PPG Industries’ commercial coatings group held its semiannual Commercial Truck Shop Conference Sept. 21-23 in conjunction with the 2014 fall PPG MVP Business Solutions Conference at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Conference Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The three-day conference was structured to help body shop owners and managers improve business performance by learning best practices, networking with peers and gaining valuable insights from industry insiders including parts suppliers and insurers.

Attendance at the conference is open to owners and managers of heavy-duty commercial truck shops in the U.S. and Canada using PPG commercial coatings products. This includes dealerships, independent shops, multi-shop operations and national fleets.

The conference comprised keynote speakers Peter Sheahan, Ross Shaffer and Ross Bernstein along with breakout sessions by PPG commercial coatings color experts and representatives from Nationwide Insurance and 4 State Trucks. The speakers touched on critical industry topics. Sheahan, a leading innovative business thinker, presented “Flip: Creative Strategies for Turning Challenge into Opportunity.” Business turnaround specialist Shaffer’s topic was “The Future of Growth Is to Be a Peripheral Visionary.” Award-winning peak-performance motivational business speaker Bernstein discussed “The Champion’s Code” and the importance of following a moral compass to achieve success.

“This is an extremely important conference for our truck group customers,” said John Lewis, manager of programs and services for PPG’s commercial coatings group. “Most of the people who attended have participated in PPG MVP training and events and are eager to learn more about ways to improve the bottom line of their business. This conference gives them the opportunity to network and listen to what industry leaders and visionaries have to offer. We offer them the tools—the techniques and knowledge—to increase their chances for success. This conference is an important part of PPG’s commitment to supporting our customers.”

The next conference is scheduled for April 26-28 in Palm Springs, Calif. For more information and to register, visit ppgmvp.com/Conferences/Welcome.aspx.

PPG’s commercial coatings group offers a full range of coating technologies for the commercial transportation and industrial markets such as polyurethanes, alkyds, epoxies, polyurea, waterborne, pretreatment chemicals and powder coatings. PPG’s commercial coatings products are marketed under brand names such as the DELFLEET Evolution, DELFLEET ESSENTIAL, Commercial Performance Coatings and AMERCOAT lines.