August 1957 page 7

[photo of staff meeting attendees, left page of 2-page photo]
[left page of 2-page caption]
COMPANY REPRESENTATIVES attending the mid-year staff meeting in Green-
ville took time out of their busy schedule to set for this portrait in the ballroom
of the Poinsett Hotel
of varied subjects

[left page of 2-page headline]
Coming Up: More Business in the

[photo of man, left page of 2-page photo]
[left page of 2-page caption]
OFF-LINE
ings, had mu
Holzberger,
Swaney, Cleve

Last month Piedmont and Northern officials, staff members, traffic
salesmen, and Class A agents assembled in Greenville for their tra-
ditional two-day mid-year conference. They discussed some 18 topics,
ranging from "purpose and objectives" to "adjournment," and covering
almost every facet of railroad operations, revenues, industrial develop-
ment, policies, expenses, gains and losses, problems and solutions.

During the two days they whisked through 108 pages of statistics
and reports which weighed in at one pound, two ounces. But the weight
was not a measurement of the worth, for the pages were the black-and-
white record of how the railroad had fared in comparison with past
years and a thorough analysis of traffic, past and future.

Although the record of the first half of the year was not as bright as
it could have been, there was a strong feeling among traffic representa-
tives that the last half will be better, even to the extent of largely off-
setting the disappointing first half. Business conditions, they felt, seem
to be taking a turn for the better and should remain good for the rest
of the year.

Toward the end of the meeting the talk turned to salesmanship, per-
sonnel training, expense control, and many other vital topics. If the 40
or more in attendence didn't go away with a feeling of two days well
spent, they missed the spirit of a good staff meeting.