NEWS RELEASE: Aftermarket Financial Symposium 2006 to Address Five Pillars of Financial Success

BETHESDA, MD - July 27, 2006 - Profit Planning Group's Dr. Albert D. Bates will present "The Five Pillars of Financial Success" to open day two of the 2006 Aftermarket Financial Symposium (AFS). Hosted by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), AFS is scheduled for Sept. 26-27 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago, Ill.

Bates' presentation will profile successful firms in distribution, which all are able to achieve success in five key strategic areas of their operation. He will discuss barriers to entry, de-commoditization, employee productivity, profit focus and internal profit understanding, and discusses how these key factors can be employed by to achieve high-profit financial results.

"Distributors have entered a new era where traditional ways of generating profits are reaching diminishing returns," Bates said. "Firms need to re-examine their operations to ensure adequate profits. This session will help firms with that process."

Bates is founder and chairman of the Profit Planning Group, a research and executive education firm headquartered in Boulder, Colo. The firm works exclusively in the area of corporate financial planning, and Bates received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and his MBA and doctorate from Indiana University.

AFS is geared toward CEOs, CFOs, financial service providers, investment analysts, CPA firms and others with interests in the automotive aftermarket. As an added benefit to attendees, the 2006 AFS has been authorized to offer 12 continuing professional education (CPE) credit hours for financial professionals that participate in both days of the symposium. For more information on AFS or to register, visit www.aftermarket.org, or contact Susan Medick, CFO, AAIA, at 301-654-6664 or e-mail susan.medick@aftermarket.org.