By: Jim Kendzel, ASA VP Advocacy and Catherine Treadwell, ASA Director Government Relations

No matter what political affiliation you may have, we all can agree that the U.S. government and our elected officials can and do have a major impact on our businesses. In our society, we have a choice, sit back and complain about the actions taken by our elected officials or be proactive and do all you can to ensure those representatives we have elected into office represent our best interests.

The ASA Advocacy team is committed to providing our members opportunities to engage and advocate for specific legislation and regulation. One way we fulfill this commitment is by sponsoring an annual Fly-In event in Washington, D.C., where ASA members come together and meet with elected officials and their staff to highlight for them what the key issues impacting our industry and to encourage them to support legislative initiatives directly and positively impacting the plumbing and PVF markets. We have received high praise from members who have attended these fly-ins and will continue to provide this wonderful opportunity for our members to connect with our elected officials.

Canvassing the Hill with a contingent of ASA members is great for getting the word out on our general industry concerns, however we realize there may be value in having one-on-one meetings where one member can focus on specific issues impacting their business. What an opportunity — you and maybe other members of your team coming to D.C. to spend time on the Hill promoting your business and advocating your position on those issues having a direct impact on the success of your business.

So, starting NOW, the ASA Advocacy team is proud to announce the opening of this individualized custom “fly-in” service to our members. Accessing this service is simple:

• Let us know the specific issues you would like to discuss on the Hill;
• Let us know if there are specific representatives you would like to meet with; and
• Provide us day(s) you would like to fly out to D.C.

It is that simple and the expense for you is the flight to D.C. That’s it! We will make all the arrangements and also recommend specific meetings that will provide the greatest impact based on the issue(s) you would like to discuss. We will even buy you lunch!

It is up to you now. If you have concerns or issues with policies/legislation/regulations but you simply did not know how to take the next steps, we have the answer. To learn more about the program and how to set up that personalized fly-in visit to D.C. contact Catherine Treadwell, ASA director of government relations, at ctreadwell@asa.net.

See you on the Hill!!