ASA President’s Letter

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In this month’s issue of Supply House Times, you’ll notice quite a bit of attention being given to the next generation of leaders in our industry. This goes to show just how important a topic this is and will continue to be.

As I write this letter, our industry has already entered into the busy buying group season. Next will be the summer months and soon after NetworkASA 2014, ASA’s annual convention, will be upon us.

While I have attended many memorable meetings and events during my years of involvement with ASA, I can honestly say some of the most rewarding times have been visits to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress on behalf of ASA and our industry.

What an honor and a privilege it is to have been asked to serve as 2014 http://www.asa.net ASA president. My father, Herb Strong Jr., served as ASA president in 1996 and I am very proud to follow his lead. I also am very proud to take ASA into 2014 after two consecutive years of net membership growth, a milestone we previously had not reached in decades.

I’m writing this letter as I reflect upon NetworkASA 2013 in Washington, D.C., in October. I can tell those who didn’t make it there that they missed a memorable time.

As I write my second-to-last letter having just returned from 2013 in Washington D.C., “refreshed” and “enthusiastic” are two terms that come to mind from not only my perspective as ASA president, but also as a convention attendee.

Earlier this year, I embarked on several busy weeks of travel which involved representing ASA at a series of industry events throughout the country. As my predecessors as ASA president can tell you, this involves providing association updates at various regional meetings, including gatherings of the Midwest Distributors Association, the Wholesalers Association of the Northeast, the North Central Wholesalers Association, the Southern Wholesalers Association, the Western Suppliers Association and others.

 Next month at the Renaissance Washington, D.C. Downtown Hotel, our industry and the ASA membership will come together to be part of OUR industry networking and educational event,  

How many times have you gathered around the counter and complained about our leadership in Washington? I know I have – too often it seems.  

We’ve all heard the famous quote “You get out what you put in.” We also know this quote holds true for many things in both our businesses and personal lives. It most certainly applies to a membership within ASA.