Golf analyst Gary McCord and Hall of Fame speaker Ross Bernstein will be among the speakers at the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit on September 26-28 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, FL.
The Management Conference program includes a look at how to build successful teams in today’s environment and an analysis of Gen Z sporting goods shoppers. The conference concludes with the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony on September 28.
“We are very happy to give everyone in the sporting goods industry the opportunity to get together again with a program that covers some crucial topics,” said Matt Carlson, NSGA president and CEO. “Gary McCord is a great way to finish the speaker line up and will provide a mix of laughs and life lessons. Ross Bernstein has an excellent perspective on the connection between champions in athletics and business. The opportunities for networking will also be extremely valuable when we are confronting so many industry issues. It will also be nice to finally give the Hall of Fame Class of 2020 the recognition they deserve.”
McCord will provide the closing keynote address on September 28 during “An Afternoon on Tour with Professional Golfer and TV Announcer Gary McCord.” McCord played in 422 PGA Tour tournaments in 23 years without a victory, but he will share the knowledge and quick wit he used to move into a successful career as a CBS-TV analyst, an author of Golf for Dummies and Just a Range Ball in a Box of Titleists and for his appearance in the Kevin Costner movie Tin Cup.
Bernstein will get the September 28 session started with “The Champion’s Code: Building Relationships Through Life Lessons of Integrity and Accountability from the Sports World to the Business World.” Bernstein is a best-selling author of nearly 50 sports books and has conducted thousands of interviews with professional athletes and coaches from championship teams to relate how the DNA of what makes champions in sports unique and is applicable to business success.
Two sessions on September 28 will focus on employment.
Jeff Butler, the CEO of JButler International, considered an expert on workplace dynamics, will look at Gen Z in “Building an Effective Multigenerational Workplace.” A Lunch & Learn on “Tips for Attracting & Developing a Great Workforce” will feature Bill Welch, who has more than 30 years of experience in the employment industry and is the Business Services Manager for CareSource Southwest Florida.
Also on September 28 is “Organizational Cybersecurity: A Top Priority to Protect Your Business” with FBI Special Agent Andrew Sekela, who spent five years in Washington, D.C., working on public corruption and government fraud investigations, three years in an international corruption unit and seven years as a supervisor for an investigative unit on white-collar crime.
The programming on September 27 will include “Better Understanding Generation Z Shoppers” with NSGA Director of Insights and Analysis Nick Rigitano on research completed with Ipsos. The look at Gen Z from the shoppers’ perspective will come after Duncan Wardle, the former vice president of innovation and creativity gives the opening speech on September 27 titled “Back In Action: Igniting a Culture of Innovation and Creativity.”
The Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Class of 2020 induction ceremony includes Peter Capolino, Mitchell & Ness Nostalgia Co.; Robert Greenberg, Skechers; and Klaus Obermeyer, Sport Obermeyer. The Speed Networking session, which features a series of quick meetings between manufacturers, retailers and team dealers, will be held on the afternoon of September 27.
