International Door & Operator Industry

JUL-AUG 2013

Garage door industry magazine for garage door dealers, garage door manufacturers, garage door distributors, garage door installers, loading docks, garage door operators and openers, gates, and tools for the door industry.

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TEChnIcAL by Gary Lombard Education – Then and Now During the 2013 IDAExpo™ in Nashville Tennessee, I was able to witness a signifcant change that has occurred with the majority of the attendees compared to other such events. Today, more than ever before, door dealers have a thirst for wanting to learn. From my perspective, the desire to become better educated was the primary contributor making the Nashville IDAExpo such a success. From Wikipedia, Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which the knowledge, skills, and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training, or research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of others, but may also be autodidactic. Any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational. As per the defnition, education can be an "experience" that has an effect on the way one thinks. This is exactly how I would describe this past IDAExpo, an experience. What once was just a gathering of door dealers and exhibitors on a yearly basis to renew acquaintances is now one of the main venues for education. I'm not being critical of past events. The point is that we as an industry are conducting ourselves more and more as professionals. We as door dealers have recognized the importance of education and are willing to take the necessary steps to commit to training not only the business owner, but other key employees as well. The reasons for this are many, but here are a few that come to mind: • Wehavealotmorecompetitiontoday.Forexample,did we have the "Big Box" stores to compete with 10, 15, 20 years ago like we do today? 34 International Door & Operator Industry™ • Howmanynewdoordealersareinyourareanow? The market place as a whole has become a lot more competitive. • Howmanymoreliabilityissuesmustyouhavetocontend with today? How do you fnd out what these are and know how to deal with them? • Howmanydifferentkindsofproductsareonthemarket today? Without the IDAExpo, where could you go to see all the different products under one roof? During an IDAExpo, attendees are able to experience a wide variety of topics that cover virtually every aspect of the door industry. For example, the seminars in Nashville were extremely well attended and conducted by professionals from both inside and outside of the door industry. What I saw that gave me so much optimism about our industry as a whole were many new dealers in attendance. For these men and women, getting educated is their top priority. You have heard the saying "The Changing of The Guard". This is how I would describe what I felt as I talked with, and met many of the attendees. There was a true and genuine purpose behind them being there. The door industry has become a more attractive trade that provides a viable type of service to many different market segments. People see an opportunity to make a good living and also envision the security our industry offers. As an industry, we have come a long way. Never before have there been the resources available as there are today to disseminate the information regarding training and education. This past April, the IDAExpo focused on the topic: "Tune-In for Education". And, believe me, did it deliver! Continued on page 36

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