Support and Reward Those Who Provide Vital Services
Jerry Epperson -- Furniture Today, June 2, 2011
Jerry Epperson An insider’s view
As our industry continues to make small steps toward a recovery, it is my sincere hope that our various retailers, importers, domestic factories and various suppliers aggressively return support to our industry's important associations and support groups.
No doubt everyone severely cut costs during the depths of the "Great Recession" and no one is letting loose of the coin purse yet, but there is a very real need that is extremely important.
As hard hit as we all were over the last three years, our associations were hit doubly hard. Many have been forced to cut employees and valuable services, and this could hurt our industry for years to come.
The national associations like the AHFA, ISPA, NHFA, HFIA, IHFRA, WithIt and other regional, state and local associations play a vital role to all of us for information, specialized knowledge on topics of great importance, education and, perhaps most of all, helping our industry deal with the never-ending onslaught of governmental regulation, changing rules and requirements, and monetary burdens. No single company in our industry is large enough to tackle our governments' (federal, state and local) growing impact and burden on our businesses.
PLEASE do not just join or rejoin these groups, but get involved with your money and your time. If everyone thinks someone else will do it, eventually no one will be doing it and we will be at the mercy of - heaven help us - our politicians. The broader the involvement, the greater influence we can have on our own destiny.
While I am ranting, please reward the entities that provide the services and information you use to run your company. The research that Furniture/Today provides distinguishes it from other trade publications and is incredibly valuable to us all. No other publication spends the big bucks to improve our industry and provide this data that is not available elsewhere. In a similar fashion, my firm does our original research to show a commitment to this industry and distinguish ourselves from other investment bankers. I remember when we did not have the consumer insights, detailed statistics, global data and forecasts that we often take for granted today.
Please remember to reward those who provide these services. Thank those who advertise in Furniture/Today for keeping our industry informed. Call your association today. If you don't have the number, contact me. I am proud to work with all of them.
Without these sources, we would only have government statistics. Of course, you believe everything your government says, don't you?
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