The majestic lady sits tall in Long Beach harbor. Just another ship to some, and a piece of history to many more. The Queen Mary,  listed in the National Register of Historic Places, now serves the Long Beach community as a floating hotel, conference center, and major tourist attraction.

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The maiden voyage of the Queen Mary took place on May 27,  1936. From March 1940 to September 1946 it served as a troop carrier. The ship carried 765, 429 military personnel and could carry up to 15, 000 troops at one time. On return trips from Europe, the ship would carry the wounded soldiers back to the United States.

John Kelly, Senior Vice President of Midwest Products.	There was lots of action in the Marshall Brass Exhibit.
Jay Hesse and Ellen Kietzmann discuss Blue Ox products with an interested dealer.	SHURflo and Gold Coast representatives writing orders on the expo floor.
NTP customers picking up free  t-shirts at the Roadmaster booth.	Dennis Cates tells a customer about Northwest Leisure Products new facility.
Prest-o-fit booth.

It was placed back in peacetime service in 1947 and was a welcome sight on the high seas until its final voyage on October 31, 1967. The vessel arrived in Long Beach on December 9, 1967,  was removed from British registry, and officially turned over to the City of Long Beach on Monday, December 11, 1967.

The captain and crew welcomed the management team of NTP and its many guests onboard February 23-24 for the 20th Annual Dealer-Supplier Conference. Utilizing all three floors of the exhibit hall, NTP filled the room with products and services designed to help dealers recognize the potential profits and repeat business that can be generated from a properly managed parts and accessories store. The theme for this conference, as it has always been with NTP, is education.  They build loyalty by helping their customers manage their business more profitably.

It was interesting to note that not only were there exhibitors on the show floor that provide products to NTP, but there were related companies that didn't sell anything to NTP. It is their belief that the dealers can benefit from the services offered by these companies and that is part of the reason they are welcome to exhibit at this show.

One such company was Integrated Dealer Systems.  Chuck Marzahn, Vice President,  Professional Services, said,  "They really believe in providing a very high level of service to the dealers. They welcome us as an exhibitor because our software helps them accomplish their goal. The dealer has more information available to make good decisions, and understands and appreciates the ability to manage and organize inventory to maximize profits. "

Dennis Cates, owner of Northwest Leisure Products, was very happy to be at the conference. He noted, "It gives us an opportunity to show many of the new products we manufacture and also let the dealers know that we have moved into a new facility to keep up with the demand for our Anode Protected Lightning Rod Kits that were so popular in 2001. "

Merle Bates, who covers the Eastern United States for Lubing Sales, was more than happy to make trip to the left coast to visit with the dealers and talk about the Carrier Transport Air Conditioning Systems for RV ’s. Merle introduced the RV industry to vent covers in 1986 and prides himself on being able to teach dealers how to sell new products to the end user. You can tell he enjoys his work and said, "When people realize the value of the product and appreciate the quality of the product, then you ’ve got a winner. That ’s what we have with Carrier coming into the RV industry, we just have to get this information to the consumer.  Educating the dealers at a show like this is an excellent forum to do just that. "

The Valterra Products display was constantly filled with dealers, and the dealers were buying. Donna Warr, Sales Manager for the RV Aftermarket Division, was quite pleased with the turnout, as she noted, "We haven ’t stopped all day, the dealers are really excited about the prospects for this year and they like what they see here. "

Bob Holzer, owner of CMS Manufacturing, had fun demonstrating his original Rolla Roaster and new folding fork to the dealers. These are favorite items around the campfires and RVers like the quality products made right here in the USA. Bob enjoyed a great location to talk about food and show his unique items, he was right next to the free ice cream and popcorn station set up by NTP.  Bob said, "They are already thinking about food when they come over here and the next display they see shows them how we help them make money while their customers enjoy our products cooking hot dogs and marshmallows over the campfire. "

Tom Utterback of RV Solutions was kept busy during the exhibit hours with his RV business software.  Discussions among dealers has enabled this company to get some recognition for their unique software products that allow dealers to check distributor pricing and availability and quickly locate parts information and catalog numbers. Utterback said, "Although we have not done much advertising yet, we are getting a lot of attention at this show.  People have heard of us and now they can see the software and we can demonstrate how it can save them time and money when they get back to the dealership. "

Overall, the mood was upbeat and everyone had a great time aboard the majestic Queen Mary during the show.

As they continue the massive restoration projects that will keep history alive in Long Beach,  the RV dealers that attended the NTP conference headed home to make their own history. This year they plan to sell more, and sell more profitably, thanks to the education they received on the decks of the Queen Mary. 

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