Satellite facilitates accessibility to NRLA seminar - Brief Article

The Northeastern Retail Lumber Association has found a way to make sales training seminars more accessible and cost-effective to its members. Last month it began beaming them by satellite to remote locations where attendees watch on television and call in to a central location to ask questions and offer input.

The organization's first satellite seminar was held last month with the NRLA's professional selling seminar. The event was hosted by Rick Grandinetti of RPG Industries at Hudson Valley Community College, in Rensselaer, N.Y. The seminar was transmitted to 18 locations throughout the Northeast, from Wayne, N.J., to Cape Cod, Mass., and viewed by 300 people.

The NRLA plans to host at least two more satellite seminars over the next 12 months.

Carol LeFleur, education director for the NRLA, said a survey of its members found that the satellite seminar was the best way to meet their needs while keeping costs down.

"All indications tell us that it was a huge hit," she said.

At one of the remote sites, in Farmingdale, N.Y., 35 people attended the seminar. Presentations were shown on two 19-inch television sets in a library room on the State University of New York's Farmingdale campus.

"Because it was an interactive satellite feed it was a good use of time," said Gary Svedbeg, a sales associate for Sherwood Lumber, based in Islandia, N.Y.

"I had one of my top sales guys come back very enthusiastic," added Merrill Becker, vp-sales and marketing for Riverhead Building Supply in Riverhead, N.Y., and the moderator of the seminar in Farmingdale. A dozen members of his sales staff were in attendance.

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