Save the Date!
November 11^th, 12^th & 13^th 2011
DCU Center
Worcester, Mass

For more information email- info@NEAlpacaClassic.com

Nick Hahn, CEO, Alpaca United Nick was on the team that founded NYC-based Cotton Incorporated, "The Fabric of Our Lives". He served as President and CEO, managing a talented group of research, product development, and marketing professionals who brought you new cotton products that don’t wrinkle, fade or shrink. These were promoted under the "Seal Of Cotton" logo. Hahn went on to a successful career as a global consultant. He founded Hahn International, Ltd. where he advised third-world farmers on supply-chain competitiveness from farm to retail, including commodity branding and ingredient product marketing. Hahn International, Ltd. has managed projects under USAID, US Millennium Challenge, World Bank, and numerous Private Sector grants. He now lives in East Haddam, CT close to the Alpaca United operational headquarters in Old Lyme, CT with easy access to NYC, the textile, fashion and retail capital of the world. How to Show Your Animals to the Best Advantage & A Word or Two About Show Etiquette Wade Gease Would you like to learn more about how best to show your alpacas? Would you like to hear a judge's perspective on how to present your alpacas to their best advantage in the ring? We have great news for you! Judge Wade Gease will present an in-depth class on how to show your animals - really show your animals - and on the "ins and outs" of show etiquette. This seminar will be presented right after lunch on Saturday, November 12th, in the show ring. All spectators and exhibitors are welcome. Gather some tips from the top, to maximize both your fun and potential when showing your alpacas. (See Wade Gease' bio on our Judges Page) "Putting your fiber to work" As the Alpaca Industry matures, farms across the country are adapting to a new economy where alpaca fiber and products are the driving force behind farm visits and ultimately animal sales. In this seminar Chris Riley will discuss several strategies successfully adopted by profitable alpaca farms. The Value Add Chain, Where does your farm fit? Value of Raw Fiber Worth vs. Value Add Products Classical Relationship between Manufacturers and Fiber Producers Benefits of Fiber Pools vs. Going it Alone What type of Alpaca Farm are you? Fiber Farm - Raw Material Producer Destination Farm - Ag Tourism/GiftShop Educational Farm - Seminars/Clinics/Services/Education Becoming a hub in your local economy! Made in USA / Buy Local / Buy Fresh and how U.S. alpaca products fit U.S. Consumerism and positioning your self to take advantage of it Using Fiber Product Sales to Increase Other Aspects of your Business Cross Marketing Animal Sales, Farm Visits, Value Add Services, Fiber Collections, Seminars, and the like Personal Bio: Chris Riley is the president of the New England Alpaca Fiber Pool Inc. (NEAFP) and along with his wife Shelley run the Fiber Pool and Golden Touch Alpaca Farm. Managing a herd of over 60 alpacas gives the Riley's a personal stake in seeing the U.S. Alpaca Fiber Industry succeed. For Chris, NEAFP provides a means to re-imagine U.S. textiles and motivate commercial manufactures to work with alpaca fiber. Since 1997 the Fiber Pool has been exclusively manufacturing Made in U.S. Alpaca Products and supporting farms across the country. Chris is always eager to talk about how U.S. farms can bring their product to new markets. How Fiber Products Help Farms Weather A Tough Economy Even during (perhaps especially during) tough economic times, alpaca fiber products are used to help generate cash flow & keep visitors to your farm or events coming back. You don’t need set store hours or a stand-alone building - it’s ok to keep it simple and grow in increments. We’ll discuss plans for various amounts of available space, time, & capital to find a strategy that works for you regardless if you are an experienced retailer or just starting out. David Stensland Designer / Alpaca Breeder RedMaple Sportswear Co., 181 Hill Street, Portsmouth NH 03801 www.redmaplesportswear.com Toll Free: 888-748-0022 Residing on the southern coast of Maine, David has been coaching alpaca farm store owners on product success for over 12 years. For more than 20 years, he has successfully navigated various aspects of the fashion & textile industries, from product design, development & merchandising, to advertising, packaging, & art direction. He’s worked for numerous apparel brands in these roles, including Polo Ralph Lauren, J. Crew, Jack Nicklaus Golf, and America’s Alpaca for the Alpaca Fiber Co-op of North America. David’s current product line, RedMaple Sportswear, was founded in 2004. It’s the leading casual brand in hundreds of alpaca farm stores across the U.S. & Canada who supplement sales of their own farm grown fiber products with David’s innovative socks, hats, gloves, vests & sweaters to complete the alpaca story & help increase cash flow. BASICS There are many ways to promote alpacas with fiber products regardless of experience, size of farm, amount of time, etc… Alpacas help to sell fiber products, Fiber products help to sell alpacas. Something for every customer. Keep them all coming back. Farm grown products & commercial products have different stories & different strengths yet help to support each other. They buy what they see: if you aren’t wearing alpaca why should your customers?? STRATEGIES Easy: Kitchen table at home, desk drawer at work. Moderate: Dedicated corner of the home or barn. Advanced: Stand alone building. By appointment or regular hours. Events- On site (National Alpaca Farm Days, your own open farm weekend, NEAOBA Holiday Tour etc…); Off site- local festivals, especially where you are the only alpaca breeder. Invest in fixtures that work on the farm or off site. ASSORTMENT First tier: SOCKS! Second tier: Low ticket, low fit/no fit accessories like hats, scarves, gloves, shawls, and throws. Third tier: Vests, sweaters, jackets. Covering popular size ranges. Fourth tier: Fancy and/or most expensive "items". Stock lots of basics, but rotate a few new attention grabbers to draw them in. STOREKEEPING Unsure or out of time? Event packages: let us do the work for you!! Pricing from wholesale to retail. Plan ahead: Preorder but know what can be reordered. Clearance sales & keeping your assortment "fresh". Find one or two customers for end of season "outlet". Become a preferred webstore shopper. Watch for promotions and specials. Small footprint: use your vertical space. Lights & props make for a professional presentation. Credit card processing. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Fixtures: Maine Line Products, 800-874-0484, www.mainelineproducts.com. They make modular display units & the special "RedMaple peg" for hanging our socks, hats, gloves, scarves etc… MC/Visa processing: You’ll need a merchant services account. We recommend www.gopayment.com which can be used with a smartphone or web browser. We also have used a hand held wireless terminal (Wi-Fi option even better) that prints receipts and has a "Store & Forward" option in case you can’t get a signal (swipe now, process later). Uncle Sam Wants Your Farm Business to Succeed: Tax Advantages for Alpaca Owners Federal income tax law includes many provisions designed to support start-up and small farm businesses, including alpaca farms and ranches. These provisions allow for operating expense and other deductions that can significantly reduce federal income taxes for individuals and families during the start-up and growth phases of their farm businesses. This introductory-level seminar will cover the basics of tax math, types of “for profit” farm businesses, deductible farm expenses and depreciation, and identify resources available for more detailed information. Bio: Mark Welty, a 24-year Air Force veteran, spent most of his career in the acquisition field, managing the development of command, control, and communications (C3) systems. Additional assignments included managing Defense Department test range support of Space Shuttle and other NASA space missions, and an assignment as a faculty member at the Naval Postgraduate School, where he taught analytical methods for defense resource management to senior and mid-level U.S. and international officials. He is currently a contractor employee at Hanscom AFB, MA, where he leads a business operations group in support of ongoing development of digital C3 systems. He spends his weekends and other free time operating Silver Oak Farm in Ashby, MA, with his wife, Pam.