As serious distributors, we are deeply interested in what the future will throw at us and how our businesses will be impacted.

We fill our days wondering what new competitors will emerge. Will we find quality people to hire and will we find enough of them? Will the economy provide opportunities for us to successfully compete? And with all the excitement happening in Washington, D.C., will our elected leaders actually pass legislation and regulations that will be supportive of us expanding our businesses and our ability to earn a fair profit? I guess that is probably what keeps most of us up at night.

These are some of the topics that roughly 70 volunteer leaders grappled with this past February when we met to review both the ASA Long Range Strategic Plan and how the association’s future vision should be revised to best serve our members and the industry as a whole. You should have received a copy of the revised 2017 ASA Long Range Strategic Plan. If you didn’t or if you are not a member of ASA, you can view our plan on our website at www.asa.net. I urge you to take a look and see where we are going as an association.

Our strategic plan has guided the decisions we have made as your national association for 10 years now. It has been a compelling catalyst that has guided the expansion of ASA’s programming and services. We believe the value of being a member of the American Supply Association has never been greater and while we have deployed our leadership in exciting new areas, the future only remains as certain as your involvement.

As business owners, we deal with many questions about the future. But most of the answers about the future can be answered by you. Will you have quality professionals to hire? Well, how many career days have you or members of your team conducted to meet your future employees?

Will your firm be relevant and profitable as new competitors emerge? Are you looking for critical data from as many sources as possible that can help you manage your business and your decision-making to ensure your success?

Will Washington throw new laws or regulations that will hinder your success? When was the last time you visited with your elected officials or, better yet, invited them to visit your company to meet your employees and discuss the decisions made in our nation’s capital that will impact your ability to hire more people?

Will your company be an attractive place for people to build their careers? Have you implemented new training programs and performance management tools that support your employees’ future growth and success at your company?

The programs and services ASA has to offer can help you improve in each of these critical areas. ASA has the most extensive training programs available to the industry and offers you everything you need to recruit, train and retain your employees. This organization can assist you in reaching out to your area schools to meet with future employees and assist in you becoming educated on legislative and regulatory issues, as well as provide you with the tools to deliver your message to elected leaders. Our business intelligence reports give you greater clarity in every aspect of your operation. 

As an association we have made it our priority to be your partner as we work to find success in the future. However, the future does depend on you.

It’s time to be “all in” because the future will be here sooner than you think.