Over 80 representatives from ASA member wholesalers and manufacturers came together at the inaugural meeting of the ASA Showroom Managers Council, December 4-5, 2007 in Chicago.

The two-day event featured presentations from Hank Darlington, a well-known professional showroom design consultant, and Michelle Kowalski, manager of The KOHLER Store in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart LuxeHome. These educational seminars were complemented with interactive roundtable sessions where participants could share ideas and challenges with each other, gaining knowledge from personal experiences. Paul Martin, Senior Director, Program & Business Development for the ASA Education Foundation, shared with participants the training and educational opportunities available to them through their membership in ASA.

The following comments were submitted to ASA at the conclusion of the program:
“I am so thankful to be a part of this council. We showroom managers have needed an outlet for our thoughts as well as an inlet of information. I think if you continue to progress with the issues that were brought up at this first meeting and to find solutions, it will continue as an extreme asset.”

“It was a great opportunity to network with many people in the industry. We all have the same concerns and issues - making our showrooms profitable and beautiful for our clients.”

The ASA Showroom Managers Council is just one of ASA's professional peer networking groups. It provides networking and educational opportunities for member employees involved in the day-to-day workings of running a showroom. ASA has established additional professional peer networking councils in other areas, including Training & HR, Warehouse & Operations Managers, CFOs and Sales Managers. The Councils put employees in touch with others from around the country in the same job function who experience the same challenges and successes as they do, creating a professional peer network they can turn to as a resource.

For more information on how you can participate in one of these councils, please visit www.asa.net or contact Ruth Mitchell at 312-464-0090 ext. 210.