President's Blog

Have you taken NAED’s annual Performance Analysis Report or “PAR” survey yet? If not, I encourage all of our distributor members to participate in this important benchmarking survey. 

The four-page PAR survey gathers industry performance data on gross margin, return on investment, employee productivity, inventory turns, and other operations data. The surveys are used to provide data for NAED’s PAR Highlights and the Personalized PAR, a private, company-specific report that can be purchased by participating distributors.

The Personalized PAR also provides commentary to help interpret data and suggests a practical profit improvement plan. The compiled report provides distributor members with statistics to increase profitability. Company information is completely confidential and is administered by an outside firm, The Profit Planning Group.

Participate in PAR and you will get in-depth information about the industry’s financial benchmarks and a five-year trend analysis of key financial ratios. It’s truly one of the best ways to figure out how your company compares to the rest in the industry.

The deadline for participation is March 31, 2011. The surveys are also available at www.naed.org/PAR. For more information, contact Member Services at 888-791-2512 or memberservices@naed.org.

We are all back from finishing up the 2011 Western Region Conference in Palm Desert, California. I definitely want to give a big thanks to all of the sponsors and our members who attended for making this conference an exceptional event. In case you missed it, I’ll let you in on some of the highlights. 

Overall, attendance at this year’s conference was up 11 percent from last year. This made for a lot of effective networking opportunities, not only because there were more people, but also because there were all-industry and peer networking groups, receptions, and B2B booth sessions.

During the general session, NAED Chair Jack Henderson and Western Region VP Rocky Lawrence provided us with updates on the association and the industry. The keynote speaker was Wes Moore, a youth advocate, Army combat veteran, and author who rose above a troubled childhood to receive the Rhodes Scholarship and even work in the White House. Moore’s engaging presentation focused on how people can make an impact in the world around them, as well as what it takes to be a good leader.

The education sessions covered everything from green energy solutions to theft and fraud in the industry. Our vendor on the Energy Audit Solution, ecoInsight, had a booth set up so that our members could ask questions about the product and get a demonstration of the software. They will also have a booth set up at the South Central Region Conference and at the National Electrical Leadership Summit in May.

If you live in the South Central Region, be sure to register now for that conference, which is taking place February 23-25 in San Antonio. If you attended this year’s Western Region Conference, we would like to hear about your experiences there, so feel free to leave a comment on this blog.

How do we ensure that we continue to have distributors, manufacturers and customers in the future? I think one way we can all go about doing this is by getting people interested in the industry at a young age. Besides business knowledge, technology and science skills are critical to being successful in the electrical distribution industry.

For example, there is a group called FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), which says their organization’s goal is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders while engaging them in mentor-based programs. FIRST hosts regional events across North America for youth in grades K-12 and many of those are happening in March. Find out how you can volunteer for one of these events in your area.

Those of us who are attending the NAED Western Region Conference have learned more about making a difference in our communities. The keynote speaker is Wes Moore, a youth advocate, Army combat veteran, and author who rose above a troubled childhood to receive the Rhodes Scholarship and even work in the White House. Moore’s presentation focused on social innovation and corporate citizenship.

Whether it is reaching out to the community to increase awareness about electrical distribution, or educating your workforce; we can all do our part to secure a strong future for the electrical channel. NAED has all of the tools necessary to train your associates to meet the needs of our evolving industry. Please leave us a comment on this blog and tell us about the volunteer activities your company participates in where you live.

I hope that you, your associates and your families had a happy holiday season. The new year is already upon us, while many are left wondering where the rest of 2010 went. For those still recovering from the recession, the start of 2011 may be a very welcome sight. 

2010 was yet another very busy year around NAED. If you missed it in the December issue of tED, you can take a look at our annual progress report to see everything your association is doing for you and the electrical distribution industry. NAED members have a lot to be proud of and excited about. Many of the accomplishments could not have happened without the participation and ideas of NAED members and those who serve on our boards, committees and task forces.

As we dive into 2011, think about what you have to offer the industry. What can you bring to the table to improve electrical distribution and secure its place in the future? There is room for everyone to get involved in NAED. Contact your membership manager today at 888-791-2512 to find out how you can apply your knowledge, ideas or talents to bettering our trade as a whole. I’m certain you will find out that it will also better your business. Happy New Year to all of our NAED members!