"There has never been a natural stone industry workshop like this," said Gary Distelhorst, executive vice president of the 1500-plus worldwide organization. The two-day curriculum will be very valuable to senior management of every organization represented in MIA - quarriers, distributors, fabricators and service providers," Distelhorst said.

"This is another building block in MIA's efforts to provide the widest range of educational opportunities for members and non-members alike," Distelhorst explained. "This is less about the nuts and bolts aspects of the stone business and more about important strategies which affect the big picture of running any successful business."

In the past two years, MIA has introduced numerous regional training sessions for the natural stone industry and also provides educational sessions for a number of industry-related shows and conventions.

Distelhorst said MIA has lined up three experts who will help stone company leaders to understand and master the forces and trends that are affecting their business environments. The line-up of speakers includes:

R. Sam Bowers, president and founder of Service Sales Institute, a firm specializing in consulting with entrepreneurial-driven companies. Bowers is an expert in analyzing current marketing and sales strategies and redefining and repositioning those strategies given market realities. His session will focus on "Marketing, Sales, and Pricing Strategies for the New Economy."

Dr. D. Jeffrey Dietrich, senior analyst for the Institute for Trend Research, provides economic forecasts with 98 percent accuracy, vital for companies that want to improve their performance and profits. His presentation will provide up-to-date information on where the economy is heading and what that direction means for the natural stone industry and its businesses.

Vicki Schneider, president of QuintEssential Performance, LLC, has been helping organizations unleash the excellence of their people for over a quarter of a century. She is the creator of the QuintEssential Performance™ - a holistic system that helps organizations identify and address the barriers to achieving superior people performance. In talking about "Unleashing the Excellence in Your Employees," she will enable attendees to develop a preliminary action plan that can be refined and implemented in individual companies.

The seminar will be wrapped up with an industry panel of successful stone industry executives who will focus on how the information presented during the workshop can impact the industry.

The panel includes: Lloyd Henry of Hudson Economic Group, moderator; Rich Booms, Booms Stone Company, residential and commercial fabricator/installer; Scott Lardner, Rocky Mountain Stone Co., residential and commercial fabricator/installer, and G.K.Naquin, Stone Interiors, high volume residential fabricator.

The MIA member rate is $495 for both days, with substantial discounts for multiple company attendees. Non-members can register for $645 for both days. Early registration discounts are also available. Distelhorst added "This is a value-packed event, one that could help change the way some businesses do business forever."

For more information, or to register for the workshop call MIA at 440-250-9222, or visit www.marble-institute.com.

About the Marble Institute of America
For over 60 years the Marble Institute of America (MIA) has been the world's leading information resource and advocate for the natural dimension stone industry. MIA members include marble, granite, limestone, sandstone, and other natural stone producers and quarriers, fabricators, installers, distributors, and contractors around the world.

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