One of the world's leading polar explorers and storytellers will deliver the keynote address at the 2018 ProSales 100 Conference this coming Feb. 28-March 2 in San Antonio, PROSALES announced.
Ben Saunders is the third person in history to ski solo to the North Pole and was leader of a 105-day roundtrip journey across Antarctica to the South Pole and back. He has covered more than 3,700 miles on foot in the Polar Regions since 2001. His appearance at the ProSales 100 Conference will take place just weeks after a new trip to Antarctica in which he will attempt to make the first solo, unsupported, and unassisted crossing of Antarctica.
This west-to-east traverse from Berkner Island to the Ross Ice Shelf via the South Pole was planned by Ben’s friend Lt Col Henry Worsley, who nearly completed the expedition before falling ill and passing away in hospital in Chile in January 2016..
In warmer climates, he has given three TED Talks and has been called "a master storyteller" by that group. At the start of his appearance on BBC Radio's famed Desert Island Discs interview show, Saunders was quoted as someone who "specializes in dragging heavy things around cold places"--great training for someone who also is an endurance athlete.
Saunders' eye-opening and mind-expanding presentation continues a tradition of ProSales 100 keynoters that includes the scientific head of the Mars Rover Mission and the man who discovered the Titanic.
The 2018 event also will bring to the stage many of LBM’s biggest and most accomplished operations, including these commitments to date:
- Chad Crow, president and soon-to-be-CEO, Builders FirstSource
- David Dittmer, president, Tum-A-Lum Lumber
- Michael Callahan, president and CEO, Gypsum Management & Supply
- Dan Tinker, president and CEO, SRS Distribution
- Kyle Hooker, board chairman, Tibbetts Lumber
- Robb Wilson, president of Wilson Lumber, ProSales’ 2018 Dealer of the Year
- Bill Myrick, former CEO of American Builders Supply and ProBuild as well as former COO of 84 Lumber
- Bert Stephens, VP of operational excellence, BMC
- Scott Morrison, lean operations/5S consultant
- Tom Dias, assistant operations manager, Shepley Wood Products
- Marilyn McCann, operations manager, Shaw/Stewart Lumber
- Mark Boud, chief economist, Metrostudy
- Michael Collins, partner, Building Industry Advisors
- The members of our ProSales/Dealers Choice Four Under 40 Class of 2018
- Scott Ericson and Jennifer Swick, principals of Wheelhouse 2020
More CEOs and other leaders will be added to the list once they turn their tentative commitments into full ones.
The conference's theme in 2018 is “Making the Best Better.” There will be sessions on leadership, lean operations, M&A trends, social media, and workforce development, plus key housing market forecasts from the chief economist at Metrostudy.
The event is open to dealers and distributors; only vendors who sign up as sponsors can attend. To register, visit here. To become a sponsor, contact Dan Colunio.
