Heating, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International brought together 92 attendees plus nine mentors at its July Emerging Leaders Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.  

“Every year since its inception, the Emerging Leaders summer conference is a don’t-want-to-miss event, and this year’s conference in Louisville was no exception,” said Brad Telker of CFM Distributors. “The content was great, the speakers were top-notch, and it’s always awe-inspiring to meet and spend time with some of the industry’s top CEOs, presidents and senior-level VPs. This conference is no doubt worth the price of admission.”

Conference attendee and mentor Richard Cook, president of Johnson Supply, said being a part of the Emerging Leaders program was a gratifying experience.

“It gives me confidence that the next generation is preparing themselves for success in the future,” he added.

This was the first Emerging Leaders Conference since HARDI sent off the inaugural graduating class from the program in January 2017.

Speakers at the conference included Evergreen Consulting’s Brent Grover, who led a strategic planning workshop, and an industrial engineering professor from the University of Louisville gave a presentation on the future of the warehousing industry.

Attendees also participated in a group skill-building activity and capped off the conference with a river cruise sponsored by Hardcast.

“This year’s Emerging Leaders Conference went excellently,” said Nick Benton, HARDI’s manager of training and human resources. “The mentor sessions are always the cornerstone of this event. Mentors volunteer their time to participate, and this year I think it solidified its status as a tradition. We had a big group of new faces this year, so this program is only going to get bigger and better.”