<p align="left">Thank you to all who attended our <strong>National Master Dealer Kick-off Meeting in Las Vegas</strong>! Since we all made it through the Mayan "the end is near", we decided the theme for our meeting should be "The Beginning is Here" and focused on a fresh start for a new year. It was a great meeting that included vendors, guest speakers, breakout sessions and a wonderful awards dinner. We covered many topics during the fast-paced meeting, so I wanted to take the time to review for those who may have missed something during this fast-paced event, and for those who were unable to attend.</p>
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The meeting started with a Welcome Reception for all attendees at the hotel on Wednesday evening. We had Quickmount PV and Pentair representatives on-hand to discuss the latest in pumps, controls, and collector mounting. The evening found many old friends catching up after time apart and some new faces in the crowd as well. As usual, three hours just isn't enough and many stayed on well after the event to chat.

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Thursday, we kicked-off with introductions by Dave that led into industry and Aquatherm updates. Dave discussed the new dual-durometer couplings and that there have only been two reported failures to date with over 200,000 in the field since the product's introduction in 2009. He also mentioned that a completely serviceable version of our 2" VRV with the locking retainer design has begun shipping.

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Dave also shared with us a bit about Aquatherm's "why". What is that, you ask? Well it is about why we get up every day and do what we do. Dave recently had the chance to spend a day with Simon Sinek, author of "Start with Why" and digs deep into the "whys" of Aquatherm. Since then, we have updated our Company Overview to include a letter from Dave that encompasses more of the "why" regarding Aquatherm. If you haven't had a chance to see the new version yet you can <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001AWXK82mF6yHVaOMtTGmCh2O6bWKuXaYFA3Jm9nvvehyMSz1Jy5p4Dfo6WNBDmEtu8OVHVXXdmQUvBtFIHPwOjhyI7l_FSxRu9PMjBjUZ5pw4X5vB5csV4MEaehKbTsGX" target="_blank" shape="rect">download it here</a>.

In Kevin's Engineering update, he reviewed the differences in standard organizations, accredited laboratories and certification bodies that are used in the industry and updated us on Aquatherm's ISO quality statistics. He presented a new online commercial survey form that is available for use now by going to <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001AWXK82mF6yHVaOMtTGmCh2O6bWKuXaYFA3Jm9nvvehyMSz1Jy5p4Dfo6WNBDmEtu8OVHVXXdmQUvBtFIHPwOjnjXWHSSJJu_td2VQWiI2FfprfkARDKPfqDRGdINdVtptd71l6PtakY=" target="_blank" shape="rect">www.aquathermindustries.com/survey</a> and previewed the new on-line RMR / LAR form, which will be introduced in March. Aquatherm has also released a new installation manual that was presented and is available in PDF or in iBooks format. Kevin also showed us some new projects that Aquatherm is working on including a new polypropylene "flashing base" for the 50006 and 50069 mounting brackets; a collector rack that will be specifically designed with our mounting hardware in mind, and the concept of a ballast mounting system for those times when roof penetrations are not desirable.

We were treated to several "Fifteen Minutes of Fame" by a few of our dealers during the meeting. They included Ethan Horvitz from Solar Living who shared a presentation on the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy and how the Aquatherm systems fared far better than the competition during the storm; Daniel Garcia of Modulo Solar shared some of their recent large commercial projects that they have done; and Mark Turnbull of Ecosun Australia talked about his market and goals for the future. And, lastly, as a stand in for Rich Bonte, Ethan spoke about the Red Lion High School project that was done in Pennsylvania - a unique glycol based design. Thank you to all who participated in sharing your insights with us and some of the lessons you have learned along the way.

In the Sales breakout we spent time reviewing the sales presentation and we unveiled the updated Lessons Learned section for the presentation. The updates include new formatting and the information condensed to one sheet. We also reviewed the Heliocol BTU comparison sheets and handed out the new comparison showing the Eco-Spark from UMA. Should you need a copy of any of this information you will find it on the portal.

We continued the sales breakout with a rundown of the Master Dealer Status and levels for both yearly and lifetime status. We also covered the Master Dealer Coop Program and thank you and referrals gifts for homeowners. Lastly, we offered up the return of the Bounty Hunter Program for the month of February to start the year off right! Should you need additional information on any of the above please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly.

During the Marketing Breakout, Dan reviewed some of the more popular social media and networking tools available today, including Facebook, Twitter, Google+ (formerly Google Places), and YouTube. One key take away is to make sure you run a Google search for "your business name here google plus". You might be surprised to find your business already has a Google+ page, in which case you should claim it immediately by clicking the "Manage this page" button in the bottom right. Once you've claimed your page, you'll unlock some features like the ability to add an "About Us" section and some photos. More importantly, claiming your page ensures you will be notified by email if a review is posted on your page.

There will always be a new social media tool popping up and generating hype - some of which may be helpful to your marketing efforts. However, there are also only so many hours in a day. By first researching a service's key user demographics, then considering potential marketing reach compared with time invested, you can maximize the effectiveness of social in your marketing plan. Dan went on to discuss current website best practices, such as making sure your website is "mobile-friendly" by pulling it up on your own smart phone and tablet. He also touched on how best to integrate social tools into your existing website, including the use of the Facebook "Like" and "Share" buttons.

Finally, Dan and the groups discussed online review sites, including Yelp, Angie's List, Google+, and Facebook. These sites have the greatest potential to help or harm your businesses, and it's important to be aware of any reviews. Dan recounted a phone conversation with an exasperated Rick Vasquez of Vasco Solar last year, after Rick had just lost an all-but-closed sale due to a last minute search that turned up a negative review on Yelp. Unfortunately, much like Google+, businesses can often be listed on Yelp without any consent or knowledge from the business owner. It's a good idea to run a Google search for your business, as well as search on each of these sites individually. Claiming your listing on these sites allows you to respond to any reviews, whether positive or negative. If you have received a negative review for your business, Dan suggests the following: 1) Respond professionally by apologizing for their experience and asking them to call or email you directly. This response can benefit you two ways: you will have an opportunity to get your reviewer offline to resolve the conflict (many times they will agree to remove or edit their review if you resolve the issue; others will see you as an accountable business owner who doesn't hide from their problems.  2) Reach out to your best customers - start with those who have given you business through referrals - and ask them to leave a review on the site. When there are at least three or four positive reviews of your business, that one negative review is much less likely to scare away a potential customer.

Feel free to contact Dan directly for any help with websites and social media.

We had several representatives from the industry come in to present and answer questions from the group. Tom from Pentair spoke about the Solar Touch control while Marshall from Quick Mount PV talked to us about the new flashing they will be offering to use with our systems. Lastly, Eric from EGIA spoke on the Geosmart financing program. The cost to join is only $250 per year and Master Dealers may use their coop funds towards membership. EGIA offers multiple programs to suit your needs. Please contact me directly if you are interested in financing programs and I will connect you with Eric.

That evening we met for some fun, camaraderie, and our annual Dealer Awards Ceremony at the Brio Restaurant. After a great dinner, we culminated our time together with the awards ceremony, where our Master Dealers and Salesmen were recognized for the outstanding sales performances in 2012. Our guest speaker, Ed Murray, Treasurer of CalSEIA and Board Member of National SEIA updated us on what is happening on the national and California solar thermal scenes. Lastly, invitees were announced to the 2013 Summer Sales Retreat, which will be in Guanacaste, Costa Rica in late July.

Friday morning the California dealers, along with Ed Murray, met for a special breakfast meeting to discuss the implementation of commercial pool heating as part of the CSI Rebate Program. Although the program has yet to be instituted dealers were able to learn more about the California commercial market and the potential opportunities once the program is online.

Thank you to all who participated in the meeting and making it a great start to 2013!

Well, this year is off to a great start for many of you! <strong>Mark Naylor</strong> is the top salesman in the country for January with 26 sales. Way to start the year Mark! <strong>Scott Bologna</strong> from Stilwell Solar came in 2nd place with 19 sales. Nice job Scott! Rounding out the top 3 for the January is <strong>Bill Long</strong> from Stilwell Solar with 16 sales for January. Great month Bill!

<strong>Stilwell Solar</strong> came out on top with 259 collectors installed for January. What a nice way to start the year for Bill Long and his team! <strong>Mark Naylor Solar Specialists</strong> came in 2nd with 182 collectors. Well done Mark! 3rd place goes to <strong>Roark Solar</strong> with 105 collectors for the month. Way to start the year off with a bang, Jim!

Aquatherm's upcoming events:
<ul>
	<li>Association of Aquatic Professionals, March 2nd - 3rd in Austin, Texas</li>
	<li>NABCEP Continuing Education Conference, April 12th  - 14th in Malta, NY</li>
	<li>Intersolar North America, July 9th - 11th in San Francisco, California</li>
</ul>
If you would like more information on these events or are in need of a badge for the trade shows please contact me directly and I will be happy to help you.

This year is off to a great start. Now let's keep up the momentum!