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MARTIN’S CORNER Are you an ASA member? Want to be? Sign up! (Continued from page 72.)
estly, why do some buying groups feel the value of being an ASA mem- ber at their HQ office loca- tion, when some of their own member/owners are not cur- rent members? Let’s start with the basic
definition of some key words in the title of this “Martin’s Corner” industry issue.
ASA — the American Supply Association
• American— We are the
folks involved in this associ- ation/industry. We areAmer- icans, right? • Supply — In the sim-
plest form, Webster says that the definition of Supply is “to furnish or supply some- thing that is lacking!” • Association — Here
Web ster indicates that the def- inition of an association is “to organize people for a com- mon purpose with a formal structure, the connection or relation of ideas, feelings and reasoning, etc. for advance- ment of the common good!” Okay then — The Ameri-
group is better, and I don’t belong to ASA any more because I get all I need from my group, etc. etc, etc.?” Okay,
“Buying groups came to- gether to give their mem- bers the tools necessary to compete in their local mar- keting areas. OMNI sup- ports its members with a unique package of pro- grams and services that help to contribute to their continued growth and pros-
can Supply Association (a.k.a. “ASA”) according to Webster is people living here in North America banding together to furnish or supply goods that are lacking in our market place, with a common pur- pose and a formal structure that cre- ates connections to needs, and relates to ideas, feelings and reasoning to ad- vance the common good of our in- dustry through that effort plus
“When we first decided to go back into busi- ness, the first three things we did was to: 1.Order material (inventory) from some of our orig- inal vendors 2.Apply to ASA for membership 3.Apply to our former buying group for active membership. Both ASA and EMBASSY Group have been of great benefit to our company.”
— John Vogt, Chairman, National Wholesale
education, advocacy, benchmarking and networking! Now then, what in the world does
this have to do with all the buzz and hoopla in our world today about “what group do you belong to, and which
perity. In turn, our members are challenged by a Member Participation Policy that has propelled us to the success that we enjoy today. Within any group, ‘participation is key’; and, the rewards are a direct result. With that being said, I am a great believer in our association (ASA). I also believe its resurgence will be an important factor in the growth of our industry and will only come through industry support and participation. A buying group’s scope is limited and there are areas of services that can benefit the in- dustry as a whole when we combine the power of our entire industry. Political action, education, and other services that the ASA supplies can only grow in scope with the backing of all our distributors and manufac- turers. ASA’s menu of services can be ex- panded into new areas that can serve the industry both in cost reduction and enhance- ments. If asked, I am sure that our industry leaders can suggest at least one of those menu items. The first step is getting on board and supporting your industry and way of life.”
— Bob Hoff, President, Omni Corporate Services
that’s fair. Let’s see what Webster has to say about these key words: “Buy- ing,” “Marketing” and “Group.”
Buying/marketing group • Buying – Webster states that the
word buying is “the act of acquiring an item or an article or a product that is needed at a fair price.” • Marketing— Webster says that
marketing is “the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer — including ad- vertizing, shipping, storing, and sell- ing expense!” • Group — Webster says that a
group is “any collection or assembly of persons, a number of persons or things considered together as being related in some way or another — to associate together in a group as with others!” So let’s review this: A Buying/Mar-
keting Group, according to Webster, is “a group that actively acquires an article or product at a fair price, which includes all the activity that is involved in the purchase of that item from the manufacturer of choice for
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the independent member whole- saler’s inventory or customer on a project that takes into consideration
•THE WHOLESALER® —APRIL 2011
vendors to firm up/review annual programs and define the field support efforts needed to grow market share together. • So, as readers, if you agree with these first two at face value as stated
“This industry needs a common voice bringing together all elements of our industry. ASA offers us that voice. Because of ASA, we have improved our ability to educate our new and existing employees through the Education Foundation. The OPR report helps us evaluate and measure our company with like companies. An invaluable tool! With today's political climate, having someone keeping us abreast of the happenings on Capitol Hill is a positive. Although the various Buy- ing Groups have taken some of the need for networking away from ASA, the need still exists for interaction with other members of the in- dustry not in your Buying Group. We need to know more, and having the opportunity to see and hear from others in the industry broadens our knowledge base. ASA fills the need for an overall industry voice, and I hope more companies will see the value and join.” — Don Maloney, President, Coburn Supply Co.
total volume of the membership/own- ership of the collection of companies in the group to leverage all their buy- ing power annually for the specific volume of the products produced and supplied by a vendor!” Okay, a national wholesaler in our
industry then should have no issue (in my opinion) with my definition of “ASA” above based on Webster’s definition. So, making that assump- tion, I’d state that it is my opinion there is little difference in how I rolled up “Webster’s” definition of buying/marketing groups v/s the structure from top down to field op- erations for a coast-to-coast company that is all under one ownership, huh? Wow! I’m impressed I got all that
out without having to take a break and catch my breath! Lots of words and ideas to play with, but at the end of the day, my assessment is this — please pay very close attention to what you are about to read: • An ASA meeting is the place for
wholesalers and vendors to firm up new industry relationships, visit with mature ones, contribute to and sup- port enhanced opportunities for busi- ness growth, learn of new industry education and technology advance- ments, and to review the successful efforts of any and all government af- fairs work that has been done for our industry by ASA’s advocacy group in the current period. • A buying/marketing group meet- ing is the place for wholesalers and
“As a company, Hajoca Corp. has re-ignited its interest and commit- ment to ASA and we are already feeling good about the benefits in terms of networking, represent- ing our interests and becoming a very effective voice in the indus- try and in Washington, D.C. We support ASA membership for the Hajoca Companies.” — Rick Fantham, President, Hajoca
for now, then this third one should simply state that national companies should view ASA as I noted above, and should look at their vendor en- deavors much the same at the buy- ing/marketing groups do.
Summary comments I have worked in and been around
ASA (both national and regional) and buying/marketing groups for many years during my career in this good industry. I also witnessed first hand the amazing “M&A” trip that took place over several years. With equal satisfaction, I can say I believe in and still support ASA, all the buying/mar- keting groups, and the activity of the national companies that are out there today. It is no secret that our industry and all the related associations have gone through tough times the past few years for many reasons. All the M&A work that went on over these past years really did take a toll on the financial membership base revenue of the ASA. That should not be a sur- prise to anyone. As a huge piece of the independent wholesalers were caught up in this activity, the active membership suffered. The number of members in ASA and the associated revenue went south as these valuable independents were acquired! Throughout this article, you will
see direct quotes from some re- spected industry people in all phases of the business. I asked them all the same question reference their honest opinion of ASA, the buying groups and our national companies. I think you will find them all pretty interest- ing, so I’m gonna ask you all to wrap up reading my closing remarks, then go back and read any points of inter- est to you from me in this report, and each one of these industry remarks as well — one more time. I’d be glad to discuss with you any area of concern you might have to clarify my posi- tion, as I’m sure any of these folks
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