February 17

Hot Breakfast Buffet – 7 a.m.
Business Program with Moderator Mike Marks – 8 a.m.

2024 Industry Economic Forecast
Gene Marks

M&A Do’s and Don’t’s for Independents
Mike Marks

Exhibitor Showcase

Sales Coaching
Troy Harrison

Contractor Panel

Exhibitor Showcase

Featured Keynote: Greg Gadsen

Meet the Keynote

COL. GREG GADSON

Colonel Gregory D. Gadson, a Chesapeake, Va., native, served our nation in the United States Army for more than 26 years.

Col. Gadson’s service culminated as the Garrison Commander of Fort Belvoir, where he oversaw the daily operations of the post, a strategic sustaining base where more than 50,000 military personnel and employees provide logistical, intelligence, medical and administrative support, and command and control for a mix of more than 140 commands and agencies for the Department of Defense.

Col. Gadson’s life is a portrait of courage in the face of great adversity. In May 2007, as commander of the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, Col. Gadson’s greatest challenge came in Iraq, where an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack cost him both legs above the knees and normal use of his right arm and hand. Despite this, Gadson remained on active duty in the Army and continued to inspire many with his message of courage, perseverance, determination and teamwork.

Refusing to be defined by the proverbial “hail of bullets,” he has since drawn upon the lessons of Pride, Poise and Team, learned as a West Point linebacker, and applied them to his life, career and family.

Commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant of Field Artillery in 1989 from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Greg served in every major conflict of the past two decades, including Operations Desert Shield/Storm in Kuwait; Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia-Herzegovina; Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Greg served in various assignments throughout the world. He dedicated himself to leading the Soldiers, civilian employees and family members in living the Army Values of Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage.

Greg is a passionate advocate for wounded warriors, veterans and those with disabilities; on several occasions, testified before Congress on issues related to these groups.

In 2007, Tom Coughlin, New York Giants head coach, asked Gadson to meet with the then struggling team. Gadson talked to the players about service, teamwork, duty, perseverance and adversity. His message resonated and the New York Giants defeated the 18-0 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

Greg made his silver screen debut in 2012 as a lead actor in the blockbuster movie Battleship; where he portrayed a war-injured veteran that helped save the world from an alien invasion. In 2015, he completed season one of The Inspectors, a family television series on CBS.

Greg continues a very energetic and dynamic lifestyle where he continues to serve his nation as an entrepreneur and managing partner of Patriot Strategies, LLC, a government services company. He is also an accomplished photographer/artist and remains active in cycling, skiing and scuba.

Greg’s military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal; Legion of Merit (2); Bronze Stars (3); Purple Heart; the Meritorious Service Medal (3), and the Army Commendation Medal (3). He is a graduate of Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and holds masters degrees in information systems from Webster University and policy management from Georgetown University. He holds an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Webster University.

Meet the Presenters

Dealer Consolidation M&A: How Does It Really Work?

Mike Marks

Based on member feedback, Mike returns as moderator for the IEDA Business Program. He also joins the lineup of subject matter experts presenting on February 17.

Simply put, Mike will cut through the noise on dealer M&A.

If you don’t know him, Mike knows our industry well and has many equipment manufacturers in his client base. He has also facilitated multiple mergers and acquisitions over his career and even teaches a class on the subject for Purdue. There is a lot of activity in the industry and some dealers end up happy … but some don’t.

Mike will walk us through the reasons when M&A makes sense, but more importantly when it doesn’t. Participants will see how to determine what a dealer is worth, how to manage a sale, and how to finance it.

Mike is involved right now with a dealer who is small, has dodged taxes, and is now structuring an asset sale – this situation is very different than what is taught at universities.

Attendees will receive copies of the presentation materials and template. You won’t want to miss this straight-from-the-shoulder, no BS presentation on how it actually works.

Mike is the founding partner of the Indian River Consulting Group, focused on B2B channel-driven markets. Prior to founding IRCG, Mike worked in distribution management for more than 20 years. He can be reached at mmarks@ircg.com.

Economist Pulse Check
Gene Marks

Gene is our lead-off man, kicking off the program with a full business and economic overview and forecast.

Gene Marks (no relation to Mike Marks!) is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post. He now writes weekly on the economy, business and technology for The Guardian, The Hill, The Washington Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Forbes and Entrepreneur.com. Gene, a certified public accountant, runs a financial and technology consulting firm outside Philadelphia and is the author of five books on business management. He provides commentary regularly on Fox News, MSNBC Fox Business, CBS Radio and for the Wharton School’s Business Channel on Sirius XM. Gene is also the host of two popular business podcasts for The Hartford and Paychex.

The Sales Manager’s Edge: Navigating Coaching For Higher Sales Performance
Troy Harrison

Sales managers shouldn’t just be number crunchers. In this program, you will equip yourself with the essential skills to coach and elevate your sales team’s performance like never before. Say goodbye to underperforming reps and hello to a high-performing sales force that consistently exceeds expectations.

This program will help you uncover the secrets to continually developing your sales representatives and propelling them to new levels of success. Troy “The Sales Navigator” Harrison is renowned for sales coaching mastery. In this program, Troy will guide you through a simple yet powerful process to troubleshoot and address performance issues effectively.Be prepared to boost your sales team’s performance as we delve into topics such as:

Elevating Your Team: Quantitative vs. Qualitative Analysis—Spotting the Problem (or the Opportunity)
The Art of Effective Coaching: The One Must-Do Technique
Persuasion for Behavioral Change: Inspiring Your Sales Team to Greatness
Empowering Your Top Performers: Enhancing Results and Activity …and more!

Prepare to gain invaluable tools and techniques to uplift your team’s performance and drive exceptional results. Don’t miss this opportunity to become a catalyst for lasting success in your company!

Author, speaker, and consultant Troy Harrison helps companies build more profitable and productive sales forces.To schedule a free 45-minute Sales Strategy Review, email troy@troyharrison.com.

Right to Repair Industry Panel

Gay Gordon-Byrne

Right-to Repair Voice; Executive Director of the Repair Association

Gay is a self-described mainframe computer nerd and acknowledged expert in commercial contracts for high-end computer products, maintenance and software. For the past 10 years she has led the fight for all of us to repair our purchases – particularly the ones that include computerized parts. In her role as executive director of the Digital Right to Repair Coalition, Gay has appeared as a TED speaker, a panelist for the FTC “Nixing the Fix” workshop, a panelist for the National Association of Attorneys General, and provided testimony to Congress on the topic of small business limitations and restrictions. Gay lives in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York with her husband, and is the proud mother of two sons and grandmother to four fabulous grandkids. And a cat.

Bruno Gattamorta

Europe R2R and Repair-Workaround Voice

Bruno Gattamorta is Chief Commercial Officer at Cojali USA, and oversees all things related to product development, sales and marketing for the top “All Makes Diagnostics Tool” in the market. Understanding the technological evolution and adjusting the Cojali product offering to the markets needs and demands is in his daily focus.

Furthermore, communicating to customers and generating awareness of the available solutions on how to improve their service or maintenance operations is Cojali’s mantra. Founded in 1991, Cojali started off as a fan clutch retrofitter, quickly realizing that electronics was the future of the automotive industry. This took them to develop a diagnostics solution for brake systems, and later evolving to the engine, and all the systems on the vehicle. With time, they expanded to the agricultural, construction, and marine industry.

Today, Cojali is part of the German Conglomerate Knorr-Bremse and a leader in technology associated to software diagnostics and connectivity, with growing relationships with key OEM partners worldwide. Acting as a link between OEMs and the aftermarket, Cojali is strategically positioned to deliver value to the industry as a whole, anticipating what’s coming and building the technologies to solve those problems.

Having grown up in between the U.S. and Europe, Bruno acts as a translator between the cultures of Cojali and the market, which has so quickly expanded. With a core knowledge in mechanical engineering and an MBA in International Business, plus nurtured with many years in the diagnostics industry, traveling with salesmen, visiting shops and shaping the products in the market, Bruno is able to work with customers to identify the needs and adjust the product offering to cater to those specific needs.

Bob Redding

Auto Industry Voice

Bob Redding is the president of The Redding Firm, a government affairs firm located on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and advocates for clients in the legislative and executive branches of federal government. A native of Edison, Georgia, Bob has spent his professional life in Washington, D.C. He founded his firm in 1993 after working 12 years on Capitol Hill – six years as a chief of staff in the U.S. House of Representatives and six years as an executive assistant and chief of staff in the U.S. Senate. He worked with Members of Congress serving on the Senate Appropriations, Energy and Natural Resources, and Budget Committees, and the House Small Business Committee. Bob has served as national and state finance chair for a number of Members of the U.S. House and Senate.

As a result of over 25 years of work on behalf of clients within the mobility industry, Bob is considered a leading authority on federal transportation legislation and has received numerous awards for his service to the industry. Bob has received presidential appointments to Federal Advisory Committees at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

He’s a graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and the National Law Center at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Laura, reside in Washington, D.C. and have three children.

Jared Wilson

Agriculture Industry Voice

As owner and manager of a 4,000-acre row crop farm with 250 cow calf pairs, Jared Wilson has been operating and repairing heavy machinery since age 11. He holds a BS in Ag1nibusiness with a minor in agronomy from Kansas State University. His farm owns, operates, and repairs John Deere, Agco, Hyundai, Caterpillar, CNH, Ashland, Kenworth, and several other brands of equipment. He is a class representative in the consolidated class action complaint against John Deere, and has provided testimony to the Missouri House and Senate committees in favor of right to repair legislation. A self-professed shadetree mechanic, the same holds true of his technological ability. Jared first learned how to operate computers on an old Commodore 64 at age 5.