“A big part of the Lake Michigan Club group is there is nothing like it anywhere in the country except for right here.”
Ken Gallagher, Chair of the NAED Lake Michigan Club and CEO of Paramont EO, is obviously excited about this summer’s Lake Michigan Club meeting, scheduled for June 20-23 at the Lake Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. This year, in addition to its planned events, the group will celebrate its 90th anniversary.
“Just the fact that it’s stood the test of time shows it’s worthwhile to attend,” Gallagher told tED magazine. “Every new attendee says it’s the best event they attended for the year, because this mixes business, family, and fun. It’s business because we are being educated about a topic that the committee recommends as a theme for the weekend. I think the business today is harder than it has ever been. The speed of business is like never before. We want to be able to help our members. There is really no school to understand the changes in electrical distribution, so we are able to come to this event and talk about how to strategize for the changes.”
This year, the first keynote speaker is Michael Lombardi, a three-time Super Bowl-winning executive during his career with the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, and Cleveland Browns. Lombardi will discuss the tools needed for effective leadership that will help you experience greater success.
Lombardi will be followed by Aaron Thomas, the son of a prominent high school football coach at an Iowa high school who was gunned down by a former player. Thomas’ speech will focus on what is truly important in life, and how to handle the circumstances you can’t always control.
Gallagher told tED magazine that families are invited to attend, because that will help strengthen the connections made at the Lake Michigan Club event. “We try to take the uncomfortable-ness out of the business meeting,” Gallagher added. “The family aspect is the best part. This allows us to blow off a little steam and enjoy each other’s happiness and spend a little quality time with our kids. Our Saturday meetings are really family focused and we want our families to be there. You can go to work, go home and that can be your business. But this allows those friendships to grow further because of the time that is spent at the Lake Michigan Club meeting. Families and significant others are invited and encouraged to meet each other, which strengthens the connections of partnership.”
The Lake Michigan Club event includes a family continental breakfast, a business program, an 18-hole golf tournament, children’s programs, and a group dinner at the resort. The conference is available to NAED members who serve the Midwest, including upper and middle managers, regional sales reps, operations, branch managers, manufacturers, allied partners, and manufacturer’s reps.
“I got involved in this about 20 years ago, when I first came in, I had no idea why I was invited to go,” Gallagher said. “And I was nervous, I saw all of these important people and I was still trying to figure everything out. And out of all of the conferences I attend over all of these years, this one I get the best out of when it comes to camaraderies with other individuals. From the first conference, I made new friends. They may be competitors, but they became mentors, friends and colleagues. We will be talking a lot about company culture. These things are touched on on a national level, but because we are a close group, we are able to philosophize about what we are learning. Every new attendee says it’s the best event they attended for the year.”
You can register to attend the Lake Michigan Club event to celebrate the 90th anniversary here.
Tagged with Lake Michigan Club, NAED