Product Development & Management Association Carolinas Chapter Hosts Event in Charlotte - Successful Innovation and Development of Services

The Carolinas Chapter of the Product Development & Management Association (PDMA) will hold its second event in Charlotte, Thursday, June 19th, hosted by National Gypsum. The topic is "Successful Innovation and Development of Services".

Durham, NC (PRWEB) June 6, 2008 -- The Carolinas Chapter of the Product Development & Management Association (PDMA) will hold its second event in Charlotte, Thursday, June 19th, hosted by National Gypsum. The topic is "Successful Innovation and Development of Services". The workshop leaders are Leland Shaefer, Managing Director of PLM Associates, and Tony Lemus, Partner of Value Creation Institute.

The workshop will be held at National Gypsum, 2001 Rexford Rd, Charlotte 28211. The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Early bird (online registration before June 11 at 6pm): $129 PDMA, $169 non-members. Regular rate (online registration before June 17 at 6pm): $159 PDMA, $199 non-member. $40 surcharge for late registration. Includes continental breakfast, light lunch, and afternoon snack. Pre-registration at www.eventbrite.com/event/115529552 is requested. Group rates and discounts available.

"While the services sector accounts for over 70% of total employment and value added in OECD economies, few succeed in creating service innovations that create new markets or reshape existing ones. In addition customer Service, whether as the product offering itself in the service industry, or a key component of the tangible product industry, lags in its "body of knowledge" regarding innovation and development," said Sue Burek, Chair of PDMA Carolinas Charlotte Committee. "This highly interactive one-day workshop takes a service-centric view of the innovation and development process, with a goal of helping service companies increase long-term profitability by improving methodologies for defining and implementing their offerings. Both individuals and small teams will benefit from the diverse group interactions and immersion in this off-site workshop.

Bryan Haltom, Vice President of Marketing for PDMA Carolinas, added "We are excited to bring this workshop to the Carolinas. Lucky attendees will benefit from a highly rated program that cost more than $1500, not counting travel, at PDMA's 2007 international conference in Orlando. This workshop, capped at 20 students to foster the best possible learning environment, is perfect for managers responsible for defining, developing and deploying services."

Workshop leaders Background

Leland D. Shaeffer, Managing Director of PLM Associates, focuses on helping companies improve their existing product lifecycle management processes to better achieve business objectives and to produce better outcomes. He has taught executive workshops on various topics such as "Agile Product Development", "Develop and Market Better Products Faster!" and "Successful Development of Products and Services" through Caltech, the USC Marshall School and Institute of International Research (respectively). He has over 20 years practical experience in engineering and marketing at companies ranging from venture-backed startups to Apple Computer, Unisys and a subsidiary of Eastman Kodak.

Anthony Lemus recently was Vice President of Six Sigma Business Development with Citigroup, where he deployed Six Sigma and restructured the business processes used for developing and delivering a variety of loans, servicing and refinancing products. Tony has over has over 20 years experience in new product development and process design, having held positions in R&D, Operations, Strategic Business Development, and Process Engineering at companies that include Johnson & Johnson, Allergan Medical Optics and Pfizer Inc. He now is a partner in the Value Creation Institute.

About PDMA

The Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) is the premier global advocate for product development and management professionals. PDMA Carolinas is the community for North and South Carolina professionals and organizations that have a stake in the broad areas of product and service innovation, development, and management. For more information about PDMA, visit www.pdma.org. For more information about the Carolinas Chapter, email Claire-Juliette Beale at claire@touch360.com or visit www.pdma.org/carolinas.

Press Contact:

Sue Burek

585-314-4611

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