The center of country music has been selected as the site for the 2015 PERA annual convention. The Sheraton Downtown will host the group in style after completing a near $60 million renovation. Plan on arriving on Tuesday, September 15th so you’ll be ready for the action to begin bright and early on the 16th.
The Program Planning Committee is putting the final touches on this year’s program and it will be another that you’ll not want to miss as well as the city of Nashville and its surroundings.
PERA will kick the program off with Richard Bryan as its keynote speaker. Richard grew up in the automotive industry in England in his family’s network of dealerships. He will address the importance of hiring great people rather than hiring just experience. PERA thanks S.B. International for sponsoring Richard Bryan’s presentation.
There will be a combination of technical and business issues presented on Wednesday including the hot topics of variable valve timing and displacement on demand. Wednesday’s program will be closed out with an update on the Affordable Care Act – Obama Care – by Kevin Kuhlman of the National Federation of Independent Business.
Wednesday will be closed out as usual with the Opening Reception. AER Manufacturing will again sponsor this important gathering of the members.
Thursday will include a presentation by Jasper on its safety committee and how it interacts with the Jasper associates to be sure everyone is well trained and knows the importance of work place safety.
Fred Calouette has lined up another great golf course for this year’s tournament. It will be held at the Gaylord Springs Golf Link, a course that has consistently been recognized among GolfWeek’s best courses you can play in Tennessee. Fred has also scheduled a sit-down lunch to help you prepare for an afternoon that only golfers can appreciate.
For the non-golfers, Adam Skaggs has lined up a tour of Nissan’s assembly plant in Smyrna. We hope to include a tour of the engine assembly area as well.
Thursday evening will be one of fun and entertainment aboard the General Jackson Riverboat, thanks to QualCast. The evening starts off with drinks and a buffet dinner on the balcony overlooking the main floor dining and stage. Then enjoy an evening of entertainment and comradery.
After a short program at the hotel on Friday morning attendees board buses for a tour at Grooms Engines. While at Grooms, there will be several “mini” presentations to support the technical presentations at the hotel. Among them, Mike Osterhaus of Melling will host a “hands-on” demo of oil pump failures and new technology that were discussed Wednesday afternoon.
The committee is still working on a second tour for Friday afternoon and hope to announce it soon.
Friday night will be a group outing to the Grand Ole Opry. Buses will leave the Sheraton at approximately 6:00pm and dinner will be on your own. PERA will provide more details on this later.
Mark your calendars now and reserve time to greet old friends and make new ones this September in Nashville.
