Dear Industry Colleagues,
Time and again I’m asked about ASA’s many benefits. Quite often the question will come up, “What is ASA’s strongest member offering?”
Training and educational programs offered through ASA University consistently rank very high in popularity among members.
Under the leadership of ASA Education Foundation President Joe Maialeof InSink-Erator, ASA University recently completed a full rollout of its five colleges, each with complete curriculum and behavioral performance measures. Those colleges include: College
of Leadership/Executive Management(targeted toward branch managers), College of Sales/Sales Management, College of Warehouse Management, College of Purchasing/Inventory Managementand the College of Business Management. All these colleges have something to offer you and your employees in the way of training. To see what I’m talking about, please check out more information today at www.asa.net/Education/ASA-University.
Another relatively new addition really gaining traction is the ASA University Advisory Service. The recently introduced program allows ASA University staff members to more closely assist members with training initiatives. Service is offered on three different levels based on the amount of involvement and intensity of the training package being offered. Best of all, the first level of service is available at no costand is part of ASA membership.
The newest ASA University program, rolling out this summer, is the Master of Distribution Management certification program. MDM is a comprehensive, multi-format program focused on developing the industry’s top talent. The program has five phases and works a lot like most university master’s programs. The MDM curriculum is a mix of core and elective courses presented in varied formats. After all core and elective hours are completed, MDM program students must complete a final assessment to qualify for a capstone project and earn their master’s honor.
MDM candidates must submit a case study that illustrates how they successfully implemented a strategy or approach within their company, and which demonstrates their aptitude and understanding about how a distribution manager successfully performs on the job. The case study is then presented to the MDM Graduation Review Committee. The GRC will validate the candidate’s knowledge, ability and professionalism, and ultimately present successful candidates with their MDM certification. Although the MDM program is in its infancy, it figures to really pick up traction in the coming months. To learn more, please see the MDM ad on page 51 in our digital edition and visit www.asa.net/MDM.
Overall, the training and educational offerings available through ASA have been, and will continue to be, second to none within the industry. In today’s competitive environment, if you are currently not utilizing any of these programs or services, you should strongly consider it. Please contact Amy Blackand the ASA University team today at 630/467-0000to learn more. You’ll be glad you did.
