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The PSA convention held in Orlando in March was a spectacular event where service education reined supreme. Technical training classes were packed and most sessions had to be duplicated to accommodate the large number of technicians attending. Technical presentations were made by Fisher&Paykel, Viking Range, Asko, Uline, Scottsman, DCS Range, Dacor Appliances, Samsung Appliances, LG Appliances, Electrolux, Kitchen Aid /Whirlpool and GE Appliances

Service management classes were equally well attended with presentations by PSA’s expert field trained instructors. Presentations included General management & Productivity techniques, Service Company Marketing, Consumer Relations, Employee Relations, Understanding People personality profile, Dynamics of Change Management, Recruiting and Keeping Service Technicians, World Class Front Line Service and Taking the Mystery Out of Financial Management. As you can see, there were all kinds of information to make your service company more professional and profitable.

Hands On Service Training

In addition to that, there were industry meetings that included an industry roundtable session to discuss industry problems and seek acceptable solutions to resolve the issues. A hot topic at the convention was the availability of service information to the industry at large. Many suggestions were made and all agreed that the industry would be better served if information were more readily available to the entire industry.

The vocational instructors met and discussed issues with attending manufacturers and PSA education committee to improve support for vocational schools throughout the US and Canada. It was announced that the PSA online certification program for graduating technicians was now available to all vocational schools free of charge for those wishing to participate. Increased participation in SkillsUSA was discussed and many who requested information were referred to their state representatives for further information on participation. It was also decided that PSA would establish a job listing for existing job opportunities on their web site (www.psaworld.com) making job selection easier for recent graduate students. This listing is free of charge!

In other meetings, ServiceBench conducted a training seminar for dealers wanting to use the dispatch feature offered in their dealer software program. Dave Ramsey conducted a seminar on Personal Finances and Rossware Computing conducted training for new computer users by offering Beginners Basic Nuts and Bolts of Using a Computer and a second session for more advanced users, Harnessing Computer Technology showing how to use computer technology to enhance Service Center Efficiency.

While all of this activity was going for four full days, attendees still found time to go to the computer testing room to become certified. During the convention, 89 new certifications were issued as Master Technicians, Technicians, Certified Service Managers and Certified Consumer Specialist. There was also a session for those managers who would like to become a Certified Service Center to give them an understanding of the program and how to go about obtaining the necessary requirements to achieve that elite status.

Add to that the entertainment, networking opportunities, a great trade show, sharing with good friends and you have the makings of a great service only industry event with high enthusiasm, excitement with dedication to improve the independent service industry. Attendees go home with a rejuvenation that makes our industry exciting again. It takes weeks to sort through all of the notes to find out what you actually learned and how to implement all of the new ideas to make your company more efficient and profitable.

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PSA’s NASC 2008 Convention Will Be Held in Orlando, Florida

The PSA Board of Directors is proud to announce that the Disney Grosvenor Resort Hotel located at Downtown Disney in Orlando will host the annual PSA convention on March 8-11, 2008. With a prime location in the heart of Orlando near great entertainment, the Grosvenor Resort Hotel offers the kind of warm hospitality, inviting atmosphere and topnotch services sure to please business and leisure travelers alike. With a confirmed room rate of $99 per night this is just one of the spectacular features that make the National Appliance Service Convention stand out as the one that works for you.

The industry’s number one “Appliance Service” convention is geared to providing technical education, management training, certification of skills, industry planning meetings, vocational instructors meetings and world class entertainment to provide something for everyone who chooses to attend.

These programs are presented by industry professionals with years of experience in the service business who are willing to share their tried and tested techniques with you and at the same time learn from you about things that you may want to share. This is what a trade association is designed to do, bring all of the members together and to find solutions and design programs for the benefit of all.

If you have attended a PSA Convention in the past then you know that the quality of our conventions are unsurpassed in content and in quality. If you haven’t attended one in the past, you can’t possibly know what you have missed.

Can you imagine a place where you can go to get up to date on technical skills even though you may not be an authorized servicer for that manufacturer or a place where you can learn new techniques to grow your service business into a more efficient and profitable operation? Have you ever wondered if you have the right stuff to qualify as a Certified Master Technician or a Certified Service Manager? Have you ever been to a place where you go there with all of the doubts and problems that we all face and come home rejuvenated and full of new ideas to make your business the best in your market area?

If you can answer yes to any of these questions, then you need to mark your calendar now and reserve those dates for the greatest experience of your career.

We need your help in making this the biggest and best convention ever by attending and sharing with other servicers around the country. Meeting new people and having the opportunity to express your industry concerns on a national basis with manufacturers and third party representatives face to face and have your voice heard. Where else can you get an opportunity like that?

By the way, It will be the only convention not held in Las Vegas again this year and the only one east of the Mississippi River.

We’ll see you in Orlando in March!

The Association for Service Professionals

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The Magic of Nashville

This year PSA held their convention in Nashville and 322 real live “Appliance Service People” came to this industry event. We were amazed since pre-registration showed that we were expecting 250 plus to attend… But they just kept coming!

What was it that attracted these servicers to our convention?

After speaking with many of the participants, they came for the four full days of spectacular in-depth four hour manufacturer training that was offered not just the traditional one and a half hour presentation that only touches on the product. Even though there were 60 to 75 servicers in every class, each had a chance to see hands on tear down and reassembly. In fact, on one day the instructor could not fit all of the material into the four-hour session and offered to continue through lunch if the class wanted him to stay. Only a few went to lunch and the rest stayed for the complete presentation.

His remarks echoed those of all of the instructors who said that it was truly refreshing to have a class filled with so many technicians who really wanted to be there and soak up every bit of knowledge they could get from each session. They were there to learn and they demanded the maximum from each product presentation.

Another 40 to 60 attendees who did not participate in the technical presentations spent their time in management training classes where they learned about “Consumer Relations” and how to handle difficult situations with grace and a dignified desire to satisfy the customer as well as repair the product. They learned about employee relations, they learned about operating their own “in house” extended warranty program, they learned about taking the mystery out of everyday accounting practices from a Certified Public Accountant. They learned about marketing techniques on how to grow your business and they learned about general management techniques to make your business more profitable. They also learned how to recruit and train your own technicians in your own facility. And if that were not enough, many who were taking these classes found the time to become Certified Service Managers (CSM) during the convention.

And, while we are speaking of certification, there was a classroom throughout the convention that was equipped with 12 laptop computers and dedicated to the sole purpose of providing certification to those who wanted to take advantage of the opportunity at this event. The end result was that a total of 78 people became Certified Appliance Professional, certified as Master Technicians (Mcap), Technicians (Tcap), Certified Consumer Specialist (CCS) or Certified Service Managers (CSM)

In addition to all of these activities, there were early morning coffee clutch meetings at 6:30 am for technicians, managers, owners and support staff to exchange ideas and experiences. There were meetings for Appliance Technology instructors in regard to using the latest competencies developed by the industry and taking advantage of the free Graduate Technician Certification offered by PSA, free of charge, to any school wanting to use them.

There was a presentation by the Dave Ramsey group showing the standing room only crowd how to build personal wealth while operating your own service business. This is an area that we sometimes get so wrapped up in our business that we neglect to take care of the personal finances that are so necessary to our overall success as business people. The first 50 people to enter the class were given a free copy of Dave Ramsey’s book “The Total Money Makeover”. He said he was about 30 short for the entire group.

There were an exceptionally high number of women in the service business who took the opportunity to attend this convention and it was extremely gratifying to see them participate in the industry meetings and in the women’s peer group that is unique to PSA. The majority of CSM’s issued at the convention were awarded to women.

We really need to thank the supporters of the convention who went there and did an exceptional job with product presentations and participation in the really important things like getting high end product in our nation’s classrooms in order to challenge potential new students with the wonders of new technology. Working closer with individual classroom instructors to provide on-site training to students and local service companies at the school facility to bring a higher awareness to educational efforts and local industry employers who will hire the new graduates.

The following companies went out of their way to make NASC 2007 the success that it truly was. Fisher&Paykel, Viking, Hadco Distributing, ASKO, DCS Ranges, Sharp Electronics, LG Electronics, Whirlpool /Maytag, Electrolux/Frigidaire, GE Appliance, NEW, ServicePower and ServiceBench. We also thank Appliance Parts Depot, Dey Distributing, Professional Contractors Board Repair, Partsearch, AP Wagner, LogiServ, Rossware, Mr. Appliance, Glenwood Communications and Appliance Service News for participation in the trade show along with the manufacturers. Without their excellent efforts we could not have succeeded without them. We appreciate these efforts and thank each and everyone for their contributions.

One of the things that make a convention great is not being measured by its size, but by the content of the materials that are offered and relevance to the individuals attending that convention. It is also the intimacy in which you can find other people with like interests to network with at mealtime or during a lull in the evening after classes are over. It is also the opportunity to loosen up and enjoy world-class entertainment like taking river boat cruise with great dinner and a spectacular musical show and at the same time meeting and making new friends that will last long after the convention ends.

One other factor that makes a great convention is the dedication and commitment of the convention planners who determine the course content and put their hearts and souls into their presentations to share their expertise with other servicers to make them more successful in their own operations. PSA is fortunate to have a board of directors who exemplify “dedication and commitment” in their every action concerning the industry.

The Magic of Nashville was the fact that attendees could not believe the amount of information that was made available and how much they learned at this event. The comments from people who were departing the convention were all very positive and best of all everyone left Nashville with a renewed outlook on their business and could not wait to get home and put into action some of the things that they learned during that four day learning experience.

Best of all, the convention committee is already planning next year’s event to be even more exciting and spectacular then it was this year.

We’ll see you there in 2008!

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NASC 2007 Will Be Held in Nashville, TN

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The PSA Board of Directors is proud to announce that the Radisson Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee will host the annual PSA convention on February 10-13, 2007. With a prime Nashville location in the heart of Gaylord Opryland near great entertainment, the Hotel Opryland offers the kind of warm hospitality, inviting atmosphere and topnotch services sure to please business and leisure travelers alike. With a confirmed room rate of $84 per night this is just one of the spectacular features that make the National All Service Convention stand out as the one that works for you.

The industry’s number one “All Service” convention is geared to providing technical education, management training, certification of skills, industry planning meetings, vocational instructors meetings and world class entertainment to provide something for everyone who chooses to attend.

If you can answer yes to any of these questions, then you need to mark your calendar now and reserve those dates for the greatest experience of your career.

By the way, It will be the only convention not held in Las Vegas again this year and the only one east of the Mississippi River.

We’ll see you in Nashville in February!

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PSA MEMBERS ATTACK INDUSTRY ISSUES HEAD-ON

NASC 2006 REVIEW

NO FLUFF, JUST GOOD STUFF…… at the NASC 2006 Convention.

NASC 2006 drew over 267 technicians and industry supporters from the ranks of PSA and Mr. Appliance who partnered to provide one of the most exciting industry events in recent times.

Technical training from major manufacturers, management seminars given by successful appliance servicers sharing their knowledge, Owners’ Roundtable discussions with manufacturers’ reps, third-party servicers, vocational school representatives and morning coffee discussions, along with great food and spectacular entertainment, made for the best PSA Convention yet.

Technical training was provided by AM Appliance Group (ASKO), Electrolux, GE, Sharp Electronics, Marvel Products, Maytag, Whirlpool and Rovac

Management seminars were highlighted by a comprehensive marketing seminar, presented by PSA Board members Ralph Wolff and Anthony Attanasio; a session on General service management by PSA board member Linda Knudsen and in addition, an excellent consumers’ relations seminar, instructed by Wayne Markman who is also a PSA board member, Karen Percent, CPA presented a financial management session to take the mystery out of accounting practices and Attorney Bob Goldberg gave a session on avoiding the legal potholes on the road to success. With a line-up of education like that you have the makings of a “great one-two punch” that any business would be successful with.

This year was the premiere of the first-ever industry Women’s Service Peer Group (WSPG) meeting that was the vision of Linda Kundsen. The session was well attended and warmly received by the women who attended the convention. Plans are underway to continue meeting by means of a PSA email reflector called WPSG. Women who are interested in participating with this group can send their email address to PSA at psaworld@aol.com. An idea long overdue. Thanks, Linda.

The educators meeting was a highlight with instructors from all over the US and Canada seeking more support for local vocational programs, The new competencies were discussed and the method by which the curriculum of the school can be measured for compliance by using the Certified Graduate Technician program developed by PSA that closely follows the competencies that are required by the industry for new entry level technicians. Getting high tech product into the classroom was a high priority for instructors and solutions were explored with manufacturers to fill that need along with service product support for the instructor on an ongoing basis. Instructors were greatly encouraged with the new support shown at the meeting.

Industry Roundtable discussions included OEM manufacturers’ representatives, third-party servicers and vocational school representatives, along with independent servicers; included were Randy Carney (Maytag) and Steve Miller (N.E.W.) and Tom Dubois of Warrantech who fielded many industry-oriented questions. Great job, gentlemen.

Official PSA Test Proctor, Hans Hansen, reports fifty-two new certifications; M-CAP and CSM, combined during the length of the convention. Since the PSA Certified Appliance Professional program, (CAP) is currently the only appliance certification program that truly reflects the latest competencies that were developed for 2006 by the industry as a whole, it has become the certification of choice by most technicians who want to be recognized by their peers as a “Certified Master Technician” considered to be the highest technical rating in the industry.

At the Awards Banquet, the PSA Director’s Award was proudly presented to Hans Hansen (PSA) for his efforts in promoting the association and certification throughout the year, Linda Knudsen (PSA) was presented with the PSA President’s Award for her continued efforts to promote PSA and to provide members with quality education. Steve Miller (N.E.W.) was the recipient of this year’s Industry Service Award presented to NEW for their continued efforts to support all of the trade associations and to develop new opportunities for the independent service industry. Congratulations to all!

This convention is the springboard into the coming year. Your inspiration, education, certification, and your voice at the table, is what made this convention so great!

Thanks to everyone that attended. See ya next year.

Sincerely,

Mike Buck, PSA Board Member

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U.S. Homeowners Turn Down the Heat

Americans this winter are reacting to rising home heating bills by turning down the heat, closing off rooms and wearing more clothes, according to a national homeowner survey commissioned by Emerson, a leading manufacturer of technologies for the heating and cooling industries. Emerson released the survey findings today at the AHR Expo in Chicago, the heating, ventilating and air conditioning industry's largest annual trade show.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts U.S. households heating with natural gas will spend as much as 35 percent more for fuel this winter than last winter.

The Emerson report says close to 60 percent of Americans considering more drastic lifestyle changes, including spending less on non-essentials like dining out and vacations. More than one in four survey respondents say they'll put less money into savings to help pay energy bills.

Setting thermostats lower is the most common way Americans are saving on energy costs, the survey found, with 63 percent of those surveyed setting thermostats lower. About 23 percent of households have a programmable thermostat, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. A programmable thermostat can be set to automatically adjust a home's temperature up or down based on homeowner preferences at different times of the night and day, which may enable better energy savings.

But the Emerson survey reports that only four out of 10 households with a programmable thermostat are actually using the programming feature. One reason is that the thermostats are perceived as complicated to operate. Homeowners ranked the programmable thermostat as the second-hardest home technology to program, comparable to the VCR.

"This survey finds that many homeowners are changing their behaviors to cope with higher energy costs, but we're still lagging in embracing and fully utilizing affordable technologies like programmable thermostats that can really make an impact on utility costs and promote energy conservation," said Tom Bettcher, an Emerson executive vice president and business leader of Emerson Climate Technologies. "Most programmable thermostats are not that complicated to setup, and the new models now available are easier-than-ever to use."

Nearly three-quarters of respondents set their thermostats at or under 70 degrees during the day, and 28 percent setting it at or below 67 degrees. Most homeowners are following energy experts' advice regarding setting a lower sleep time temperature, with 82 percent setting their thermostats at or below 70 degrees and 52 percent at or below 67 degrees.

Putting on a sweater or another blanket is an energy-saving approach used by 59 percent of homeowners surveyed. More than a fourth of respondent said report they are not heating unused rooms in their houses and 23 percent are using wood and other alternate energy sources to heat their homes. The prospect of continued high energy costs has 58 percent of homeowners considering home improvements to achieve higher energy efficiency. More women than men said they are adding a sweater to save energy, the survey said. Women are almost 10 percent more likely to cut back on non-essentials like dining out or vacations than men.

Emerson introduced a new White-Rodgers thermostat that employs easy-to-read and easy-to-use touchscreen display technology to make programming easier. The White-Rodgers 90 Series Blue touchscreen programmable thermostat features a 12-square-inch display and one-touch programming that simplifies the process of saving energy while achieving comfort in the home. This thermostat is available only through HVAC contractors.

The independent telephone survey of 684 U.S. homeowners, commissioned by Emerson, was conducted between Jan. 5 and 8, 2006. The results are weighted to reflect the actual distribution of the adult population with regard to age, gender, race, and geographic area. The sampling error associated with this research is said to be no more than plus or minus four percentage points.

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Antitrust Institute Opposes Whirlpool/Maytag Merger

The American Antitrust Institute (AAI) published a white paper yesterday opposing the proposed merger of U.S. appliance makers Whirlpool Corporation and Maytag Corporation. In a letter transmitting the paper to the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, the AAI urged that the merger be blocked or at least be conditioned on significant divestitures of laundry assets.

The paper suggests that the merged companies would have up to a 75 percent share of the top- and front-loading washer and dryer market, for an increase in concentration above the thresholds that would trigger competitive concerns according to the Department of Justice/Federal Trade Commission 1992 Horizontal Merger Guidelines.

Of particular concern, the white paper explains, is the market for top-loading washers, which AAI called "a unique 'American' product for which there is no foreign competition." The market, AAI says, is "dominated by Whirlpool and Maytag, with only GE and Electrolux the remaining small rivals."

APPLIANCE magazine estimates that Whirlpool currently produces 51 percent of the washers that are shipped for U.S. consumption. According to the APPLIANCE magazine 28th Annual Portrait of the U.S. Appliance Industry, published in September 2005, Maytag produced 20 percent of washers shipped for U.S. consumption, followed by GE with 17 percent and Electrolux (Frigidaire) with 9 percent.

The AAI says the merger would most affect the U.S. market for laundry appliances, where it says the merger would "severely concentrate markets, significantly lessen competition, and harm consumers through higher prices, reduced choice, and stifled innovation."

Economist Diana Moss, an AAI vice president and senior fellow, authored the 17-page white paper. AAI said the paper is based on independent review and publicly available information.

AAI further stated that, "No existing or prospective competition - domestic or foreign - would discipline a post-merger price increase."

The AAI white paper predicts both unilateral and coordinated negative effects from the merger. “Merger-induced increases in concentration of this magnitude,” said AAI President Albert Foer, “raise concerns about post-merger behavior by a dominant Whirlpool/Maytag acting alone, as well as anticompetitive coordination among the few remaining competitors in the industry.”

Of particular concern is the threat of strategic behavior on the part of the merged company. “Whirlpool/Maytag could successfully use their enhanced market power - even against powerful buyers like Lowes, Sears, and Best Buy - to demand more advantageous access to retail floor space and other forms of marketing support, edging out or foreclosing competitors,” Moss explained. And the market power wielded by the merged company would raise barriers to entry or expansion by rivals, particularly foreign firms who still have small market shares.

“Any claimed efficiencies would have to be merger-related, well-documented, and enormous to overcome these anticompetitive concerns,” said Foer, who added that "The AAI is skeptical that there is a convincing story for how the antitrust authorities could ignore a deal so clearly anticompetitive."