ALEXANDRIA, Va. Members of the United Motorcoach Association who join the new 20 Group program being offered by the trade group can pretty much count on one thing their businesses will improve.

Thats the assessment of International Motor Coach Group carriers from around the country whove been participating in the popular business development program for the past several years.

"It is the most important thing I have ever done for my business," said John Crosswell, president of Crosswell VIP Motorcoach Services in Williamsburg, Ohio. "It has just been extremely valuable to me."

Stephen Story, president of James River Bus Lines in Richmond, Va., calls the program the "key to a successful business" and said it helped his company get through the difficult times following 9/11.

David Brown, president of Holiday Tours of Randleman, N.C., cites the program as the "single-biggest factor for the success" of his company.

And Brian Kurtz, manager of Elite Coach in Ephrata, Pa., said the 20 Group has taught him an "incredible amount" about not only his own business but the entire motorcoach industry. "Its hard to overstate how much it has done for us," said Kurtz.

IMG has offered the program to its 50 members since 1998 and now has two separate 20 Groups going.

The program that has helped produce dramatic results for IMG participants was developed by Spader Business Management Inc., a Sioux Falls, S.D., consulting company. It manages the 20 Groups for IMG, and now is partnering with UMA to bring the same program to its members.

Participants form what are called Spader Management Groups, which consist of up to 20 noncompeting coach companies that hold two- to three-day meetings up to four times a year. They review each others financial reports, develop benchmarks for performances and discuss all aspects of their businesses -- from challenges, to problems, to solutions. Most meetings are conducted near a member business so the group can visit the host members facility.

"There is no doubt that our involvement in the 20 Group has helped us avoid a lot of mistakes," said Kurtz, whose family had no experience in the motorcoach industry when his father, Paul, purchased the business in 1997.

He said the financial benchmarking and operational ideas he has taken home from the meetings has helped him hone his business skills and create new opportunities for the company to grow and expand its profitability. "I tell people that I got 30 years worth of bus experience in five years," he emphasized.

Story, an original member of his IMG 20 Group, said the practice of exchanging financial information not only allows participants to see how well they are doing in the mix, but it also leads to valuable discussions.

"While I have found the numbers to be very meaningful, Ive also found that they prompt conversations about issues, problems, solutions and innovative thinking," he said. "Theyve become the tool to generate conversation for us."

He also credits the program for giving him the confidence after 9/11 to retain his employee base rather than layoff people or reduce their hours. Doing so meant the company was ready to go when business rebounded.

"We were able to do this because we knew our numbers, we knew what our thresholds were and we felt comfortable going through the process," he said. "Our ability to get through the 9/11 period was, I think, directly related to our experiences in the 20 Group. When business returned, we were there, we were strong and we were able to make money."

Storys experience with the program has been so good that he now is trying to organize one for another part of his business limousine service. "Im trying to get a group involved in an existing 20 Group and if we cant shoehorn into that one, then we want to start our own," he said.

IMG President Steve Klika sees the 20 Group program as serving as a substitute board of directors, allowing operators to talk openly about their problems and share possible solutions. "Many of the operators dont have boards of directors, so the decisions they make on their own impact themselves, their employees and their customers," he added. "By having a network to work within, it almost creates a kind of board of directors for each of them."

Crosswell suggests that the IMG 20 Groups have found great success partially because of the grouping of the participants, which fostered the openness and honesty required for the program to work. "The challenge is that you have to be grouped with people who have something to offer and are willing to expose themselves, and that can be a very difficult challenge," he said. "You have to be very open with one another."

He said IMA members had an advantage when they first became involved in the program because they all knew one another well and already were sharing various types of information about their business. "To be in IMG, you have to meet certain standards, including compatibility with the group and that in and of itself created a clean pool," he said. "It is about the quality of the people and we have a very high quality of people."

Klika also emphasized the importance of grouping members who do not share the same market. "Because they dont compete against each other, they are freer to share numbers and internal information," he said.

Meanwhile, he believes that UMAs involvement in the 20 Group program will be good for the motorcoach industry.

"IMG wants as many coach companies that can better their situations, better their business practices because it is to the industrys advantage to have quality companies out there," Klika said. "We believe that the more quality companies we have, the better our industry will be to the general public."

Added Kurtz: "Anybody who has the opportunity would be crazy not to join."

UMA members interested in participating in a 20 Group should watch the association newsletter, The Exchange, for information, or call UMA at (800) 424-8262. For additional information about the Spader company go to www.spader.com.