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Share The Power Of MHEDA

“With great power comes great responsibility.” So said Uncle Ben to his nephew Peter Parker in the movie Spider-Man. In this issue, you will read about MHEDA members who are powerful communicators, negotiators, planners and employers—responsibilities they do not take lightly.

MHEDA is excited to bring you a new feature in this issue of The MHEDA Journal. Beginning with “The Greening Of The Industry”, be sure to read about the innovative ways members are addressing environmental concerns. There are a number of other common themes throughout these pages. In the story "Power Up Your Employees", it is stated that a company's most important resource is its workforce. No one will dispute the need to retain, cultivate and grow this most valuable asset. MHEDA Members are motivating their employees in various creative ways, resulting in a winning proposition for the employee, the employer and the customer. A number of members interviewed for this article cite the importance of a competitive compensation and benefits package but also point out that support, such as mentoring and training, must come along with it.

Be sure to read this issue's Member Profiles highlighting "Power" companies that exemplify the true entrepreneurial spirit so evident among MHEDA members. While each company has unique characteristics, all have found their niche and recipe for success through careful planning and execution.

MHEDA Members are also powerful relationship-builders. The Distributor-Manufacturer relationship continues to flourish in this industry. While not every "marriage" is without conflict, the power couples spotlighted in Distributors And Manufacturers Join Forces For Sales Success demonstrate that complementing each other leads to a satisfied customer experience.

MHEDA treats the supplier relationship with care as well, relying on the MBOA (Manufacturers Board of Advisors) for support and guidance as programs are being planned and future services explored. Once a year, the MBOA provides MHEDA's Executive Committee (EC) with a market conditions report, the contents of which are used for an environmental analysis. Read more in “Manufacturers To Distributors: We Feel Your Pain” to find out what other people are saying about distributor and manufacturer trends and challenges.

Association Planning
Your association is nearing the end of this year's planning process. The Education, Membership, Networking and Industry Advocacy Committees are finalizing plans for 2008 designed to bring members more educational, informational and networking opportunities. Membership initiatives include trying to drill deeper into member companies in an effort to engage more of your employees in MHEDA activities. Be sure to display your "MHEDA is for Everyone" poster in a prominent company location!

The Education Committee is exploring new online and on-demand programs for you to access training when and where you want it. The Networking Committee continues its focus on growing the MHEDA-NET program to provide members with a powerful networking and benchmarking tool. And the Industry Advocacy Committee is continuing its campaign to communicate the value proposition that a MHEDA distributor brings to the marketplace. Remember to use the MHEDA logo as a strategic advantage. Display it proudly on all your marketing materials!

Power planning, power communicating, power relationship-building. It's a powerful industry out there. We are pleased to be at your service!