Birmingham, Ala.—Resource and Financial Management Systems (RFMS) recently held its first-ever educational conference here. The conference, titled “Building Your Business for the Future 2013,” brought together RFMS users (owners and management), RFMS staff and industry manufacturer/supplier representatives for three days of workshops, learning sessions, networking events and presentations. Several social events were also included. The theme of the conference was “Invest in Your Future with Expert Advice and Executive Level Education.”
“The RFMS owner’s conference was designed for business owners of flooring operations who already use RFMS to run their business better,” said Terry Wheat, president of RFMS. “Data is very important but as an industry we could do a better good job of analyzing that data at the dealer level. As we move forward in the 21st century it’s imperative the entrepreneurial flooring dealer be prepared to hold his place in the market. A vital aspect of being competitive is being able to understand the meaning of the data collected during each business transaction. What works and doesn’t work can be revealed by understanding your data. The workshops and discussions afforded owners the opportunity to learn real techniques to enable their business to be successful in the 21st century.”
It was also the perfect venue for exchanging ideas and information with owners of like businesses. The conference was sponsored in part by several leading industry manufacturers and suppliers. “The conference was very well organized,” said Ashley Briggs of HJ Martin & Son. “I learned a lot and made some new contacts. An excellent job by the RFMS team.”
Jeff Davis with Modern Tile enjoyed the mix of social events and the educational opportunities. “Most people attend association meetings twice a year and RFMS is always available there for questions. But I do like being able to focus 100% on RFMS topics at your conference.”
Conference activities kicked off on Tuesday evening with a southern hospitality welcome reception. Various workshops and presentations filled the next two days. Topics covered included business management and planning, B2B discussions and more. Simultaneous sessions for detailed “how-to” training were also offered for operations staff.
On Thursday afternoon, a number of owners participated in a round of golf, while others opted to meet with the entire RFMS R&D team for an afternoon of Q&A regarding the future development of RFMS programs.
“We see our owner’s conference as a joint venture between the RFMS business management software tools, industry suppliers and the owners/managers of floor covering operations who use RFMS in their businesses” said Wheat. “The combined flooring experience of our staff is over 1,000 years. When you combine that experience with the largest flooring specific software user group, you end up with a powerful team.”
Wheat noted that similar future conferences are planned and he looks forward to incorporating into future RFMS software releases the new ideas and tools that result from these partnerships and meetings.