Colonel Mark Tillman, who piloted Air Force One on that fateful day, will be our special guest speaker for our opening breakfast.  Tillman has only recently revealed details about threats against the president and his aircraft.

Tillman recently told Fox News:

“As we got over Gainesville, Florida, we got the word from Jacksonville Center. They said ‘Air Force One, you have traffic behind you, and basically above you, descending into you. We are not in contact with them and they've shut their transponder off.'”

Given that officials had no idea what the capabilities of the terrorists were, Tillman didn't want to take chances and asked for support from fighter jets.

Air Force One and President Bush landed safely, but the attack forced Tillman to scrutinize the security of the aircraft. He said, “We had to make sure that every little hole, chink in our armor, had to be filled so we could protect the president. “

Col. Mark Tillman, served as commander of Air Force One for eight years under President George W. Bush. The recently retired colonel was responsible for "the flying White House" throughout both of Bush's terms and has edge-of-your-seat stories to share about keeping the President safe on Sept. 11, 2001, clandestinely flying the President in and out of Iraq on Thanksgiving 2003 and much more.

Col. Tillman's distinguished career spans 30 years in the United States Air Force. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 2004 and nominated to Brigadier General by the President of the United States—the first military line officer to receive this honor.

A man devoted to serving his country, this captivating storyteller will give you a first-hand account of remarkable moments in history.   Register now for the Convention and show up early for the opening breakfast to get a great seat!

Dr. Jay Lehr
The 2012 Farm Bill and Its Impact on Agriculture

Dr. Jay Lehr, continues tp raise the visibility and bright new future of agriculture before dozens of diverse audiences all across North America who are just now waking up to the facts that farm price supports may be a thing of the past with the vast new demand for food across a rapidly growing affluent public in countries around the globe.

Sometimes for better and sometimes for worse, he explains how agriculture is no longer a forgotten industry but now on the minds of societies everywhere.  His half century of varied work within the farming industry has given him a highly sought after crystal ball with which he predicts the future based on precise knowledge of the past as well as distinctive current trends.

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Friday Afternoon Business Session

Challenges Facing
North American Manufacturers

Mary Andringa

President and Chief Executive Officer
Vermeer Corporation

2011-2012 Chair
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
The nation's largest industrial trade association and one of the strongest voices for manufacturers on national issues.

Mary Vermeer Andringa has been a member of the Board of Directors of Vermeer Manufacturing Company since 1976.

Ms. Andringa began working in market research at Vermeer Andringa in 1982. She was named named president and chief operating officer on January 11, 1989 and president and CEO of Vermeer on February 24, 2003.

Ms. Andringa presently serves on the following boards: director, Herman Miller Co., Zeeland, Mich.; chair of the board, National Association of Manufacturers; trustee, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, Calif.; past chair, Iowa Association of Business and Industry; and emeriti trustee, Central College, Pella. She also has served on the Governor's Council on Fitness and Health, Iowa Safety Council and as chair of the Governor's Task Force on Rural Health, director of Principal Mutual Life Insurance and director of Northwest Bank. Ms. Andringa's husband, Dale, is a medical doctor and recently retired from his position of chief medical officer at Wellmark—Blue Cross Blue Shield, Des Moines, Iowa.

We are very pleased to have Brian McGrath, a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP, with us for two important sessions during this year's Fall Convention in St. Louis.

Along with other members of the firm's Distribution and Franchise Practice, Mr. McGrath co-authored the CCH Treatise entitled "Product Distribution Law Guide."

Brian is a graduate of Harvard Law School (J.D., 1982). He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee in 1979. Brian has been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system. He is also listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers (2005-11) and was selected for inclusion in the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 Wisconsin Super Lawyers® lists. He has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of commercial litigation, franchise law.

Brian has focused his practice on representing equipment suppliers in their relationships with dealers.  Brian has litigated numerous dealership cases all over the country and speaks and writes on dealership litigation topics frequently.

When it comes to legal issues involving manufacturers and their distribution network, in our opinion, Brian is without question the best source for advice.  We believe this so strongly that we provide a one-half hour consultation with Brian at no cost to our members.

You will want to plan on attending both sessions. 

Compliance with State Warranty Reimbursement Statutes
Gone are the days when one warranty policy covered all of the equipment you manufactured and distributed.  Also gone are the days when your written warranty was a legal document you could stand on without question.

State legislatures from coast-to-coast have taken it upon themselves to write into statutes new warranty standards and requirements that may bear no resemblance to your own written agreements with either your dealer, distributor or the end user.  Instead these statutes impose new and complicated requirements on manufacturers in the administration of their warranties and reimbursements to dealers for warranty work.  

This session will provide a comprehensive list of the key components of all existing statutes and will answer the most common questions typically asked about the requirements of these statutes.

Successful Negotiation of Distribution Agreements
While they continue to work as a team, manufacturers and their distributors face highly competitive markets that demand rapid responses to meet customer needs. The simple agreement and firm handshake of yesteryear simply will not provide either side with the high degree of comfort needed to build lasting relationships.

This session will help you understand the critical issues and analysis that need to be realized before undertaking major distribution contract changes and provide practical trips for negotiating a new dealer agreement with you distribution channel.