NIBA gets back in groove in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—With more than 85 exhibitors and nearly 700 attendees, NIBA: The Belting Association is back in gear.

The annual belting and accessories conference, this year set in the Music City and next year scheduled for Tucson, Ariz., drew about the same percentage of distributors and manufacturers.

Sponsored by Continental A.G., the conference held Sept. 12-15 featured technical sessions, a "Women in NIBA" segment and numerous after-conference trips to the country music amenities that dot the urban landscape in one of America's iconic cities.

"So really the story this year has been three years in the making," said NIBA Executive Director Michael Battaglia. "This is a very in-person networking conference, and 91 companies here have been members for more than 25 years.

"So there is an organic nature to this event, as companies strengthen their relationships with customers who have been customers for a long time."

Like many other industry groups, NIBA struggled during COVID, specifically with international participation. NIBA did not have a conference in 2020, and in 2021 it returned, though just with attendees from the U.S.

Last year, the gathering seemed to return "to a normal level" with about 600 attendees.

"And this year is pushing 700," Battaglia said, adding there were 16 different countries represented at the Omni Hotel in downtown Nashville. "This tells me the conference is back and better than ever … (and) that the industry at-large is doing very well."

Each year, the executive committee at NIBA "listens to feedback and tweaks (the conference) every year."

"This week was about business and family," Battaglia said. "And we plan to keep that theme intact."

The online presence for NIBA also continues to grow, as organizers attempt to offer greater online value each year.

The organization offers basic technological training and best practices on its website, and plans to add additional benchmarking and trend studies by which company presidents and executives can grow their own brands.

"It's 101-level stuff right now," Battaglia said of the online resources. "We are working on building up the technical education. New and younger people are coming in to this industry as others leave, and they are not as familiar with the basics. We are continuously building a directory of online content … the basic stuff on compound fundamentals, which raw materials to use for which applications.

"We are adding value, and letting companies know that this is what you get when you send people here."

NIBA kicked off Sept. 13 with a general business meeting that led into the keynote address.

The early meeting, with a Waffle House-themed introduction, saw the NIBA president's gavel passed from Chip Winiarski, executive vice president of Flexco Co. Ltd., to Mike Francis of Dunham Rubber and Belting Corp. Dunham was acquired by Marietta, Ga.-based Belt Power L.L.C. late last year.

"We have seen remarkable growth and retention," the outgoing Winiarski said. "This year we saw 96-percent membership renewal, as we achieved both strategic and membership growth."

NIBA remains, at its core, about "high-quality networking opportunities."

"This is at the center of NIBA's mission," Winiarski said. "We continuously prioritize growth and value. It has been an honor to serve as your president. It has been a humbling experience, and thank you."

NIBA has about 270 members currently, comprising about 50 percent distributor and fabrication businesses and about 44 percent manufacturing firms. Another 6 percent comprises industry affiliates. The association has grown by 45 members since 2021.

"NIBA promotes the common business interests of all distributors/fabricators and manufacturers of conveyor and flat power transmission belting and material," Winiarski noted in his outgoing comments. "NIBA is recognized within the belting industry and among end-users as the premier national organization for distributor/fabricators and their suppliers."

NIBA's budget in 2023 was about $20,000.

"Our No. 1 goal is to provide value to our members and stay within our means," Francis said.

Mark Jadwin, business development manager for St. Louis-based MIR Belting, said the NIBA scholarship program remains successful, issuing about $30,000 per year and about $410,000 overall to students since 2008.

The NIBA golf outing now is dedicated exclusively to the scholarship program.

"It's like the poster says," Jadwin said. "If you are not in NIBA, you're not in belting."