People

Christopher J. Zane, a nationally noted entrepreneur and speaker, will be the opening plenary speaker at ABA’s Day of Education, on Monday, May 23, at BEA. The event is open to all BEA badged attendees.

Bestselling and award-winning author Margaret Atwood will be a featured plenary speaker at ABA’s Day of Education, on Monday, May 23, at BEA. The hour-long event will be open to all BEA badged attendees.

Former ABA President Russ Lawrence, who sold his interest in Montana’s Chapter One Book Store and, along with his wife, Jean, joined the Peace Corps in 2009, checks in from the town of Chivay in Peru, where, among other things, they’re busy developing a “local-first”-style campaign.

Richard Howorth, co-owner of Square Books, in Oxford, Mississippi, recently gave a presentation to Italian booksellers as part of the Scuola per Librai (School for Booksellers), which convenes every year in Venice.

Anderson’s Books, a fifth-generation family business co-owned by ABA Vice President Becky Anderson, has been named PW Bookseller of the Year. PW’s Rep of the Year is John Eklund.

Warren Cassell, the former owner of Just Books in Greenwich, Connecticut, died on Friday, February 25. He was 80 years old.

Richard Daley, co-owner and manager of Pass Christian Books in Pass Christian, Mississippi, died on February 3, 2011.

Patti Neske, a longtime staff member of the American Booksellers Association, died on January 27, 2011 after a long illness. She was 41.

The ABA Board of Directors has nominated three director candidates for the 2011 Board elections. Under ABA’s Bylaws, any bookstore member may submit a petition to have the names of additional director candidates placed on the ballot.

With an assortment of red balloons, a stuffed pig, and a chocolate cake, nationally recognized business strategist Bob Phibbs demonstrated to booksellers at Wi6 that presentation matters, and by having fun you can grow your sales and customer base.

ABA will honor NPR and its President and CEO, Vivian Schiller, at the evening reception that caps Wi6’s Legislative Day.  The reception, at the Library of Congress’ Madison Building, is co-sponsored by the Center for the Book and is open to all Wi6 attendees.

Karen Mills, the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, talks about some of the key steps SBA has taken to help small businesses over the last two years, the challenges facing Main Street businesses today, SBA’s new loan initiatives and online resources, and more. Mills will be interviewed by PBS NewsHour’s Jim Lehrer at the opening event at this month’s Winter Institute.

Bestselling author David Allen, widely recognized as the leading authority on personal and organization productivity, will focus on effectively taking on projects large and small and mastering key components in making a bookstore more productive at the Winter Institute’s “Efficiency 201: Accomplish More By Working Less.”

Noted retail expert Bob Phibbs talks about The Retail Doctor’s Guide to Growing Your Business, what not to do during an economic downturn, and his upcoming keynote address at ABA’s Winter Institute.

ABA’s Sixth Annual Winter Institute will feature a record-breaking number of new and established authors.