CMSA FINALIZES 2017 CONVENTION SPEAKERS & EVENTS

CMSA leadership calls members to report for "Operation O.A.S.I.S." at The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa for the 2017 CMSA Convention! At the rendezvous point (registration desk) in the Celebrity Ballroom foyer of the Rancho Mirage hotel, members will be given the dossier for this year's mission: a schedule of stellar speakers and events organized to assist members in O.A.S.I.S.: Optimizing Association Solidarity & Inspiring Success. All week long, members will be given valuable information to assist them with the winning strategy for business success in 2017.

On Tuesday afternoon, CMSA's Executive Committee will meet to discuss Association business. In the evening, the Executive Committee as well as all board members, committee members, chapter presidents and special guests will attend the invitation-only Movers and Shakers Reception and Dinner. The Movers and Shakers reception will be sponsored by DEWITT Co./ Royal Hawaiian Movers, and the dinner will be sponsored by TransGuard Insurance Company of America.

Wednesday morning brings all committee members and board members together for the annual Insurance Committee, Government Affairs Committee, Membership Committee and Military Affairs Committee meetings. After a brief lunch break, the Association's outgoing Board of Directors and incoming Board of Directors will convene their meetings to discuss the issues discussed in the previous committee meetings and for CMSA Chairman-Elect John Lance of NMS Moving Systems to meet with his board members for the 2017-2018 year. CMSA members are welcome and encouraged to sit in during all committee meetings to learn about industry issues and developments.

On Thursday morning, members will be picking up their golf clubs for the annual golf tournament held at the on-site Gary Player Golf Course, a few sandy steps away from their hotel rooms. The golf tournament, sponsored by Champion Risk & Insurance Services, L.P. and Vanliner Insurance Company, will start with its shotgun at 8:30 a.m. with a $10,000 hole-in-one prize sponsored by TransGuard Insurance Co. of America.

With the golf tournament underway, exhibitors can set up their booths from 8 a.m. through 4 p.m. for the Thursday night Exhibitors Welcome Reception. The annual Young Professionals Group will also be meeting in the afternoon to discuss their action items for the upcoming year.

The popular Exhibitors Welcome Reception will be held to kickstart the Convention for all CMSA members, sponsored by New Haven Moving Equipment Corp. The event allows suppliers and moving company owners/managers to engage and discuss new products and services that would bolster business productivity or streamline business operations. In addition to the high volume of networking opportunities, the reception will have an ongoing photo slideshow of previous CMSA events as well as carving stations and bartenders at the ready to serve appetizers and drinks throughout the evening.

The Mission Hills breakfast on Friday morning, sponsored by CardConnect, will start the day's events. After breakfast, members will be called to participate in the annual roll call and hear from the highly anticipated 2017 Convention keynote speaker, Nate Holzapfel. Holzapfel will command the stage to inspire members to find new ways business relationships or strengthen current ones for success.

The salesman's salesman, Nate Holzapfel is a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist and professional speaker. Coming from humble beginnings in rural Utah, Holzapfel came into the limelight by pitching his Mission Belt million-dollar idea on the ABC hit-show "Shark Tank." His pitch garnered the attention of many investors because of the passion he showed for his work, common sense attitude and love of life. Because of his relationship building skills and charisma shown in the Shark Tank episode, his product generated $1 million in three weeks.

Since then, he has grabbed national attention: He is a regular contributor for the Huffington Post, wrote his own book on success and will be hosting his own show this year called "The Biz Show with Nate Holzapfel." Known as the relationship building guru, Holzapfel is the go-to expert who knows the importance of professional relationships and knows how to foster them for long-term growth.

Following the keynote speaker, members will hear from 2016-2017 CMSA Chairman Robert Fraser will give a speech his experience during his tour around California with CMSA President Steve Weitekamp. Next, Weitekamp will be called to the stage to review the intrastate issues CMSA has been involved in and what lies ahead for the Association as well as its members in 2017.

The Rancho Mirage Luncheon, sponsored by Paul Hanson Partners Specialty Insurance, will follow the morning general business session. Chuck Cole of Advocation LLC, will share the state of the California Legislature and what are the hot issues in work that would affect California moving businesses. Additionally, Dan Veoni, the vice president of government affairs at the American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA), will speak on the interstate moving trends with members and current issues that will be faced in 2017.

On Friday afternoon, the fan-favorite Military Affairs Breakout Session will be held, starting with guest speaker Charles "Chuck" White of the International Association of Movers (IAM) discussing current military news and DP3 policy expectations for the summer season. Panelists will then discuss military move topics hand-picked by the Military Affairs Committee and will field questions from members in the audience.

In the evening, members get a break from industry shop talk in attending the CMSA on-site Cinco de Mayo Celebration Dinner event. Members will enjoy the on-site DJ and chapter-organized games all evening, which is sponsored by Kentucky Trailer, The Pasha Group/Gateways International, NMS Moving Systems, Arpin Van Lines, Atlas Van Lines Inc., Interstate Van Lines, National Van Lines Inc., North American Van Lines, Stevens Worldwide Van Lines Inc., UniGroup and Wheaton | Bekins.

Saturday morning begins with the Desert Sunrise Breakfast, sponsored by Lambert Enterprises. After breakfast, the Saturday General Business Session will be underway with the current trends and annual outlook of the international shipping market by Terry Head of IAM.

The Van Line Panel will be held next with top executives from van line companies discussing capacity strategies, technological advancements, driver retention, CARB regulations and other topics. Panelists will also be answering hard-hitting questions posed by our members in a question-and-answer session after the panelists' closing statements.

Members will reconvene for lunch at the Oasis Awards Luncheon, sponsored by TMM. CMSA will recognize its leadership in holding fundraisers that benefit the scholarship fund and the Special Olympics. Chapter presidents will be asked to give their annual donations to the CMSA funds and are awarded certificates for their hard work throughout the year. In addition, a $5,000 donation will be made to the Southern California Special Olympics; another $5,000 donation will be made to the Chairman Fraser's charity, the National Breast Cancer Foundation; and $51,000 will be given to the 2017-2018 CMSA Scholarship award recipients. Recipients will have a chance to thank the membership onstage and will give a speech about their career goals.

The final Convention event is the Saturday night Chairman's Reception Dinner and Ball, which is sponsored by CDS Moving Equipment Inc. The 2017-2018 CMSA officers and their significant others will be leading the procession, with the 2017-2018 CMSA Chairman Lance waiting in the wings to be escorted by former CMSA Chairmen.

As a thank you for his service, Weitekamp will give Chairman Fraser an honorary CMSA lifetime membership. Senior Chairman Fraser will then pass the ceremonial gavel to CMSA Chairman Lance, concluding the 2017 Convention.

Join us for "Operation O.A.S.I.S." at the 99th annual CMSA Convention in Rancho Mirage for an insider's look into hot trends and issues that will affect California movers. Remember: All full registrations that are paid by March 2 will be entered in a $50 cash raffle! Register today by calling the CMSA office at (562) 865-2900 or visit the Convention kiosk on the CMSA website at http://www.thecmsa.org/html/convention/2017-99th-westin/default.htm.

February 2017 - CMSA Communicator