Industrial News

Top speakers from both inside and outside the building industry will share how, why and the results of their ground-breaking journeys to change the way business works May 7-9 at the Alliance, the TrueNorth Executive Conference to be held at The Inn of St. John’s Conference Center in Plymouth, Michigan.

Alliance is the first annual executive conference focused exclusively on creating high performance relationships among builders, suppliers, trades, distributors and manufacturers. This landmark event in the homebuilding industry will be attended by more than 200 high-level participants from top organizations throughout North America.

“The biggest obstacle in achieving product, process and profit improvement in home construction is that 95 percent of the people who actually build a house are not the builder's employees but are contract trades or suppliers,” explains Scott Sedam, President of TruthNorth Development, Inc (www.truen.com), Northville, Michigan. “Even though non-employee groups must be involved in improving quality and controlling cost, virtually no one in the industry is stressing the building of exceptional builder-supplier-trade relationships as a business strategy ---- other than TrueNorth.”

The keys to improving process, products and profit also will be shared at Alliance, the TrueNorth Executive Conference on High Performance Builder, Supplier & Trade Relationships. Numerous case studies will demonstrate how to overcome some of the biggest obstacles builders face, such as how to insure that non-employee groups are as committed to quality as their own employees are.

The Alliance Conference is targeted to high level managers and executives of builders, suppliers, trades, distributors and manufacturers. Builders especially should target their CEO, COO, and vice presidents and/or directors of operations, production, purchasing, service & design.

Highlights include:
* A motivational talk on “Building and Maintaining the High Performance Team” by Tom Izzo, Men’s Head Basketball coach at Michigan State University
* A presentation on “6 Targets for Reform of Builder/Supplier/Trade Relationships” by Mark Hodges of K. Hovnanian Enterprises and Dale Garwood of Whirlpool.
* The inside story of the Extreme Makeover Home Edition experience by Bill Inglis, Vice President of Operations for Trilogy Communities, Shea Homes
* Presentations by the winners of the TrueNorth Award for Excellence in Builder/Supplier/Trade Relationships – Cindy McAuliffe, President of Grayson Homes and Rich Staky, President of John Laing Homes
* Sharing of quality improvement concepts applicable to homebuilding by Matt Gajda, contributing author to the hot new business book The Ice Cream Maker
* A unique dinner performance by the professional cast of Second City Theater, presenting a customized presentation on homebuilding
* A free golf outing on the St. John’s course beginning 1 p.m. Sunday.
* And “Who Do You Trust”, a three-hour improvisation workshop on creating high-trust relationship, led by Hal Peller, Senior Associate of TrueNorth Development.

Over two days, information will be presented and discussed in general sessions and in breakout groups, by speakers and by panels, case studies and demonstrations, real life pros and cons, and voices of experience.

An open exchange during lunches, breaks, cocktail receptions and dinner will empower participants to leave with a new perspective on relationships with contractors and suppliers – and a plan for improvement.

Attendance is limited. Information on the conference and an option to register is available at www.TrueNorthConference.com.

The Inn at St. John's Conference Center (formerly the St. John's Golf and Conference Center) is on 5 Mile east of Sheldon in Plymouth Township. The Inn at St. John’s offers an idyllic setting only 20 minutes from Detroit Metro Airport. A former monastery, St. John’s is surrounded by a 27-hole golf course. The Inn opened January 16, 2006, with 75 outstanding rooms overlooking the courses.

True North is partnering with HomeSphere to present the Alliance Conference.

TrueNorth provides a unique combination of consulting services, organizational and development strategies, analytical tools, training workshops, problem identification and analysis and custom training programs for homebuilders, suppliers, distributors and trades. TrueNorth’s services are designed to improve business results, increase customer satisfaction, improve employee effectiveness, and improve product.

HomeSphere uses its long-term, seasoned homebuilding experience coupled with proven knowledge and expertise in professional software development to anticipate the needs and concerns of each of its markets, and create solutions that address those needs. Today, more than 3,000 production and custom builders rely on HomeSphere to close over 250,000 homes a year.

For more information on the Alliance Conference visit www.TrueNorthConference.com or call 248-348-6011.