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My first official meeting is in the books as ASA president and I’m in awe of the amazing volunteers that came from all over the country to participate in LEAD2025, our winter strategic planning retreat that took place last month in Southern California.

LEAD is an invitation-only meeting for all the volunteers in ASA along with the past presidents. This year, we had close to 100 attendees ranging from wholesale distributors, manufacturers and representative firms.

What I really like about this meeting is companies of all sizes are included from small, single locations to national wholesalers and worldwide manufacturers.

It’s a thrill to brainstorm and network with some of the best minds in our Industry.

This year, we took a slightly different approach and polled the attendees with the help of NewEdge, a company that specializes in helping companies align for strategic growth. I’ve worked with them in the past and found it to be a great experience.

The purpose of the poll (attendees were surveyed ahead of time) was to help determine areas in need of improvement for our members. While the individual results for their company were provided to the participants, the consolidated results were used as a basis for our morning discussion.

I found it very interesting that so many of us shared common problems in our companies and this created some great conversations amongst the individual groups.

Also, the staff at ASA does a wonderful job in assigning people to tables based on the group or committee each person participates in to ensure diversity.

Our afternoon session was led by consultant, speaker, author and longtime ASA friend Dirk Beveridge. Dirk brings amazing energy to the room and led us in a workshop to help identify and define our major areas of concern.

The goal of this meeting is to look not just to today but also five years forward and identify ways to strengthen and grow the industry.

With the help of Dirk and a few creative worksheets, we were able to narrow our area of focus to four major areas.

1. Political Engagement – Engage proactively with policymakers to influence beneficial regulations.
2. Shifting Demographics and Labor Market – Effective knowledge transfer and workforce development along with succession planning and company culture.
3. Technology and AI – Leverage AI and technology to drive operational efficiency and enhance customer service.
4. Data Privacy – Strengthen data protection measures and ensure regulatory compliance to maintain customer trust and safeguard business operations.

I found the meeting to be very productive and informative.

The association will now take on these four areas and expand the work already being done by strategic action councils and task groups to help our members grow and prosper.