Maybe the most meaningful but unexpected benefits I’ve found in serving as your ASA president this year is the opportunity to learn about the rich history of our industry and our association.

We all know many of the facts, but the stories of the people and the passion of so many to see forward is incredible. Perhaps most incredible is ASA University, the story of Karl Neupert, and a foundation that would truly be our industry’s "pipeline to the future."

First the facts: Today, ASA University is the industry’s best resource for training and education. It is supported by the ASA Education Foundation, made possible by the Karl E. Neupert Endowment Fund.

In the new governance structure of ASA, the Workforce Development Council, a dedicated group of volunteers representing all segments of the industry and currently chaired by Rebecca Falish of InSinkErator, oversees the foundation and ASA University, as well as the MDM (Master of Distribution Management) program, safety programming and career resources. For more on all of these programs visit https://www.asa.net/Education/ASA-Education-Foundation or contact Vice President of Education and Training Taylor Kenney at tkenney@asa.net.

The story of how the PHCP/PVF industry association built and nurtured our "pipeline to the future" with an endowment and foundation is the story of our visionary, entrepreneurial and altruistic leaders. ASA was formed in 1969 when a confederation of regional organizations recognized the need for national representation. Soon after, the Education Foundation was established in 1977 to serve the education and training needs of the organization.

In 1996, Karl Neupert of Consolidated Supply launched a campaign to raise $10 million dollars for the ASA Education Foundation Endowment. He called this initiative our "pipeline to the future," knowing that our industry’s ability to train and educate our employees would be our lifeline. It would ensure our prosperity and longevity while firmly establishing our businesses as employers of choice.

After serving as ASA President in 1999, Karl passed away unexpectedly in 2002 and the Karl E. Neupert Endowment Fund was established in his honor. He continued to inspire others to action. Contributions were provided by hundreds of manufacturers, distributors and individuals who recognized the need for a permanent endowment fund that would ensure the Education Foundation’s ability to provide programs needed by the industry in perpetuity.

In 1996, Karl Neupert of Consolidated Supply launched a campaign to raise $10 million dollars for the ASA Education Foundation Endowment. He called this initiative our "pipeline to the future," knowing that our industry’s ability to train and educate our employees would be our lifeline.

My uncle Ed Felten (ASA president in 1998) wrote a book in 2006, The Art of Supervising and Motivating People, and donated all of the proceeds to the foundation. Karolyn Neupert Gordon led the efforts to raise significant sums into the early 2000s and Karla Neupert Hockley continues the family’s legacy today serving on the Workforce Development Council and leading the family business Oregon-based Consolidated Supply as president and CEO.

Like any pipeline, contributions continue to flow, providing a similar flow of knowledge to our industry. In 2015, ASA conducted a national labor study finding that only 4% of the more than 200,000 people employed by our industry were under the age of 26.

By the 2020s (i.e., NOW), 50,000 people would be retiring and by the 2030s (i.e., SOON), 100,000 people would retire. We will need the ability to attract, to recruit and to train quite literally hundreds of thousands of people.

And we will be able to do that thanks to the visionary work of our leadership 25 years ago.

I happen to have a few of the early editions of the book-based courses still on my shelf. Reading the contributors to those courses reads like a who’s who of the industry — Torrco, F.W. Webb, Coburn, Wiseway, Cregger, Rampart, and my own First Supply. I’m sure many others contributed suggestions, ideas and feedback along the way. Those courses have now been modernized and are available as digital content on ASA University.

When we think of a pipeline in our industry, we think about the first definition on merriam-webster.com "a line of pipe with pumps, valves and control devices for carrying liquids, gases, or finely divided solids."

But the visionaries who established our industry’s education legacy had the foresight to think about the second definition – "a direct channel for information."

We’ve been gifted the legacy of a direct channel for our industry’s knowledge. It is our responsibility to use it, to share it and to grow it.

To contribute to the Karl E Neupert Endowment Fund visit https://www.asa.net/Education/About-Foundation/About-the-Karl-E-Neupert-Endowment