ASA is the indispensable industry association committed to helping our members connect with the pulse of economic, social, educational, labor and political trends affecting their businesses.

As a result, the programs we provide to our members and their teams are geared to enhance their confidence in their company’s ability to thrive and prosper in a fast-paced future. I joined ASA nine years ago because I saw the promise of what a strong, vibrant national association could mean to my growing company. I became ASA president because I wanted to give back to the organization that has become a valued partner to my company and its future success. Here are four areas that you and your company will benefit from by being an ASA member.

Developing your team through robust training: ASA University has become the gold standard for training at not only my company but for all industry professionals. In fact, ASA University is most often cited as the reason for joining the association. ASA-U’s five colleges, 29 role-based training tracks and more than 220 online courses address the needs of both our new and seasoned employees and provide my leadership team with the ability to recruit, train and retain our present and future associates.

Critical business intelligence: ASA provides its members access to data and benchmarking reports focused on critical and economic trends that help us all to navigate in our current unpredictable financial climate. Through ASA’s annual and monthly economic forecasting reports, our commodity reports, compensation surveys and annual operating performance reports, our members now have the necessary tools to better understand what’s happening with current economic trends, which helps them to better identify opportunities to improve their operational performance, and ensure them that their compensation package is competitive in a highly volatile employment market that seems to change daily. These ASA intelligence tools are a tremendous help in assisting you to make those critical decisions that will advance your business in these uncertain times.

Invaluable advocacy: I really like knowing I am part of a national organization that is the recognized voice of the PHCP and PVF industry when it comes to federal and state legislative affairs, as well as our industry’s codes, standards and regulatory issues. ASA educates our officials daily about the issues our industry faces and how the decisions our elected leaders make will impact businesses and employees and the future of my company. I find great value in knowing while I’m busy dealing with the day-to-day of running my business, ASA is engaged fulltime in decision-making that will impact my business. When it comes to government affairs, ASA truly is our voice.

Expanded networking: Being able to cultivate the right relationships creates real opportunities for your company and your key employees. ASA‘s events are the place where the entire industry comes together to build personal networks and profitable business relationships. Events held by divisions such as Emerging Leaders, Women in Industry, and the annual NETWORK convention are exciting opportunities for leaders to meet peers from across the country and outside of their traditional buying groups. While you can get networking from just about anywhere, ASA provides networking value that I have yet to find anywhere else.

I am a member of ASA because I know having a strong and vibrant national association working to build a more profitable future for all of us is something I want to support. I urge you to begin taking advantage of ASA’s many valuable programs.

Most importantly, I urge you to join with us in helping build a better future for all.