Newton, Mass.—July 1 marked the official launch of the Industrial Supply Assn., formed in May by the merger of the Industrial Distribution Assn. and the Industrial Supply Manufacturers Assn.

I.D.A. and ISMA approved a proposal to explore the merger last November and voted in favor of the proposal this spring. The announcement was made at ISCON, the groups' spring convention, held at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, Fla.

ISMA president Ray Reynertson and I.D.A. president Jim Beckstein said the vote to consolidate passed overwhelmingly, and that the forming of ISA is a milestone in the history of the industrial supply business.

"The playing field has changed," Beckstein said. "If we continue as we always have, our journey would be short. The industry has a need for a leader and visionary. That leader is ISA."

Reynertson added that, "We are now a united force, a single organization that combines the best of manufacturing and distributing talents. We are now better positioned to improve the performance of the MROP channel, and be the thought leader in the industry, and more effectively compete and win in the global marketplace."

Approximately 1,500 people attended ISCON, held May 23–25. The merger announcement was made during the convention's Opening Session, and included an explanation of the group's management structure, introduction of the board of directors, and a question and answer session regarding the changes.

A 12-member board of directors and four officers will govern ISA, with manufacturers and distributors being represented equally. An executive vice president will run the day-to-day operations of the association.

ISA board members will have staggered three-year terms, and committees and task forces will be aligned directly with the core program areas, as determined by the board of directors. All active former presidents of I.D.A. and ISMA will make up the president's council, with the immediate former president of ISA becoming the chairman of the president's council.

ISA officers for 2004–2005 are: Tom Berger, Fuchs Machinery, Inc., president; Timothy T. Tevens, Columbus-McKinnon Corp., vice president; Steve Short, Updike Supply Co., treasurer; and William G. Matthews, 3M Industrial Business, secretary.

The board of directors includes: James Albrecht, Dayton Progress Corp.; Timothy M. Barry, American Saw & Mfg. Co.; Alan G. Gilbert, Quality Mill Supply Co., Inc.; Thomas Haag, SGS Tool Co.; Philip C. Hanson, The C.H. Hanson Co.; Jeff O'Sullivan, Muenz/Engineered Sales Co.; Roger K. Taylor, North American Tool Corp.; David R. Thompson, Kennedy Manufacturing Co.; Hank Turner, Jr., Empire Machinery & Supply Corp.; Ed G. Van Dyke, Lewis Supply Co., Inc.; Chip Wernig, Lane Supply Co.; and Bill Ziegler, Jr., Ziegler Tools, Inc.

The officers and board members were recognized during the Opening Session, as was John Buckley, ISA's new executive vice president.

Buckley has experience in both the association management and the distribution industries. He was president of both the National Paper Trade Assn. and the Paper and Plastics Educational Research Foundation. He also served on the board of directors of the National Assn. of Wholesaler-Distributors from 1991 to 1996.

Buckley will establish a headquarters for ISA on Long Island, N.Y.

To ease Buckley's transition to the executive vice president role, ISA has established two-year contracts with former I.D.A. and ISMA personnel to oversee management of its two yearly conventions. ISMA's management company, Thomas Associates, will handle the spring ISCON show, along with some of the industry data the association has been compiling for many years. I.D.A.'s former director of meetings and conventions, Mary Ritchie, will oversee the Fall Business Expo, held each November in Chicago. ISA president Tom Berger said the arrangement allows Buckley to concentrate on member recruitment and retention.

The Q&A session was brief, with just a handful of attendees asking questions about membership status, the convention schedule, educational programming and the ISA committee structure.

Reynertson and Beckstein explained that all memberships will be directly transferred to the new association and that foreign companies are eligible for membership in ISA. They said the two-convention format will continue through 2006, and that the ISA board will determine what will happen in 2007 and beyond. They added that ISA will continue to run the majority of the I.D.A. and ISMA industry education programs, and that the ISA committees will follow the board and officers structure, with manufacturers and distributors being represented equally.

"Working together to build a new ISA will be a journey. So we are here not to dwell on the history of our two groups, but to begin to discuss the plans for the journey we are embarking on," Reynertson said. "We are also here to celebrate change. Because change brings with it new opportunities for growth and success."

Though the merger announcement took center stage, other convention highlights included the announcement of several award winners, a workshop on integrated supply, and the annual manufacturer and distributor conference booth programs.

Ten companies received American Eagle Awards, which honor manufacturers and distributors for their commitment to the free enterprise system. Overall winners were Weiler Corp. of Cresco, Pa., and Acklands-Grainger of Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Whitney Tool Co. of Bedford, Ind.; Devcon of Danvers, Mass.; and Barnes Distribution of Cleveland won for Community/Corporate Development. Precision Brand Products, Inc. of Downers Grove, Ill.; LPS Laboratories, Tucker, Ga.; N.H. Bragg & Sons of Bangor, Me.; and MSC Industrial Direct of Melville, N.Y., were honored for Local Community Involvement.

Channellock, Inc. of Meadville, Pa., was recognized for its efforts in Employee Enrichment and Involvement.

Manufacturer Kennametal, Inc. and distributor Arnold's Factory Supplies, Inc. won ISMA's 2004 Value-Added Partner of the Year awards.

Also during the convention, the I.D.A. Educational Foundation presented the first Gary L. Buffington Scholarship Award to Adam Yost, who will begin his senior year at the University of Alabama at Birmingham this fall. Yost is an industrial distribution major at UAB and is ranked No. 1 in his class, with a 3.62 GPA in major coursework and an overall 3.59 GPA on a 4.0 scale.

The scholarship honors the late Gary Buffington, who had a long career in industrial distribution, serving as executive vice president of I.D.A. from 1988 until his death last summer.

Frank Lynn of Frank Lynn & Associates led a well-attended panel discussion on "How to do Business with Integrators." Panelists included Don Baird of Bruckner Supply Co.; Chris Circo of Precision Industries; Dick Decker of IDG; Tom Eisenman of Setech, Inc.; and Don Woodring of Strategic Distribution, Inc. Some of the issues covered included how to approach an integrated supply account, and what integrators want when working with a distributor.

As always, the convention's main events were the manufacturer and distributor conference booth programs, held the last two days of the convention.

The show ended with the Closing Session featuring a keynote speech by Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist George Will, who talked about the state of American politics and its impact on business, society and international relations.

ISA will meet next in Chicago for the annual Fall Business Expo, Nov. 20–22.