REFRESH your perspective,
RENEW your commitment,
REFOCUS your team
Hello, EMDA Members and Associate Members, Kent Zimmerman here to pitch our 2021 Spring Meeting at Jekyll Island, GA in a few short weeks. The Jekyll Island Club Resort is a beautiful resort with a rich history dating back to 1887. Although there have been many changes since, the importance of this location in American history is rich and continues on today.
I would certainly invite any of our membership to consider joining us April 9-10 for our in-person Spring Meeting on Jekyll Island. The relationships developed with other members, interaction with like issues affecting our business, fellowship with some great people and knowledge gained during an in-person meeting is invaluable and time well spent.
2020 introduced face masks, social distancing, PPE and many other terms that we had never used before. Although many restrictions have been lifted in Georgia, the resort is still utilizing social distancing. EMDA is also recommending this and anything else you feel is necessary to make those in attendance comfortable and safe. We want this to be a safe environment for our people, our meetings and our stay.
An addition to our sessions this year will be a virtual option. Pat Collins will be sending out reduced fee registration information on a Zoom only option. This will allow those members that are not able to participate in person the ability to participate and experience the sessions virtually. We know our Canadian membership is unable to travel to the US at this time. We will miss you at the Spring Meeting and trust that the travel restrictions will be lifted by Fall Convention in Oklahoma City.
Pat and I are finalizing the Friday and Saturday morning sessions starting at 9am each day. Additional information will be sent out soon. In addition to a couple roundtable discussions, others sessions will include:
Logistics/Freight – The Board has been working on a Freight/Logistics LTL/Flatbed project for the last couple years, and we will have a presentation by Worldwide Express on their Freight/Logistic option to the membership that offers a rebate back to EMDA.
Member on Display – Andy Robson, Teagle Machinery and EMDA Associate Member will present a session on Teagle Machinery.
Where is my Container? – Are any of you experiencing issues getting goods from your manufacturer or supplier to your door? We have invited the Georgia Port Authority – Savannah to give us an update on why we have a container shortage, why container ships are sitting off the coast waiting to get into port and what must happen for this to resolve itself.
These are some of the sessions that we have scheduled. In-person Registration is still open if you would like to join us at this beautiful, historic venue. Please continue to follow www.EMDA.net for further details. We look forward to our 2021 EMDA Spring Meeting.
Finally, thank you for your membership and participation in the EMDA. If you have any input, questions or concerns regarding EMDA or something that Pat or the Board needs to address, please let me or any Board Member know and we will be pleased to look into it. We are here to serve you and keep the lines of communication open.
Best Regards,
Kent Zimmerman
VP, Ag Sales Manager, John Day Company
2021 EMDA President