Are you making the road trip to Louisville and putting together an awesome playlist (or mix tape/CD for those less-advanced technology-wise). Well I heard this song this weekend, and forgot how awesome it is. Too bad the band only put out two albums, one of those after Roy Orbison died. So enjoy and add this to your Louisville mix.

Fresh on the heels of Brian’s trip to Spain, I’m out on the road for about half of June. I’m visiting with folks across the country over the next few weeks.

• BASF media summit, Chicago – This week, the chemical manufacturer has brought together about 100 editors in the turf, ornamental and agricultural industries. I’m sitting down with their top technical and market experts to get a handle on what they have coming down the pike for LCOs.
• Exclusive interview with Stihl president Fred Whyte, Virginia Beach – The hand-held manufacturer is taking a stand for independent businesses and the American economy.
• A roundtable discussion with the ALCC and owners, Denver – I’ve asked eight top owners and the directors for the Colorado association to sit down to discuss water management, environmental impacts and the status of the market in the west.
• OPEI annual meeting, Colorado Springs – Every summer, the leaders from major equipment companies get together to discuss the state of their industry. I’ll be their reporting on their outlook, predictions and what new regulations mean for the sticker price of your iron.

Stay tuned to our blog and our news site for continuing coverage of these events. If  I’m coming to your town, let me know and we can grab a cup of coffee. Or, if you have any questions for these groups, send them to me at cbowen@gie.net.

My assistant processes e-mail.

When I pack for a trip, I let my oldest daughter help. She’s 4, so “help” is kind of a relative term. But she keeps me company while I try to find matching socks.

To keep her occupied before a recent trip, I tossed her a stack of my business cards to look at. Here’s a transcript of what followed:

Her: What are these?

Me: My business cards.

Her: What are they for?

Me: They tell people I meet what my name and phone number are.

Her: What do you do when you travel?

Me: My job is to talk to a lot of people and ask them questions.

Her: So you make friends?

Me: Exactly.

This is not a new idea, but I think this perspective and approach to networking events, trade shows and sales calls will bear much more fruit than others, including, “I’m here to make as many sales as possible.”