NU Online News Service, Aug. 28, 12:43 p.m.EDT

With a focus on tax, regulation, investment and other issues forrisk retention groups at its annual conference, Sept. 23-25, theNational Risk Retention Association said it also will featureexperts discussing retention of customers and growth in a downeconomy on the final conference day.

In his session, "Delivering World Class Service," Bryan K.Williams, a consultant, trainer and author focused on serviceexcellence and organizational effectiveness, will discusscontinuous improvement and purpose-driven leadership, NRRAsaid.

Mr. Williams--who worked with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company,LLC for almost 10 years, helping to set and execute the globaltraining strategy for the company and its corporate university, TheRitz-Carlton Leadership Center--believes that world class serviceis not unique to any specific industry, NRRA said.

Lynn M. Thomas, an experienced consultant working with companieson their sales and client retention rates for more than 20 years,will present "Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Customer Retention inAction!"

NRRA said Ms. Thomas has gathered business intelligence fromclients, employees and agencies and analyzed the data to developrecommendations. She authored the book Irresistible Businesses:Dazzling and Delighting Clients for Life and has writtenarticles for publications, including NationalUnderwriter.

Richard I. Kolsky, Ph.D., a faculty member and academic directorat the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University,will present "Market-Focused Innovation: Antidote for TurbulentTimes."

Mr. Kolsky has consulted with a variety of leaders in thefinancial and professional services businesses, including wholesalebanking, trust, personal financial services, life, health andP&C insurance, and risk management, NRRA said, helping themtake marketing to the bottom line.

For further information about the conference, visit NRRA's Website at www.nrra-usa.org