Kevin Plank Featured Speaker at NSGA Management Conference

MOUNT PROSPECT, IL – Kevin Plank, Chairman, President and CEO of Under Armour, will deliver a special keynote to retail and team attendees at the 43rd Annual NSGA Management Conference & 9th Annual Team Dealer Summit.

Plank, whose company is one of the sporting goods industry’s fastest growing companies, will share his views on the past, present, and future of the marketplace as it relates to four major channels of distribution: institutional/team, sporting goods retailers, department stores, and the Internet.

The 43rd Annual NSGA Management Conference and 9th Annual Team Dealer Summit will be held May 20-23, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs, Fla., and is endorsed by 16 industry organizations. The Conference title sponsor is the Sport Finance Program from GE Money.

“Under Armour products continue to be great for retailers and dealers,” said NSGA Chairman of the Board Bruce Ullery, President & CEO of MC Sports. “Kevin’s company created a product category that it continues to lead. The information he will share at the Management Conference is important, and I urge retailers and dealers to be there to hear first-hand.”

Plank’s keynote on Tuesday, May 22, will precede a special athletic footwear workshop, which will be facilitated by industry veterans Matt Powell, SportsOneSource Group, and Rusty Saunders, Saunders & Associates.

The workshop will focus on three topics that were recommended by participants in the 2006 workshop:
1. How can we better stay ahead of trends?
2. How can we maximize retailer/manufacturer relationships?
3. How can we improve our marketing to women?

Attendees will be divided into table groups, each of which will create a list of ideas. The table leaders will then share the table’s ideas with the group for further discussion among attendees.

“Last year’s workshop clarified the needs of both retailers and manufacturers,” said NSGA President & CEO Jim Faltinek. “In 2007, attendees will work toward solutions to three specific issues identified by those attendees as being of greatest importance.

“This workshop was carefully planned with feedback from previous Conference attendees, who said they wanted a ‘meatier’ footwear session,” Faltinek said. “This format is a proven winner that encourages more sharing and interaction among retailers, manufacturers and agents who sell athletic footwear.”

For more information, contact Sue Wenderski or Chuck Suritz at NSGA, 847-296-6742; e-mail: info@nsga.org. Complete details of the Conference & Summit are available at www.nsga.org.

About NSGA:
Founded in 1929, NSGA’s mission is to help all members profit in a competitive marketplace. The Association organizes and hosts the annual NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit, the sporting goods industry’s premier educational and networking event (Next: May 20-23, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa, Bonita Springs, Fla.).

For more information on NSGA member services, visit the Association home page (www.nsga.org); call Rhonda Onuszko at NSGA, (847) 296-6742, Ext. 130; e-mail: ronuszko@nsga.org; or fax (847) 391-9827.

43rd Annual NSGA Management Conference
General Track Schedule
Sponsored by The Sport Finance Program from GE Money

Sunday, May 20
2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Vendor Hospitality with Advance Registration

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Welcome Reception and Conference & Summit Registration
Sponsored by Edifice Information Management

Monday, May 21

7:00 AM – 7:30 AM
Conference & Summit Registration

Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by Wilson Sporting Goods Co.

7:30 AM – 7:45 AM
Welcome & Conference/Summit Overview
Conference Moderator:
Rusty Saunders, Principal, Saunders & Associates

Speakers:
Bruce Ullery, NSGA Chairman of the Board and President & CEO, MC Sports
Jim Faltinek, NSGA President & CEO

7:45 AM – 8:30 AM
Strategic Planning in the 21st Century: Sorting through the Maze of Mergers, Acquisitions and Consolidations.
Speaker: Dr. Harry Friedman, MBA, PhD
Dr. Friedman will share his observations about the many mergers, acquisitions and consolidations that have taken place in the sporting goods industry. He will focus on the importance of culture assimilation, merchandising practices, brand protection, the integration of processes and infrastructures.
Sponsored by Accusplit, Inc.

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Networking Break
Sponsored by Schutt Sports

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM
21st Century Marketing
Moderator: Robert Liewald, Executive Vice President, Merchandising, GSI Commerce
Speaker: Terry Jones, founder and former CEO of Travelocity.com and CIO of Sabre, Inc.
Today e-commerce is no longer a craze or a bubble but a requirement for all businesses. Companies large and small are finding the right techniques to become true multi-channel marketers. The growth of online search is forcing companies to compete at the product rather than the brand level. Understanding how the “wired generation” is going to shop and buy is key for tomorrow’s winning companies. Jones, whose company remained profitable as the dot-com bubble burst, discusses the essential ideas that companies must apply for success in the wired world. He provides a clear vision of how the Internet will continue to change the way products are marketed and sold.

10:15 AM – 10:45 AM
Networking Break
Sponsored by Gatorade Athletic

10:45 AM – 11:45 AM
Retail Leadership for the 21st Century
Speaker: Gary E. Hoover, Chairman, Story Stores, Inc.
Gary Hoover, a very experienced retail entrepreneur, historian and visionary thinker, will engage you with new ways of seeing retail trends past, present, and future. He will uncover the timeless basics of building a great organization.

1:00 PM
Official NSGA Golf Tournament
Sponsored by: Sporting Goods Business and Sporting Goods Dealer magazines
Sports Drinks provided by Gatorade

Tuesday, May 22
7:15 AM – 7:30 AM
Conference & Summit Registration

7:30 AM – 8:00 AM
Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by DeLong Sportswear, Inc.

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
The Evolution of the Retail Marketplace: A Category Leader’s Perspective
Moderator: Bruce Ullery, NSGA Chairman of the Board and President & CEO, MC Sports
Speaker: Kevin Plank, Chairman, President and CEO, Under Armour
Kevin Plank will provide his views on the past, present, and future of the retail marketplace as it relates to four major channels of distribution: institutional/team, sporting goods retailers, department stores, and the Internet.

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Networking Break

9:30 AM — 10:00 AM
Athletic Footwear Industry Update
Speaker: Marshal Cohen, NPD Chief Industry Analyst
Marshal Cohen will share the very latest data on the sales of athletic footwear and his forecasting of the resulting implications.
Sponsored by The NPD Group

10:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Athletic Footwear Workshop Part 3:
Co-Facilitators: Matt Powell, Analyst, SportsOneSource Group, and Rusty Saunders, Principal, Saunders & Associates
The workshop will focus on three topics that were recommended by participants in last year’s athletic footwear workshop:
1. How can we better stay ahead of trends?
2. How can we maximize retailer/manufacturer relationships?
3. How can we improve our marketing to women?

Workshop Discussion Leaders:
Marc Brunelle, President & Sole Owner, Sportshoe Center, Inc.
David Heath, Vice President, NIKE USA Sales
Mark Lardie, Senior Vice President-GMM, Famous Footwear
Mark Lemond, President & CEO, Shoe Carnival, Inc.
Glenn Lyon, President & Chief Merchandising Officer, Finish Line
Beth Menuet, Executive Vice President, Academy Sports & Outdoors
Jeff Phillips, President, Fleet Feet
Jeff Rosenthal, Vice President Merchandising, Hibbett Sports
Todd Vore, President, Implus Footcare LLC
Jim Weber, President & CEO, Brooks Sports
Sponsored by The SportsOneSource Group

6:00 PM
Reception
Sponsored by Russell Athletic Group

6:30 PM
Dinner
Sponsored by M.J. Soffe Co., Inc.

7:45 PM
Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Induction
Honoring Sharp Lannom, DeLong Sportswear; the late Herbert W. Markwort, Sr., Markwort Sporting Goods; Mickey Newsome, Hibbett Sports; and the late Robert J. Strasser, Nike and adidas.
Sponsored by W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., Mizuno USA, Inc., and New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.

8:15 PM
Speaker: Art Holst
Art Holst will share his many entertaining and humorous experiences as a former member of the National Football League’s officiating staff.
Sponsored by ADT Security Services, Inc.

Wednesday, May 23
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by Messe Munchen GmbH

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
What Sporting Goods Customers REALLY Want
Speaker: Scott McKain, Chairman of the McKain Performance Group
What do sporting goods customers REALLY want? It’s more than a new driver or athletic apparel. It’s more than simply a transaction. And, the author – Scott McKain – will present The Six Major Disconnections between sporting goods retailers and customers in his keynote address. He will explain why customer service does NOT create customer loyalty – and the single biggest error sporting goods stores commit in dealing with their customers. McKain’s experience as Vice Chairman of an organization he helped found with a small investment that now has 19 companies and nine-figure sales gives him “real world” insight into the challenges retailers confront every day.

10:00 AM
Conference Adjournment