The Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) has announced that its 2011 Service and Construction Managers Conference is scheduled for March 31-April 2 at the Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont, Ill.

The conference general session will be Friday, April 1, and will feature Peter McLaughlin, author of the book CatchFire: A 7-Step Program to Ignite Energy, Defuse Stress, and PowerBoost Your Performance.

For the past 20 years, McLaughlin has studied the leading research on individual and team performance, and created programs to help businesspeople improve their effectiveness. Prior to his work in the peak performance field, McLaughlin was on the faculty of Regis University in Denver, Colo., and taught and coached sports at the high school and college levels. As president of McLaughlin Company Realtors, Peter managed three offices and was a member of the Million Dollar Round Table. His creative achievements in business led the Tarrytown Conference Center in New York to select him as “One of the Top 100 Most Innovative Executives in America.”

The conference will include roundtable discussions on a number of important industry topics. General Manager roundtable topics include measuring quality; defining roles; recruiting and hiring; defining company standards; managing and controlling overtime; inventory control; and profitability. Service roundtable topics include mobile payment; margin percentage; C.O.D strategy; recertification; safety training; onsite customer education; communication methods; and managing remote service markets. Construction manager roundtable discussions will include safe excavations; safety checklists; use of sub-contractors; new product training; shoring; understanding codes; and pre-employment testing.

The early conference registration fee is $295 for PEI members and $545 for non-members before March 1, 2011. Fees increase to $395 and $695 after that date. Registration for the conference is available by visiting www.pei.org/sc2011 or by calling PEI at (918) 494-9696.

Room rates at the Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O’Hare Hotel are $119 per night, plus 13 percent tax. Call (888) 452-6943 and mention group code “PEI” to reserve your room. The hotel cut-off date is March 14, 2011.

Founded in 1951, PEI is comprised of more than 1,600 companies engaged in the manufacturing and distribution of equipment used in the petroleum and energy handling industry. Members are located in 50 states and 81 countries. PEI is the leading authority and source of information for the petroleum and energy handling equipment industry, and is committed to promoting the value of distributor services and improving the business relationships and practices of its members. The Institute is headquartered in Tulsa, Okla. For additional information on PEI or its membership, please contact Chris Bouldin at cbouldin@pei.org or visit www.pei.org.