Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM FEBRUARY 2018 62 T he United Servicers Association annual convention—the Appliance Service Training Institute—was a huge success. It was held at the TradeWinds Resort on St. Pete Beach, Florida. St. Pete Beach is a sunny and warm escape from the winter blues, and attendees took advantage of the beautiful white sandy beach with walks along the Gulf of Mexico. The theme of the convention was "Rise to a Higher Level" depicting a sun rising over the ocean. The theme turned out to be perfectly appropriate with the breathtaking sunsets every day. Attendees all ate well at the TradeWinds Resort and the surrounding area restaurants; the local seafood was outstanding, and if you wanted a libation around the pool or on the beach, that was available too. If you have never taken advantage of attending the Annual Service Training Institute, the convention is promoted as a four-day event, but it is really five days. On the Sunday before the convention is scheduled to start, United Servicers Association offers pre-day classes, and many attendees take advantage of these classes. Classes offered on Sunday included R600 and Lokring training presented by Level2Learning, basic refrigeration presented by Dyer Academy, basic electricity presented by Fred's Academy, and many of the software providers offer training to their users. This year, Daniel Beaule offered an all-day session titled, "Grow My Business and Lead My Industry". The session was new and highly educational for all that attended. United Servicers Association wants all attendees to get their money's worth; we started early Monday morning at 7:00am. The convention started off with a great and inspiring keynote address by David Brightman of Bosch Appliances. The ASTI offers courses on both business management and technical training, and attendees were welcome to attend any session. The business management session covered a wide variety of subject matters, from Internet advertising to employee management, and we experienced the largest offering of manufacturer technician training ever offered. Thank you to all the presenters and trainers for sharing your time and expertise. For the real early risers, there was a brainstorming session offered Tuesday through Thursday that started a 6:00am. This session was an open forum in which to share and exchange ideas, and attendees were encouraged to ask any questions they might have. A goal of attending a convention is to learn from your peers, and this was a fantastic avenue for attendees to learn and hear others' ideas. The trade show during the ASTI was busy as ever. The trade show opened Monday night with hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, and was and exciting and fun time to meet with all the sponsors and vendors. Attendees were able to connect with new vendors and say hello to their current vendors. Many vendors shared their offerings, giveaways, and drawings for gifts—it was truly a fun event for everyone. United Servicers Association holds our annual "Most Professional Servicer" contest every year, sponsored by CheckMyBag.com. There are three company size categories: 1-2 technicians, 3-7 technicians, and 8+ technicians. The goal of this contest is to raise the public image of our industry. This year we had over sixty entries, the largest response in the contest history. This is due to the great effort of the "Most Professional Servicer" committee and ServicersWeb.com marketing support. Thank you to all the companies that entered the contest, the industry judges, and everyone who voted. The last item I want to mention is the banquet — a great time with food and drink which gave the United Servicers Association an opportunity to thank our sponsors and supporters. Every year USA awards a Lifetime Achievement Award, and this year's winner was Ron Sawyer, founder of the Professional Service Association (PSA). Ron saw a need for our industry to have a voice, and while many might have thought about it, Ron took on the responsibility and created this fine association. To all sponsors, vendors, members, and attendees—thank you for your support and attending the 2018 Appliance Service Training Institute. Please make plans to attend next year, March 2nd to 5th, 2019 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. Please visit www.asti.us for more information. Lance Kimball, Appliance Repair Specialists, President, CEO S E R V I C E D E P A R T M E N T RO 2018 APPLIANCE SERVICE TRAINING INSTITUTE ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL ASTI CONVENTION

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