COLUMBUS, Ohio — Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) intends to highlight the path to success through hard work, dedication, and grittiness through its 2016 Annual Conference theme, Elevate 16: Commit to the Climb.

“It would be easy if there were a magic bullet or secret formula that everyone can take with them, implement, and enjoy increased success," said Emily Saving, vice president, Professional & Program Development, HARDI. "Success is rarely that easy – though it would certainly be nice. The reality is, you take what you’ve learned, implement it, you fight off old habits trying to creep in, you convince people to get on board, you convince them to stay on board because they doubt the plan, you convince yourself to stay on board, and you adjust course but don’t abandon ship. You keep at it. And only then, after all that hard work and commitment, have you put yourself in a more advantageous position.”

Supporting the theme are three learning tracks: Actions, Analytics, and Assets, which will focus on how a company does business (from large scale efforts to small processes), how it can use business intelligence to improve outcomes, and what a company has to work with (people, physical assets, etc.), respectively.

Speaker Aron Ralston personifies the theme. The mountain climber, depicted in the Academy Award-nominated movie 127 Hours, spent more than five days with his arm wedged between a boulder and the side of a cliff, ultimately self-amputating it in order to free himself. Ralston is one of three keynote speakers for the four-day conference.

Of no coincidence is the backdrop of the event, with the edge of the Rocky Mountains in the nearby distance, where determination is the name of the game for climbers who commit to reaching a summit.

Registration details and more information on the conference can be found at elevate16.com.