The 2009 Duro-Last National Sales Seminar is in the books. We were privileged to host over 800 guests representing more than 175 Duro-Last contractors at this year’s event, held January 25-27 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Our theme this year was “Above and Beyond,” and the positive feedback we received from our attendees confirmed that, indeed, this conference exceeded all expectations.
Our combination of business-oriented meetings and family-friendly activities provided a well-balanced event. Much of the business emphasis was on environmentally-friendly or “green” construction trends, and how the Duro-Last membrane is the ideal sustainable roofing choice. We also introduced new products, including several from Duro-Last’s metal fabrication subsidiary, EXCEPTIONAL® Metals.
Seminar guests included nationally-known motivational speakers Jim Pancero, Mark Scharenbroich, and Paul Montelongo, whose presentations were interspersed with those delivered by several key Duro-Last managers at both General and Breakout Sessions.
One of the highlights of our annual event is the awards banquet, where we are honored to recognize those customers who reached various sales thresholds during the previous year. It’s exciting to see long-term customers attain higher levels than they’ve previously reached, and to see newer customers accept an award for the first time. Pride is clearly evident on all faces as people reach the stage to be greeted and congratulated by Duro-Last executives.
Parsons Commercial Roofing of Waco, Texas was named Duro-Last’s 2008 Contractor of the Year by virtue of surpassing the $7 million sales plateau. This is the third consecutive year that Parsons has been awarded the Contractor of the Year award and the second straight year they have reached over $7 million in Duro-Last sales.
Duro-Last is blessed with an extraordinarily loyal customer base, many of whom have been affiliated with Duro-Last since the early days, 30 years ago. It’s remarkable to overhear conversations about “family,” where the reference is to the relationship between the contractor’s business and ours. Duro-Last truly enjoys a unique standing in the industry.
We’ve already begun planning the 2010 National Sales Seminar, which will be held January 25-27 in Tucson, Arizona at The Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa. Program details are still to be worked out, but we are already looking forward to welcoming our Duro-Last family to another exciting and informative event.
