February 7, 2008

Conference Aims to Help Business Deal with Change

The word being heard more than any other in this year’s seemingly endless political campaign is “change.” Every candidate wants to impose his or her style of change on the electorate and, it’s a pretty good bet, depending on who is elected, life in American will change beginning in 2009.

It’s not that all change is bad, but business should be concerned when politicos suggest that all change is good. You know it’s not. But, you must learn how to cope with it and stay profitable.

Now is the time to start preparing for the changes that the candidates are promising. To give you a head start, join other top business leaders from across the state when they gather for the 27th Annual Georgia Employers’ Association Spring Conference, on March 9-11, 2008, at the Westin Harbor Golf and Spa Resort in downtown Savannah. The conference is co-sponsored by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

On hand to explain and perhaps defuse some of these explosive issues will be a blockbuster panel of experts, all of who have vast experience in business and government. Headlining the list of presenters will be Georgia Supreme Court Justice P. Harris Hines, leading a discussion on “Conservative Courts In a Time of Change.”

One unwelcome by-product of “change” for employers is workplace lawsuits. Reports indicate that wage and hour litigation cases more than doubled from 2001 to 2006 and companies are paying out millions of dollars in wage-litigation claims. To offer expert guidance and help make you ensure that your company is complying with the regulations, will be Janet Campbell, District Director, U.S. Department of Labor, whose presentation is entitled, “How to Tame the Overtime Trap.”

Dealing with medical insurance increases and 401K decreases is one change most executives would prefer not to face, but they have become a fact of business life. To shed light on this unwelcome development will be Brett Virgin, with Peachtree Benefit Group. He will be followed by Corey Rieck, with LTC Compass, to provide answers to the question, what is Long Term Care Insurance and why do companies offer this benefit to their employees?

Confused about our immigration policy and worried about how it will affect your business? You will leave with answers, provided by seasoned employment attorneys. Also on the agenda will be the popular “mock union campaign” and a simulated deposition, where you can experience the feeling of being subjected to an intense series of difficult and probing questions.

Finally, find out about a new benefit being offered by many companies: on-site chaplains. They do more than just provide spiritual guidance, with some firms reporting that their new chaplain program changed attitudes and helped it maintain stability and prosperity during multiple ownerships.

In addition to the information-packed, hands-on, interactive learning sessions, attendees will enjoy networking time, golf, tours of Savannah, the famous Greenbrier Spa and much more.

If you only attend one seminar in 2008 to cut costs, boost profit and increase efficiency, it should be this one. So that any changes you make in your business this year will be kind to your bottom line.

Georgia Chamber members attend at the Georgia Employers' Association member price.

View a detailed itinerary of the 27th Annual Georgia Employers’ Association Spring Conference.

Sponsors Include:

Peachtree Benefit Group

Secure Health Plans

Georgia Electric Membership Corporation

LTC Compass

Cherokee Brick & Tile Company

Blue Bird Corporation

FlexStaff Services

Babush, Neiman, Kornman & Johnson, LLP