Editor's Letter

Strategic Play

Business is a game of strategy, not a game of chance. In order to plan and execute your strategy successfully, it helps to know what the landscape looks like. However, unlike chess or similar strategy games, coming back from a loss involves more than replacing the pieces on the game board.

This month’s cover story attempts to provide some perspective on the strategies that many shredding companies are using to remain competitive in a changing industry. Some have opted to remain focused on the information destruction possibilities, seeking out cooperative arrangements to provide national coverage. Other companies have decided to explore record storage opportunities to capture more customers.

Magazines like Secure Destruction Business are here to provide you with the information you need about the forces that could potentially affect your business, such as new legislation, equipment advances and other industry trends, so that you can anticipate the changing landscape and correct your strategy before you find yourself behind in the game.

A number of spring conferences can also help professionals in the information destruction and record storage industries plan their business strategies by making them aware of the issues that could potentially affect their businesses.

The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) will host its annual conference beginning April 11 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Fla. The event’s theme is "Thriving on Change: Defining What’s Needed to Capture the Industry’s Growth Potential."

The conference features keynote speakers Steven S. Little and Larry Gulko. Little, the author of "The 7 Irrefutable Rules of Small Business Growth," shares the insights he’s gained throughout his business career, while Gulko offers tips for brand building and marketing. The conference also features presentations on adding media vaulting to an operation as well as a number of sessions on electronic media destruction.

The conference also features an exhibit hall and a number of networking opportunities, providing industry professionals the chance to interact and share information. And, if there’s one thing I know about the men and women in this industry, they’re happy to share information with their colleagues.

The 2007 NAID Annual Conference is just one of many events for industry professionals this spring. Check out the event calendar on p. 23 of this issue for a complete list of industry conferences and events.

I’ll be at many of these events along with the rest of the SDB staff and I ask you to please make it a point to look us up. To be certain that SDB continues to provide the content you need to help plan your business strategy in the years to come, we need to know the issues that are of utmost concern to you today.