Outdoor Industry Association Announces Retail Webinar Series

Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and The Mann Group (TMG), a retail consulting firm specializing in retail management, training and strategic planning, today announced the development of two, six-part, live Webinar workshops to provide retailers tools to survive and thrive.

The first six-part course, beginning with a free introductory Webinar on February 11, 2009, will focus on crucial aspects of financial management for a small business. Topics will range from budgeting to inventory management, staffing and cash flow.

The second course will address all aspects of developing and implementing effective Human Resources strategies. The webinar series will cover everything from hiring and firing, performance reviews, compensation plans, dealing with difficult employees, team building, effective meetings, staff motivation, and much more. The Human Resources Webinar series begins with an introduction to Human Resources on April 15, 2009.

“Based on retail feedback, the webinar program is designed to give retailer store owners, managers, and staff tools to improve their business operations.” said Ann Obenchain, vice president of member services and marketing for OIA. “By utilizing webinar technology, OIA is presenting a convenient and affordable resource for independent specialty businesses.”


The Schedule

Financial Management
1. Wednesday, February 11: Intro to Financial Management
2. Wednesday, February 25: Financial Management: Budgeting Part 1
3. Wednesday, March 4: Financial Management: Budgeting Part 2
4. Wednesday, March 11: Financial Management: Inventory Management
5. Wednesday, March 18: Financial Management: Staffing
6. Wednesday, March 25: Financial Management: Cash Flow
7. Wednesday, April 1: Financial Management: Implementation

Human Resources
1. Wednesday, April 15: Human Resources: Intro to Human Resources
2. Wednesday, April 29: Human Resources: “Theory and Philosophy” of
Hiring for Specialty Outdoor Retailers
3. Wednesday, May 6: Human Resources: Recruiting and Hiring Strategies
4. Wednesday, May 13: Human Resources: Job Design
5. Wednesday, May 20: Human Resources: Achieving Store Goals Part 1
6. Wednesday, May 27: Human Resources: Achieving Store Goals Part 2
7. Wednesday, June 3: Human Resources: Establishing Policy &
Procedures

The introductory webinars for each topic are free. Each subsequent webinar is $39 for OIA members and $79 for non members. For more information on these timely, informative live Webinar series or to register, please visit www.outdoorindustry.org or call 303.444.3353.


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About Outdoor Industry Association
Outdoor Industry Association® (OIA) is a national trade association whose mission is to ensure the growth and success of the outdoor industry. OIA provides trade services for over 4000 manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, sales representatives and retailers in the outdoor industry. OIA programs include representation in government/legislative affairs, market and social research, business-to-business services and youth outreach initiatives. Educational events include the annual Rendezvous, Outdoor University, and the Capitol Summit. Outdoor Industry Association is based in Boulder, Colorado, and is the title sponsor of the Outdoor Retailer tradeshows. For more information go to www.outdoorindustry.org or call 303.444.3353.

About The Mann Group
TMG, founded in 2003 and growing rapidly, is often thought of as a firm that “gets” how retail works. Being retailers at heart TMG sees the huge challenges that face all retailers today – especially in today’s shifting consumer landscape. TMG has industry-leading, sought-after expertise in sales management training, strategic planning, programs that increase profitability, and human resource management

For the past 6 years, TMG has been working closely with hundreds of specialty retailers in the Outdoor, Snowsports and Cycling industries across the US and Canada. During that time, those retailers have enjoyed top-line sales increases anywhere from 11% to 24%. The nature of TMG’s approach has insured that those results are sustainable year over year.

TMG is lead by a group of seasoned powerhouse retailers with complementary MBA experience to grow any business – but the sole focus is on retail – and TMG takes pride in doing the work exceptional well.