Focus on the future at TBA's annual convention

As the first convention of the new millennium, TBAs 116th Annual Convention & Exposition is your "Gateway to the Future." An excellent line-up of professional speakers will provide you with a glimpse

Dr. Sung Won Sohn Global Economic Outlook and Investment Implications The Senior Vice President and Chief Economic Officer of Wells Fargo & Co. shares his insight into today's global economy. Dr. Sohn, responsible for national, regional and agricultural economics, was born and raised in Seoul, Korea and was educated at the University of Pittsburgh and Harvard Business School.

Dr. Sohn also served as senior economist on the President's Council of Economic Advisors. He was responsible for economical and legislative matters pertaining to the Federal Reserve and Financial markets. Art Turock - Sustaining Exceptional Performance

Art Turock is an authority in the field of "breakthrough performance." He created his "Sustaining Exceptional Performance" series of training programs and lectures following the "excellence in business" trend of the mid-1980s. Turock undertook an extensive study of business leaders and peak performers that continues to this day. His programs reflect the transformation of "Change" from continuous improvement of best practices to today's vital need for strategic foresight and reinvention strategies to shape new futures.

Larry Helms - Sinarketing:

Low-cost, No-cost Ways to Market Your Bank

A former Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Lawrence C. Helms has served as an education officer for embassy programs in Eastern Europe, a public school teacher and coach, a superintendent of schools in Alaska, a university vice-president and vice-president of training for a large West Coast bank. Dr. Helms will focus on niche marketing, and he will teach you to create a supportive marketing culture within your bank.

Oren Harari - jumping the Curve: The Call for a New Model of Business

The financial success of any business depends primarily on leaders' abilities to capitalize on globalization and technological advances and to launch startling breakthroughs in innovation, quality, service and teamwork. Dr. Oren Harari is a leading management consultant and best-selling author. Dr. Harari's latest book, "Leapfrogging the Competition: Five Giant Steps to Becoming a Market Leader," was released in May 1999. The first edition was rated by Management General as one of the 10 best business books in 1997, and received accolades from Colin Powell, Tom Peters, Michael Dell and Bill Marriott, to name a few. He also co-authored the best-selling book "Jumping the Curve: Innovation and Strategic Choice in an Age of Transition." He is currently authoring a new book, dubbed "Beep Beep! Competing in the Age of the Road Runner."

Stephen Gower - The Art of Killing Kudzu

Stephen Gower works with organizations that want a fresh approach to leading change and with individuals who want to focus on professional growth. He helps bridge the gap between performance and potential. In his presentation, Gower will teach you to lead more effectively and communicate with more clarity. Eight reminder formulae mold this guide for communicating encouragement to the team member, customer/client, and the insecure partner. Gower is the author of 11 books, eight audio albums and the six-hour "Maximizing Your Performance With Stephen Gower" video

Bruce Christopher - Why are Women So Strange & Men So Weird?

At the heart of any business is its relationships - between the company and its customers, management and its employees and among co-workers. People who have achieved success are those who have developed effective relationship skills. With the ever-increasing number of women in the workplace, it is important to understand the differences between the sexes, which can lead to miscommunication and unproductive conflicts. Bruce Christopher, a licensed psychologist, presents these key differences, along with strategies for both men and women to enhance their working relationships in order to increase productivity and reduce stress.

James E. Smith - ABA Town Meeting

Jim Smith is First Vice President of the American Bankers Association and CEO and Director of Union State Bank and Trust in Clinton, Missouri. In his leadership role at ABA, Smith will become the association's president in fall 2001. He led the Grassroots Task Force that helped ABA revamp its grassroots lobbying structure, now known as "Team 21," and he is a past president of the Missouri Bankers Association. Smith began his banking career in 1967 as a computer programmer at the Union National Bank in Springfield, Mo. Smith has not always been a banker, however. In the midsixties, he played professional baseball with the New York Yankees Baseball Organization.