The Recession Has Ended?
5 CVSN iNSiDER December 2009 PRESiDENT'S MESSAGE THE RECESSiON HAS ENDED? The Recession has ended, the recession has ended, we hear this almost daily in the print media, TV and radio but it is sure hard to tell from where I sit. I know the economists look at a variety of in-dicators in making there predictions but for the rest of us we look at customers vehicles sitting on their lots, sales figures, tight credit and high unemployment. The consumer, you and I, has yet to turn on the tap which will fuel this recovery. When it happens our industry will be one of the first indicators. Commer-cials vehicles will be on the move refilling the shelves, hauling construction materials and all the STUFF as George Carlin used to put it, which makes up our economy. Right now we still need to be cautious but ready to react when the tides does change and it will. The inaugural Aftermarket Distribution Sum-mit was a great success, our key note speaker, Steve Little, liked the upbeat feeling of those that attended which he said was far different that many of the groups he had spoken to recently. The panels and breakout sessions provided insight on what the customers wants, what the channel needs and protecting prod-uct and brand integrity. The ever popular PSP sessions are still a supplier's favorite. All of this would not have been possible with out the help and dedication of our Summit partners Randall Reilly and HDX/Datalliance. Moving forward CVSN is also in the process for forming some various committees focus-ing on educations, membership and the 2010 Summit. Dave Gerdes, Catco's Vice President, motto is BE A GIVER- the more you give in life the more you get back so please contact Angelo at the CVSN office or any Board Mem-ber and volunteer to serve on a committee, we need a little of your time and talent so please give us a call. With the Aftermarket Distribution Summit behind us CVSN's attention now is on Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW). Coordinat-ing the one-on-one meeting schedules and working with our partners HDMA and HDDA to achieve the goal of having a great event fo-cused on Achieving Success in a Changing Environment . I hope by now you have all signed up to attend and I look forward to see-ing you at the Mirage Hotel, January 18 th 21 st , 2009 in Las Vegas. CVSN and NASCAR have upped the ante for this year's Pinewood Derby; the track will be fast and the competition steep as we wait to see who will be this year's winner. As a challenging 2009 comes to an end let us not forget the history that is behind us and the excitement of the future that lies ahead, I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and a joyful Holiday Season. toM stewart CVSN President President of Carolina Rim & Wheel