There were several international manufacturing equipment associations on hand at the AG CONNECT Expo including the North American Equipment Dealers Association (NAEDA), one of the show sponsors. I sat down with Michael Williams, the Vice President of Government Relations, to learn more about what his association does. This 110 year-old association has more than 5,000 members in the U.S. as well as several affiliates in Canada. Since its inception, they have been providing its members manufacturing relations and government relations as well as member relations services including freight programs, telephone programs and credit card programs.
During the show, NAEDA was approached by some of the international manufacturers to set up some dealer networks in the U.S. Williams said that there are two secenaries these manufacturers have. One is they have a patent pending and two an existing company wants a presence in the States. In order for NAEDA to help them, Williams said the patent must be approved first and then he needs to know if they are wanting to sell through a distributor or dealers. “We’re giving them suggestions about dealer agreements and tools that dealers need to take a new product international.”
In addition to these services, NAEDA also has a foundation that is almost as old as the association. The foundation is to aid members who have experienced a hardship like a hurricane or flood. They were very involved in Iowa last year during the flooding. “The best part of the foundation is that we’re very quick to react,”said Williams. A dealer in need can have a check in 48-60 hours.
To learn more about NAEDA visit their website.
Listen to my interview with Michael here.