November 2002 Welcome to the November edition of SEDA's electronic newsletter, containing latest news on industry and association activities, articles of interest to safety equipment distributors and manufacturers, and links to other sources of news and information. All articles are archived in the Members Only section of the SEDA website, www.safetycentral.org. To access the Members Only section, enter -member- at the User I.D. prompt, and -protect- at the Password prompt. While you are there, check out the redesigned website. We think it will be easier for you to navigate to find the information you need more quickly. Let us know what you think of Safety Scene Online. Send your comments or article ideas to Steve King, Executive Director, at steve@ksgroup.org.

Table of Contents Feature Article Sales Proofing the Financial Plan During uncertain economic times, it is more important than ever for businesses to develop planning and controlling processes. Dr. Al Bates of Profit Planning Group describes in this article how to improve performance under almost any future sales volume level, and how to identify the specific actions that will be taken to support the plan under differing sales growth scenarios. SEDA Association News Toronto to Host Safety Week 2003 Safety Week 2003 moves north of the border to one of North America's most beautiful and exciting cities-Toronto, Canada. Scheduled for July 26-29, 2003 at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, Safety Week 2003 offers outstanding value. See why you can't miss this meeting next year. Technology Task Force Nears Completion of Standards The safety industry's first standards for electronic data fields are nearly complete, thanks to the efforts of the SEDA/ISEA Technology Task Force. Once complete, the standards will allow trading partners to create one translation from the standard to their legacy systems with these fields. Recruit a New Member and Get $350.00! Are you willing to call a colleague to explain the benefits that you receive from your SEDA membership? Will you send that colleague a membership application form and see that they fill it out? If so, SEDA wants to give you a $350.00 credit! Click here for details! Compensation and Profit Studies Still Available Two of SEDA's most valuable member publications are the 2002 Employee Compensation Study and the 2002 Profit Report. The Compensation Study provides a detailed review of compensation and benefit programs for 2000 distributors in over 30 trade associations. The data is broken out into 20 sales volume categories and over 100 geographic areas. The PROFIT Report provides detailed financial information for safety equipment distributors, allowing you to benchmark your company's finances against industry averages and high performing companies. Only available from SEDA, the PROFIT Report provides valuable and unique information that can help you business thrive during difficult economic times. Use this form to order your copy of both publications today. SEDA Headquarters Moves to New Offices Effective November 1, 2002, SEDA will be in spacious new offices in Bel Air, MD, a suburb of Baltimore. Please add the following new address information to your Rolodex and Outlook Contact Manager. SEDA 2105 Laurel Bush Rd. Suite 200 Bel Air, MD 21015 Phone 443-640-1065 Fax 443-640-1031 NAW News New Publication—Facing the Forces of Change Outlook 2003Now Available NAW has just published Facing the Forces of Change Outlook 2003, an all-new guide to wholesale distribution business success in 2003. Find out why this highly readable publication featuring 10 of today's leading W-D experts should be on your Holiday reading list. NAW's Annual Meeting is Great Way to Kick-off the New Year The NAW Executive Summit and Annual Meeting will take place in Washington D.C. from January 27-29, 2003. The summit will include expert speakers, panel presentations and roundtable discussions focusing on wholesale distribution sales and technology. For more information on the summit, go to www.nawmeetings.org/am2003. NAW Offers Solution to Higher Health Care Costs Employers are facing sharp increases in group health insurance premiums. NAW's new association-sponsored healthcare insurance program, offered through Flexible Benefit Service Corporation, is a powerful new alternative to combat double-digit insurance premium increases. Find out how you can obtain a quote.