There are memberships and there are partnerships, and Bradford White is extremely proud of the fact that the American Supply Association fosters the latter by truly partnering with its members to enrich this great industry.

A demonstration of partnership, relevance and leadership

Recently, the ASA, true to its core values of relevance and leadership, invited Bradford White to participate in a Sept. 14 meeting at the White House to discuss the importance of tax reform, infrastructure needs and, most importantly, workforce development. The discussion was fruitful and bore optimism regarding the current administration’s commitment to enhancing and enriching the public view and understanding of career needs and opportunities in the PHCP/PVF industry.

With an expected industry shortfall of more that 138,000 employees by 2022, ASA members, from wholesalers to master distributors and from manufacturers to reps, must all stay deeply engaged in this discussion. It is imperative that ASA member companies continue to partner in addressing a workforce challenge that could have a devastating effect on several layers of our industry, let alone our country’s infrastructure, as acknowledged by members of the Trump administration. For a company such as Bradford White with all U.S.-based manufacturing operations, initiatives that shed light on the great opportunities that exist for young men and women in the trades and manufacturing are critical, and we thank ASA for allowing the manufacturing community to share its voice at this very important meeting

A renewal of commitment

This year, ASA renewed its long-term vision and commitments, as did Bradford White through the release of its new constitution during its 25th Anniversary Corporate Convention in June. Fundamental to each organization’s renewal of commitment were themes of quality, relevance, education for the enrichment of customers (members) and the industry at large.

If it were not for the support and efforts of organizations such as ASA, the ability of companies such as Bradford White to ensure alignment with industry and customer needs would be far more challenging. As billed, ASA truly has its finger “on the pulse of economic, social and political trends” affecting our industry, and it shares that knowledge in a way that helps its members/customers like Bradford White be the best they can for their own customers.

In mid-2017, in the spirit of ASA’s member/customer commitments and its NETWORK2017 theme of “Building Your Bottom Line,” Bradford White launched For The Pro, a collection of resources to help its supplier and contractor customers enrich their businesses. The many relationships cultivated through ASA and rich discussions at their local and national events helped Bradford White shape the framework for this new program that will continue to grow and evolve in a manner that reflects industry and customer needs for years to come.

A partnership that will advance your ability

ASA prides itself on being an “indispensable resource” that provides its members with the “ability to adapt, grow and succeed.” They’ve made it clear through its actions and its words that associations and their member companies must stay relevant to the needs of their customers in order to flourish and maintain loyalty. This is a philosophy to which Bradford White Corporation also subscribes and the company deeply appreciates ASA for leading by example.