President’s Notes

— Louise O'Sullivan, President, Prime Advantage

In an election year, we make choices that have lasting impact. While not every choice made in 2008 affects others, the upcoming election of the President of the United States will have global impact on generations to come.

Prime Advantage took a straw vote at the Spring Conference in April, with results that don’t exactly mirror what the national polls are reporting. Attendees were given ballots with three candidates’ names and were asked to select one and place in a ballot box. Here are the results:

Wonder why our Conference attendees’ votes differ from the current poll reports? Is it profession? Demographics? At the Fall Conference, October 22-25 we will take a final straw vote to determine whom the Prime Advantage family favors for President. Be there to wield your influence!

Welcome New Members

Since March, 2008 a number of terrific new companies have joined Prime Advantage as Members. Please join me in welcoming:

• ADCO Manufacturing joined Prime Advantage as a Member.  ADCO Manufacturing operates out of an 81,000 square foot facility in Sanger, CA.   ADCO offers a complete line of carton related packaging equipment including horizontal cartoning lines, many vertical cartoners that can accommodate volumetric, scale, and robotic filling, and top load carton formers with lock, heat seal and hot melt forming heads can be easily mated to their new line of "lugless" tri-seal carton closers.
  

• Atwood Mobile Products joined Prime Advantage as a Member.  Atwood manufactures components and accessories for the recreational vehicle, heavy-duty truck, manufactured housing, residential, and marine markets. Headquartered in Elkhart, IN with 7 facilities in the U.S., Atwood’s products include heating and cooking appliances, windows and doors, seating systems and chassis components such as jacks, brakes, and slide-out systems for trucks and RVs. The company also manufactures equipment for the agricultural, industrial, and mass transit vehicle markets.

• Avon Bearings, a newest acquisition of Kaydon Corporation, joined as a Prime Advantage Member. Avon Bearings, located in Avon, OH, produces large diameter bearings and slewing rings from 10 to 240 inches in diameter that are used in construction and logging machinery, aerial baskets, medical equipment, military vehicles, radar antennas and a variety of industrial equipment.
  
  
• Dasco Pro, Inc., joined Prime Advantage as our first AHMA Member.  Dasco Pro, located in Rockford, IL, produces forged hand tools including a complete line of angle fingers, fiberglass replacement handles, markers/reflectors.  The company specializes in carpenters' and mechanics' hand tools.  Under its Fiberglass Innovations division, the company provides custom pultruded products including fiberglass snow poles, marker reflectors, delineators, and handles.

• Etna Products, Inc., a member of FMA headquartered in Chagrin Falls, OH, joined Prime Advantage. Etna develops high performance specialty lubricants and allied services for the metalworking industry.  Etna offers a full-range of industrial rust preventatives and corrosion inhibitors within the STEELHIDE® product line.  Other products include the MASTERALL™ brand of synthetic, semi-synthetic and premium soluble oil removal fluids.  The Specialty Chemical Division of Etna Products, Inc. has developed technology to provide consistent, high solids, oil-free polyester resins for the industrial coatings market.
  
  
• Electrotechnics Corporation (Eltec) joined as an Associate Member.  Headquartered in Marshall, TX, Eltec provides full service contract manufacturing services including prototyping wire and cable harness assemblies, providing thru-hole, hybrid, and low to medium count surface mount printed circuit board assemblies and providing related engineering and design services

• Zoppas Industries upgraded to also become an Associate Member.  Zoppas produces heating components for small and major household appliances (which include cooking, white goods, room comfort heating and refrigeration) and industrial systems.  Zoppas maintains 12 manufacturing facilities located in 7 countries.

Fall Conference Registration opens soon!

Watch your email for the announcement of registration opening for the Fall Conference, October 22-25 in Palm Coast, FL. In addition to our excellent traditional Purchasing Networking Breakfast and Metals Panel presentations, the Fall Conference also features the Executive Summit.  Headlining the event will be:

Daniel T. Griswold Director, Cato Institute Center for Trade Policy Studies, Washington, DC.
Cato is a renowned Washington Think Tank

Since joining Cato in 1997, Mr. Griswold has authored major studies and articles on globalization, trade and immigration in the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Financial Times, and other major publications and has appeared on C-SPAN, CNN, PBS, the BBC, and Fox News. He has testified before congressional committees and federal agencies on a range of trade and immigration issues.

Business Results

Many of our Members are geared up for their busy summer growth spurt, a few others have seen a slow down, especially those Members whose business growth is dependent upon new housing starts. Overall Prime Advantage Member purchases from Endorsed Suppliers are up 9% over 2007, and looking stronger every day!

Have a great summer!