Columbia, MD – Health and Safety issues will be the primary focus at the Restoration Industry Association’s (RIA) 65th Annual Convention & Exhibition. Held at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Ga., from March 23-27, 2010, convention topics will apply to all of the divisions within the association: damage repair, environmental and rug/carpet/textiles.

          Four pre-convention sessions will delve in-depth on areas critical to the cleaning and restoration industry. “Survival Spanish for Restoration Professionals” will give non-Spanish speaking employees a level of confidence when it comes to supervising and training Hispanic employees. Basic phrases and terminology, insights into Hispanic culture and helpful bi-lingual training techniques will be presented.

          Insurance adjuster Peter Crosa presents the second installment of his popular workshop from last year on “Creating Working Relationships with Adjusters that Last.” Attendees will learn how adjusters think, what their bottom-line needs are and how contractors can work proactively with them rather than reactively.

          Rug specialists and aficionados will have an opportunity for a behind-the-scenes tour of several manufacturing plants in and around Dalton, Ga., which is billed as the “Carpet Capital of the World.” From specialty rugs to carpeting, the RIA Rug Tour of the World will provide the opportunity to visit a variety of mills specific to Oriental and specialty rugs, and related ancillary companies for testing, padding and specialty fibers. Stops include: Oriental Rug Weavers Rug Manufacturing, Independent Textile Testing Service, Shaw Carpet Mill and Beaulieu Group.

          With the April 22nd deadline for companies to obtain the new EPA Lead Renovator certification quickly approaching, RIA has scheduled a course geared specifically for restoration contractors. The 8-hour course will be led by Wonder Makers Environmental, Inc., an EPA-certified course provider.

          Two workshops will be offered after the convention. Creating Great Strategies to Make More Money will delve into the process of strategic thinking and how to create strategy superiority for your business.  Through interactive group discussions and exercises, attendees will better understand how to overcome complacency and the failure to recognize their business strategy’s decline.

Translating Today’s Technology into Business Dollars is a hands-on session that will teach cleaning and restoration professionals how to actively market their services on the Internet — from common marketing techniques to actually setting up campaigns with real tools used in daily campaign management.

The main convention registration includes two-and-a-half days of education and networking events, food for all included events, access to the Exhibition, two general sessions, the welcome reception and the awards reception. Separate registrations are required for the pre- and post-convention events. Early-bird registration deadline is February 26. For more details or to register, visit www.restorationindustry.org.