Safety Equipment Distributor Association Executive Director, Jackie King, International Safety Equipment Association President, Dan Shipp and SEDA Joint Education Committee member George Hayward of United Sales Associates were on hand at the 27th Qualified Safety Sales Professional training program, or QSSP, held November 10-14 in Louisville, Kentucky to honor Dr. Rick Fulwiler of Technology Leadership Associates for his years of service as course director and founder of the program, according to a press release from SEDA.

Dr. Rick is retiring as course director for the program, but will continue as an instructor in future programs beginning with the April 2009 training course. Rick Raymer of Safety Solutions and current course instructor will assume the role of course director in 2009.

Rick is the former head of Procter & Gamble's worldwide safety and health department and current president of Cincinnati-based Technology Leadership Associates.

Fulwiler was the lead instructor and course director for the 27 QSSP sessions that have been held since the first beta test was conducted in 1996. Based on an average attendance of 32 students, more than 800 safety sales professionals have successfully completed the course over the past 12 years.

By going beyond product-based sales functions and digging deeply into solutions-based selling, Fulwiler says graduates of the intensive five-day training program are better equipped to help their customers make the best possible safety selections.

"The end user really wants more help, and who better to provide it than the safety distributor?" Fulwiler asks.