Voting members of the Industrial Distribution Assn. and the Industrial Supply Manufacturers Assn. approved a consolidation of the two organizations into the Industrial Supply Assn.

Effective July 1, 2004, the two associations consolidated into one organization, following the mission statement to: Improve the performance of the Maintenance, Repair, Operating and Production supply chain through effective, efficient interaction of MROP channel members.

Current members of I.D.A. and ISMA will continue to enjoy their association's core benefits, and their membership will be transferred into ISA. The new association's officers include Tom Berger of Fuchs Machinery, Inc. as president; Timothy T. Tevens of Columbus McKinnon Corp. as vice president; Steve Short of Updike Supply Co. as treasurer and director; and William G. Matthews of 3M Industrial Business as secretary.

For more information, visit www.joinup.org/isa.

The Fluid Power Distributors Assn. is developing a fluid power industry online career center for employers and job seekers. The JobFit program, developed by Profiles International, Inc. for the fluid power industry, offers career resources for individuals seeking employment, as well as a job-match service for employers seeking new hires with specific job skills.

FPDA is working with related industry groups, including the Fluid Power Society and the Fluid Power Educational Foundation, to populate the JobFit web site with job candidates. Job candidates interested in registering for this free service may contact FPDA for more information.

For more information, visit www.fpda.org.

The National Assn. of Wholesaler-Distributors has joined the Power Transmission Distributors Assn. Educational & Scholastic Foundation's efforts to launch an industrial distribution curriculum for community colleges. The goal of the program is to develop local pools of qualified potential employees and create affordable resources for employee development.

Said Ron Schreibman, NAW senior vice president–strategic direction, "Workforce issues are critical for wholesaler-distributors, regardless of line of trade or size. NAW is delighted to add its name to the roster of associations involved in addressing this issue for our members and the industry as a whole."

For more information, visit www.naw.org.

The Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Assn. has announced the topics and presenters of the four concurrent workshops for the group's 28th Annual Convention & Trade Show, Nov. 16–18, in San Francisco.

Frank Abagnale will present "The Art of the Steal," explaining how to protect companies from embezzlement, forgery, counterfeit currency, check fraud, identity theft and Internet fraud; Dr. Roger Blackwell will speak about "Brands That Rock," and examine how to create brand identity through rock and roll; Marjorie Brody will show attendees how to "Present Like a Pro;" and Mark Dancer will present "Future Channel Trends & Strategies."

For more information, visit www.stafda.org. kgriffiths@reedbusiness.com