Letter from the Vice President, Jim Greatorex: Heartland Conference Preview

Published in Home Modifications on July 28, 2021

Hey Live at Home members,

Here we are at the end of July, and before you know it, our VGM Heartland Conference will be here. Besides celebrating our 20th anniversary of the conference, this year’s conference will be a major opportunity for Live at Home members. 2021 is our industry's turning-point year, and we will have much to share with you. New opportunities are happening very rapidly, and we are finding that after learning about our network, many companies want to partner with us to bring quality services to home access consumers. Here is a preview of home access-focused opportunities at VGM Heartland.

Installer Training: We have five companies lined up to provide some hands-on installation training. Please note that it will start on Monday morning with our friends from Savaria and includes a training with our new automatic door opener company, Entrematic. EZ Access, Harmar, and Bestbath round out the training options.

Below is a preview to the home access educational sessions:

Cindi Petito: Bathroom Modifications the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – Cindi is one of the leading occupational therapists in the U.S. who specializes in home accessibility. We view the bathroom remodels as one of the fastest growing product categories of home access, so Cindi’s session will be very timely.

Mark Richmann will lead a panel discussion on the New Normal - Incorporating What We Learned in 2020 to Your Accessibility Business. Mark invites Todd Bick from Harmar and representatives from leading VGM members that will share implementations put in place last year that have enhanced business efficiencies and helped grow business.

Jim Greatorex will lead a panel discussion on what we believe the home accessibility industry will look like in as we navigate the next five years. We are in exciting times. The industry is growing, and the future is bright. In this session, we will talk about the steps we are taking now and in the future to become the #1 trusted and utilized network of home access companies in the U.S. Our expert panel has a leading member, a senior consumer finance company executive, an experienced manufacturer rep, and a leading business development and marketer in the aging in place market.

Jim Greatorex will also kick off the home access conference with a home access industry update. We have several new services and opportunities that will be revealed at Heartland, and here is where you will learn about them all! He will have many guests who will share insights and new programs. A look at trends and review of legislative activity will also be discussed.

We also have two virtual, on-demand sessions that will be available to all attendees.

Julie Overton MSG, MHA, who leads the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence and has developed the USC’s three month course of Supportive Housing and Home Modification, will lead an academic panel discussion. They will discuss building a strong foundation in home modification for aging in place. We are very lucky to have Julie and her distinguished team share their insights with us in this can’t-miss virtual session.

We also will have Louis Tenenbaum share with us all the activity happening on the legislative front. You will be amazed at how far this coalition has come this year and where we are taking it with the formation of a new national association.

Early registration shows a strong audience for home accessibility coming to Heartland this year. We believe there will not be another event this year that will impact your home access business more than the Heartland Conference. With all the great sessions and training available, networking opportunities with many industry leaders and great manufacturers, new products, and of course some Midwestern hospitality and fun mixed in, we guarantee many great takeaways and new relationships that will propel your company to increased growth and a clearer vision for the future. For more information, visit www.vgmheartland.com.

We can’t wait to see you in person here in Iowa!

Jim

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