Schedule of Events

Wednesday, October 20

Thursday, October 21

Who Should Attend: This meeting is an educational and networking opportunity specifically designed for personnel and management of independent distributors to improve skills and increase operational effectiveness. Independent distributors who do not currently hold membership in ITODA are invited to attend one meeting at the regular member fee to learn about the organization and to meet the kind of forward-thinking business people who comprise the membership.

Anti-Trust Notice: The Association recognizes the care which must be taken at a gathering of this nature. Accordingly, ITODA will ensure that the meeting is monitored according to a strict protocol to ensure that no violation of the antitrust laws takes place. Please click here for full details.

Hotel Information

The Bishop’s Lodge Resort and Spa 1297 Bishop’s Lodge Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 Phone: 800-419-0492 www.bishopslodge.com

The ITODA room deadline: Wed., Sept. 15, 2010

To make reservations: call the hotel directly at 800-419-0492 or book online.
****You must identify yourself as part of ITODA to obtain the group rate.

Group Code: ITODA

Group Discounted Room Rate: $159 for single/double occupancy, an additional charge of $15.00 per person will apply for the third and fourth person per guest room. Rates are subject to state and local taxes, which are currently 10.65%.

Resort Fee: A $10 (reduced from $14.50) per person/per day resort fee will be charged and is subject to applicable taxes, currently at 6.65%. ***Reservations made online will NOT reflect the discounted fee. Attendees should review their invoice upon check out and request that the discount be applied at that time.

About Accommodations: Room availability extends until the hotel block is full or September 15, whichever comes first. ITODA cannot guarantee room availability. The hotel contract states that they will release any remaining rooms in the ITODA block and determine whether to accept reservations on a space and rate available basis. When making your reservation, be sure to discuss with the hotel any policies that may affect a necessary cancellation of the reservation or an early departure. This is a non-smoking hotel. Check-in: 4:00 pm; Check-out: Noon.

Parking: Free

Ground transportation:The resort is approximately 60 miles from the Albuquerque Airport (ABQ) and approximately 10 miles from the Santa Fe Airport SAF).

Rental Cars:Avis and Herts available at SAF. Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Thrifty available at ABQ.

Shuttles: From ABQ the Sandia Shuttle is provided at $45 per person round trip. Prior reservation is required. To reserve call 888-775-5696. From SAF the Road Runner Shuttle is provided at $35 per person round trip. Call 505-424-3367.

Limo Service: New MexiTour Limo at 888-355-8687or Carey Limousine at 888-644-4574.

Taxi Service: Yellow Cab at 505-247-8888.

Getting around Sante Fe: The resort offers a complimentary shuttle service into Santa Fe at 10:00 am, 2:00 and 4:00 pm; a Tour Group is also available to points of interest. See the resort Concierge desk for more details.

Any problems with reservations, contact Jeanmarie Kline, CMP at jkline@helmsbriscoe.com or 717-979-6979.

Featured Speakers

Dr. Jim Budzynski is the President of MacroGain Partners, an investment and consulting firm that provides strategic consulting services on the impact of macroeconomic developments on current business success and defining optimal business strategies in this environment. MacroGain Partners also pursues selected private equity, venture capital, and real asset investments in targeted sectors, primarily agriculture, food, green energy, and related industries. Dr. Budzynski has spent the past 30 years working in private equity, consulting, and business management within the agrifood industry. Early in his career he launched Dimension Turf Herbicide® when working for Monsanto Company.

David Crow has been the President of DC Legislative & Regulatory Services (DCLRS) since 1991. Mr. Crow represents numerous corporations and national trade associations on a range of issues including energy, agriculture, chemicals, irrigation, tax, pension and trade. He helps clients to formulate policy and to develop strategic plans for working with legislative and executive branch officials on critical issues. In addition, he raises money for business-oriented political candidates and has successfully lobbied for federal appropriations.

Through more than 30 years of professional experience working in the political arena, Mr. Crow has developed strong working relationships with influential policymakers including members of Congress, key committee staff members and senior regulatory officials within most federal agencies.

Prior to starting DCLRS, Mr. Crow served as vice president of the Legislative Division for The Jefferson Group. In this capacity, he represented clients before Congress and the executive branch. He handled more than 30 accounts in a wide range of industries including biotechnology, pesticide, fertilizer, timber, minerals, chemical, oil, pharmaceutical, defense and other resource areas.

Pat Jones is the Publisher/Editorial Director for Golf Course Industry Magazine.He is known for his insights into the golf course business, his tell-it-like-it-is approach and his sometimes warped sense of humor. David Feherty of CBS Sports and Golf magazine once described him as “that odd bastard who keeps trying to fill my head with all sorts of turfy facts.”

Mr. Jones runs the leading independent publication in the market and contributes articles, blogs, videos and his award-winning “Parting Shots” column each month. In addition to his publications work, he’s a frequent speaker and instructor at regional, national and international conferences.

He began his career in the industry at GCSAA headquarters, where he oversaw communications, fundraising and lobbying in the ‘80s and ‘90s. He later created and launched Golfdom magazine before starting his own company, Flagstick LLC, to provide consulting services to golf/turf companies and organizations. Mr. Jones serves on several corporate and non-profit boards, including the Musser Turfgrass Research Foundation. He lives and works in the Cleveland, Ohio, area.

David L. Sullivan is an Executive in Residence, Course Facilitator and a consultant for Aileron. His goal is to give business leaders the tools and knowledge they need to build a management system of their own. Mr. Sullivan has been associated with Aileron since it commenced operations in November 1996 as The Center for Entrepreneurial Education.

He is also President and Managing Partner of Shamrock Group, Inc., a management consulting firm located in Denver, Colorado. The Shamrock Group specializes in strategic management and board governance. In this role, he also provides advisory, coaching and mentoring services to boards, presidents and CEOs. He's also currently working with the Costa Rican government on a strategic plan to take the country to developed nation status.

Mr. Sullivan previously served as president and CEO of Partek North America, Inc., a multi-national building-materials company headquartered in Finland, and chairman of its North American subsidiary companies. Prior to joining Partek, he was president of Rockwool Industries, Inc., a subsidiary of the Belgian and French-owned Eternit Corporation, and division president within Borden Chemical, a division of Borden Inc. He has also held senior management positions with other Fortune 500 companies, including Owens Corning Fiberglas and Owens-Illinois.

Anti-Trust Notice

In bringing together various segments of the turf and ornamental industry, circumstances and situations could arise where conduct and conversation could slip into illegal activity. To protect you and this organization, ITODA has taken extensive precautions. Each participant in this meeting has signed a form acknowledging that he/she has read the ITODA “Antitrust Compliance Policy and Guidelines” and is prepared to abide by them. It is the personal responsibility of each member to act in a manner consistent with the nation’s antitrust laws. Should you have concerns during the Meeting, please feel free to raise the issue at any time with a member of the ITODA leadership. The list below gives at-a-glance some items that you should watch for during your discussions here.

• Don't say or write anything you would not want to disclose in court.
• Don’t talk about or otherwise communicate with your competitors on the subject of:
  • price or cost
  • production capacities
  • credit standards
  • marketing strategies
  • market share
  • customer or supplier classification
  • sales territories
  • sales policies
• Don’t send price lists to your competitor.
• Don't price in order to destroy a competitor.
• Don't attempt to tell your customer at what price, where, or to whom he must resell your products.
• Avoid price increases to a customer in the same amount as the customer increases his resale prices above your suggested figures.
• If any communication is received from a customer that incorrectly suggests that any company representative has been "policing" or "enforcing” the customer's resale prices, promptly report it to your counsel.
• Don't require a customer to buy a particular product or product line only from you.
• Don't make either sales or purchases conditional on the other party's making reciprocal purchases from or sales to your own company.
• Don't disparage competitors' products - sell positively (but do not overstate your company’s market power or market share).
• Don't indulge in the mistaken assumption that American antitrust laws are inapplicable to conduct that happens overseas.
• Do send to your home office all correspondence from a competitor that touches any competitively sensitive area (same applies to phone calls or personal meetings).
• Do deal honestly, directly and fairly with all customers and suppliers.
• Do try to conduct yourself so that you can always be in a position truthfully to testify that you have never discussed purchases with a competitor
• Engaged in any other type of conduct forbidden by the antitrust laws