Leading Expert on Small Business and Entrepreneurship to Speak to AWRF

Jim Blasingame will reveal how to survive and thrive in The Age of the Customer®

New Orleans, April 18, 2016 - Associated Wire Rope Fabricators (AWRF) announced today that award-winning thought-leader on small business and entrepreneurship, Jim Blasingame, will deliver the keynote address at the AWRF Spring P.I.E. in New Orleans on April 19, 2016.

“We’re very excited to have someone with Jim Blasingame’s credentials address our event,” said Jeffrey Gilbert, AWRF Chief Executive. “He has a unique ability to simplify the complicated changes we’re all seeing in the global marketplace. No doubt his message on The Age of the Customer will be most timely and valuable for our members.”

Celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, AWRF serves industries involved in the manufacturing, distribution, development, and use of the equipment, techniques, or associated items and services required to lift, hold, and position heavy objects. The association has established a code of ethics as well as a guide to antitrust laws in order to maintain high standards of quality, craftsmanship, and service for its members.

“I’m honored to be invited to support the hard-working professionals in the sling and rigging industry of the AWRF,” Blasingame said. “These are the unsung, but hard-working small businesses who are responsible for getting the big loads long before the construction and industrial sectors turn over the finished products to the rest of us. I call them my heroes.”

Blasingame is recognized as one of the world's leading experts on small business and entrepreneurship. He is the author of three books, including the multiple-award-winning new book, The Age of the Customer: Prepare for the Moment of Relevance. He is a syndicated columnist for newspapers and magazines, in print and online, including Forbes.com, BizJournals.com, and Nasdaq.com. He is founder and president of Small Business Network, Inc., but best known as the creator and award-winning host of the nationally syndicated weekday radio program, The Small Business Advocate® Show.

For his work and leadership in service to small businesses, Blasingame has received numerous national awards from organizations like the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

The Small Business Advocate® Show is the flagship brand of the media company, Small Business Network, Inc. (SBN), which produces and distributes multi-media small business resources worldwide. Insperity is the Presenting Sponsor of all of SBN's media productions. SBN web sites are: SmallBusinessAdvocate.com and AgeoftheCustomer.com. The Small Business Advocate® and The Age of the Customer® are registered trademarks of Small Business Network, Inc.

Associated Wire and Rope Fabricators, a 501(c)(6) organization, was incorporated in 1976 as a trade association for sling fabricators and special rigging components manufacturers. Originally created by representatives from nine companies in the US, the organization now addresses the needs of over 400 member companies worldwide. Find out more at AWRF.org.

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Contact:
Davonna Blasingame
Small Business Network Inc.
888-823-2366
dsb@jbsba.com

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