Every quarter the first thing I do to put together that report is to pull down the most recent ASA Monthly Economic Report and Monthly Sales Report from (both are readily available in the Business Intelligence section of the MyASA members' only portal at www.asa.net).

Nothing gives me better insight to the state of our industry and where the industry is headed.

Aligning cultures is one critical aspect that makes a rep agency work seamlessly and successfully with manufacturer partners. Synergy among team members, genuine care for each other and unwavering commitment customers are just a few of the characteristics that partners of 50-year-old Bethany, Connecticut-based Cooper New England Sales say makes the agency a stand-out partner.

The ASA Education Team and ASA University strive to meet the ever-evolving educational needs of our members. Our goal is to ensure ASA members are both staffed and equipped to support business needs through strong leadership, astute business and product acumen, and exceptional customer service.

The most recent National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) Market Outlook Report projects 2023 bath and kitchen revenue will reach $162.4 billion, a 14% decrease when compared to the previous year. With potential recessionary pressure, high mortgage rates and a cooling residential housing market, Supply House Times chatted with a few showroom professionals from around the country to gauge what’s expected in the 2023 showroom sector.

An exit strategy is a contingency plan for a person to exit a business in the event that it meets a substantial profit or it becomes no longer profitable. Investors, business owners, traders, or venture capitalists may plan exit strategies when become involved with a business. The purpose of an exit strategy is to limit losses or maximize personal profit when the exit occurs.

The annual ASA-Supply House Times distributor roundtable, which takes place at NETWORK each year, has always been published in two parts as distributor members tackle topics from supply chain status and inventory management to government affairs and hiring.

The Great Ideas Roundtable session at NETWORK2022 in Chicago was a popular place to be. I usually try to sit in with a table to hear first-hand what hot-button topics come up among distributor, rep and manufacturer members, but this year’s session drew such a large crowd that I didn’t want to take a seat from a participating member.

As B2B offerings become increasingly commoditized, it has become more important than in any previous time in history to have a clear picture of the value proposition of your distributorship. The last 20 years - and in particular, the last two - have seen the slow but steady growth of industry behemoths that are driving commoditization of the PHCP industry.

When it comes to keeping your finger on the pulse of the economy, ASA chief economist Dr. Chris Kuehl does just that through his live monthly ASA economic update webinars (a free member benefit) and through his three-times-a-month podcasts (also a free member benefit) where Dr. Kuehl zeroes in on a specific topic of great interest to ASA members.

While much uncertainty in the economy is ahead, we know we’ve been in this position before and we know we can weather any changes ahead. It will be increasingly important to harness the power of not only our industry trade association, but also the power of the organizations across our industry working together collectively, cooperatively and complementary as buying groups, adjacent industry organizations, and regions to support our overall industry strength.