Meet the Team: Fall Lineup Will Motivate, Educate
You have registered for the Fall Marketing and Distribution Convention at a record pace this year. We assume you also have zipped up your travel plans and scheduled meetings in Kansas City that will open new distribution channels.
We’re getting things done at the Association, too.
We’ve offered you glimpses of our speaker lineup in the last several issues of Shortliner, but as we move into these final days, we want to bring you a start-to-finish look at the people who will shape our conversation during our time together and give us the tools we need to assure the shortline industry continues to thrive.
Keynoters
Association members and EMDA members will come together Wednesday morning to hear John Ratzenberger talk about his passion for manufacturing and a well-trained workforce.
You may recognize Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin, the mail carrier on the NBC sitcom Cheers, but his lifetime passion is American industry.
Ratzenberger produced and hosted the Travel Channel’s Made in America, an exploration of the production process behind products such as electric guitars, yachts, beer, rotary cutters, and more.
Brian Klippenstein is Executive Director of Protect the Harvest, a passionate advocacy group for farmers and ranchers.
Klippenstein grew up on a farm and lives on a farm today, after serving 26 years in roles on Capitol Hill, including working for Congressman Coleman and U.S. Senators Blunt and Bond, for whom he was Chief of Staff.
Among topics he’ll discuss Thursday are the “Right to Farm” questions in two states, the chicken-and-egg issue in California, and the importance of educating the urban population on the benefits of farming and ranching.
Klippenstein also will talk about what he believes agriculture will look like over the next 10 years and what he thinks motivates the farmers and ranchers to buy shortline equipment.
Marketers
Our Associate Marketing Section invites you to hear from experts Thursday on the rapidly changing landscape of marketing shortline equipment.
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Lisa leads the agency’s Equipment and Outdoor Practice Group developing and implementing strategic marketing and communications plans for a roster of clients including AGCO Application Equipment, GSI, Michelin North America Agriculture, Morton Buildings and more. |
Tom has a passion for understanding analytics and using the combination of data and algorithms to uncover opportunities and drive business decisions. |
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When agriculture's leaders seek superlative insight and expertise in new and emerging technologies, they turn to Chad Colby. Chad is the founder and principal of Colby AgTech, where he works with progressive farmers, leading companies and government agencies around the world to provide deeper understanding of new technology and recommendations on its practical applications. He is also well known for his industry-leading work as an advocate for commercial unmanned aerial system use in agriculture. Chad earned his pilot's license and grew his passion for aviation. Most recently, he served as lead of product support for 360 Yield Center. |
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Among panelists are Lisa Bocklage, Account Director with Osborn Barr, the leading agricultural marketing and communications firm in North America. 
Thomas Peroutka, Director of Digital Strategy at Osborn BarrDistribution Pro
Doug Griffin brings nearly 30 years of executive experience in the
agriculture equipment and manufacturing industry. He’s held senior roles with ACGO and Caterpillar. He oversaw the new product introduction process at all global sites for AGCO and was responsible for teams in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Doug has a long and notable track record of addressing complex businesses needs and driving fundamental business improvements in organizations
Griffin will share his insights Wednesday afternoon on the equipment distribution model emerging in the industry and how that will influence the shortliner business in coming years.
The relationship between a farm equipment manufacturer and its distributor/dealer is governed, in part, by a complex patchwork of state laws.
Trent Johnson, a senior attorney at Foley & Lardner LLP who focuses on distribution, franchise litigation, and general commercial litigation, will talk with members Wednesday afternoon about the need for written contracts, the interplay between state laws and contracts, key contract provisions, statutory “good cause” for termination, and managing inventory repurchase obligations when a relationship ends.
Johnson also provides free 30-minute consultations to Association members with legal questions.
Lance Formwalt and his firm, Seigfreid Bingham, serve as legal counsel to the Western Equipment Dealers Association and the North American Equipment Dealers Association and many of its affiliates.
In Formwalt’s session Wednesday morning, he will explore protecting dealer data through conversation about the services and products dealers rely upon in data collection and technology, and how relationships with vendors, manufacturers, customers and employees are affected by data.
Formwalt will discuss how suppliers are affected by data and suggest steps dealers need to take in a rapidly changing legal environment to maximize opportunities with data and manage risks. S
Field Expert
Purdue University Professor of Agronomy Tony Vyn will talk Tuesday about new frontiers in tillage and nutrient placement systems for high yield production.
This Meeting of the Associations Tillage Council is open to all registered attendees.