Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM FEBRUARY 2020 62 H ang Ten! The attendees of the 2020 Annual Service Training Institute (ASTI) caught the wave of success at this year's event at the beautiful TradeWinds Resort on St. Pete Beach in sunny, warm Florida. What a fantastic setting for United Appliance Servicers Association's annual convention. The warm weather invited attendees to thaw out for a few days while they learned from the instructors and facilitators, and from each other. The numbers grow yearly, and the exchange of ideas grows, too. We want to thank the attendees for coming, the sponsors who make our awesome convention happen, and the companies who contributed to the event's success. ASTI has grown into a five-day event that starts Sunday morning and runs through early Thursday afternoon, with 120-plus training sessions including Service Management and Technical Training. The goals of the management sessions are to help owners and managers learn to manage and grow their businesses. The huge array of technical classes offer unique insights into appliance repair and customer satisfaction. Attendees can choose to attend any session they desire. It's always interesting to watch a company's attendees discuss which sessions they want to be part of. Typically they'll say, "You go this session and I'll go to this one and we'll exchange notes afterward." The goal is to get the most out of the convention and receive the best value for their time and investment. The Technical Sessions included 16 of the major Manufacturers. Business classes and included topics on Time Management, Inventory Management, HR, Customer Service, How to Handle Lawsuits, Technician Soft Skills, Leadership Classes, OSHA Compliance, Pre-Employment Testing, Marketing, and more, as well as user meetings with multiple software companies, home warranty companies and other Home Services Companies/Networks. This year we had our first ever Putt-Putt Tournament complete with that spring golf tournament feel while the attendees had fun competing to win. Thank you again, Encompass Supply Chain Solutions, for sponsoring the tournament. This year's keynote speaker was Mark Matteson whose presentation was both inspiring and entertaining. Mark's message was "Freedom From Fear" and it made a great kickoff for the convention. The tradeshow began on Tuesday with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, continuing on Wednesday with breakfast and more conversing and networking. It was our largest trade show yet, and I never get tired of watching the vendors share their offerings with our membership. This is where you really and truly understand the goal of attending an ASTI convention – everyone is learning from each other and exchanging ideas and solutions to improve. The annual banquet took place Wednesday night where we presented our Sponsors and Partners with awards of appreciation. Dave Smith awarded the winners of the Most Professional Servicer competition in the three categories (8+ Technicians, 3-7 Technicians, and 1-2 Technicians companies). We want to thank PlusOne Solutions-Check My Badge and Dacor for supporting the contest. This year's Lifetime Achievement Award went to Ed Cahill, who enjoyed a tremendous career in appliance repair with Maytag Appliance and Lowes. Ed was always a great supporter of the industry and United Appliance Servicers Association. As this was my last banquet as president of the association, I want to thank you all for your support. I want to welcome Corrine Caruso as our new president. Corrine is very talented and will do a great job leading UASA to the next level. We'd like to thank everyone for making the 2020 ASTI such a huge success, including all of the vendors, sponsors, presenters and trainers. I particularly want to thank some very special people who carry a lot of water every year to make the ASTI successful: Manny Ortega, Dean Landers, Sarah Brown, Maggie Wolfe, Brenda Jablonsky and ServicersWeb. All have done a great job of making the ASTI the premier appliance repair industry event. I deeply appreciate everything you do for United Appliance Servicers Association. The 2021 ASTI will be even better, and you can receive a discounted registration by registering now at www.asti.us. S E R V I C E D E P A R T M E N T ASTI 2020 ANNUAL SERVICE TRAINING INSTITUTE St. Pete Beach, Florida. RO

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