Dr. Al Bates will present a business session entitled "Hitting The Jackpot - How to Improve Your Company's Financial Performance" from 8 to 9:15 am on Friday, March 13.
Bates will focus on avoiding the minimalist approach to business in the truck equipment industry. His presentation will analyze what he sees as the "profits adequate for survival approach to business." Bates will question the inherent economic challenges in a low-profit industry and offer a more systematic approach to management. He will present the factors influencing profits in the industry and propose real-life solutions for improving results.
Bates will be returning to the NTEA podium after a two-year hiatus. He last addressed the NTEA in 1995 with a presentation on pricing strategies. Bates' focus on increased profits through strategic market planning has made him an NTEA regular since 1984.
As founder and president of the Profit Planning Group, a management consulting firm, Bates makes about 100 presentations annually. His discussion topics include: Improving the Bottom Line, Doing More With Less, Making Money in a Tough Market, and Understanding Your Customer, and Pricing for Profit. Bates contributes professional papers to The Harvard Business Review, Business Horizons, and California Management Review as well as trade publications such as Chain Store Age and Strictly Wholesaling.
Before founding the Profit Planning Group, Bates was a member of the faculty at the University of Colorado and was vice-president of Management Horizons Inc. He received an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Arlington before earning his doctorate from Indiana University.