During these cold, gloomy days in the Midwest, I try to hit two goals every day. First, I get 30 minutes of light exercise and next I try to learn something new.

One of my favorite sources for new information is the American Supply Association website: www.asa.net

If you aren’t already using this website you’re missing out.

The ASA website offers several benefits for those doing business in the PHCP-PVF supply chain and related industries. Some key benefits include:

1. Industry resources and knowledge: The ASA website provides access to a wealth of industry knowledge, including articles, white papers, webinars, podcasts and case studies, helping professionals stay up to date on trends, regulations and best practices.
2. Training and education: The ASA University portion of the website offers various educational classes, programs and certifications that can help professionals at ASA-member companies improve their skills, stay competitive, and meet industry standards.
    
    ASA University is your industry resource for training and education in the PHCP and industrial/mechanical PVD industry. Built from the ground up by individuals actively working in the industry, ASA-U provides a turnkey solution to your employee training needs — whether it’s new or seasoned employees.
3. MDM program: Staying with the education theme, by contextualizing the realities of leadership within our industry, the Master of Distribution Management program is uniquely tailored for our industry – and its challenges. The MDM program delivers practical distribution mastery along with leadership vision.
4. Talent recruitment: ASA’s PROJECT TALENT platform helps ASA-member companies in their talent recruitment journey through geographically specific online job openings, informative careers-related webinars, as well as access to a treasure trove of free job-recruitment marketing collateral via the Recruiter Toolbox.
5. Business intelligence/benchmarking: ASA members have access to exclusive business intelligence/benchmarking reports related to distributor operational performance, employee compensation and benefits, as well as monthly economic and commodities updates — and that’s just touching the surface on the Business Intelligence Unit’s offerings.
6. Advocacy and industry representation: ASA represents its members in advocating for favorable industry policies and regulations. The ASA website often provides updates on government policies and legislation, as well as codes and standards updates/changes that impact the PHCP-PVF supply chain and related industries.
7. Networking opportunities: ASA provides a platform for members to network with other industry professionals, suppliers, and manufacturers reps through events, conferences, and online communities (Check out ASA’s CONNECT online peer-to-peer networking platform where employees from ASA-member companies can gather quarterly in one of 8 job-specific communities with other ASA-member employees). These networking platforms can open doors to new business opportunities and collaborations.
8. Embracing the future: ASA’s Embracing the Future Strategic Action Council continues to work hard to make sure members are aware of the roadblocks that can and will challenge our industry. Through webinars and podcasts, ASA members are kept informed on hot-button topics such as AI and cybersecurity, plus the association’s new product data standardization effort to help distributors and suppliers bridge the product data-sharing gap.
9. Event calendar: The ASA site regularly updates information on upcoming events, conferences, and tradeshows, which can be crucial for staying engaged in the industry and finding new business partners. One of the most popular functions on the site, visit the Industry Calendar to see for yourself.
10. Supplier directory: If you are an ASA distributor member, the ASA website includes a directory of suppliers, which can be useful for sourcing products and services for business needs. ASA members have access to a full association membership directory.

"The ASA website provides access to a wealth of industry knowledge."

I also find this to be a great time of year for personal reflection and reestablishing good habits. There are two speakers, in particular, that I find especially helpful, and I encourage everyone to follow if you are interested in growing as a leader:

Simon Sinek: Author and motivational speaker.

James Clear: Author of "Atomic Habits" and the free weekly 3-2-1 newsletter.

Both also have some great ideas they share on LinkedIn.

Next month, I will have a recap of the annual ASA LEAD strategic planning retreat in California. This is where nearly 100 leaders — wholesalers, suppliers and reps alike — from ASA-member firms around the country come together to work as a team on the direction of ASA. It‘s my favorite event of the year!