Do you have a state or local trade association that covers your territory? If not, you should. This week, leading state and local association executives gathered at Service Nation to network and exchange information. After their meeting, a few of the association executives shared the ways contractors benefit from membership.
1. Associate With Like-Minded Contractors
Frankly, it’s lonely running a contracting business. You’re the boss. Everyone in the company looks to you. Who do you look to?
According to Lisa Tamargo of the Florida Air Conditioning Contractors Professional Alliance, “An association provides a fantastic networking base for other like-minded contractors who want to grow their business and to have excellent resources.”
“We also believe that networking is more than just holding a glass and talking with someone,” added Jackie Adamson of the South Carolina Association of Licensed Trades, noting, “that the real value of networking is seeing other contractors and interacting with contractors face-to-face.”
State and local trade associations exist to serve their members, remain close to their members’ needs, and help fulfill those needs.
Motivational speaker, Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.”
Your state and local trade association is the first opportunity you have to meet and learn from other professionals in your trade. Many contractors are surprised to discover that the most successful contractors are also those most likely to share information. They will freely share their knowledge and experience because they recognize the opportunity to benefit from others’ experience and ideas.
Carol Longacre, the Director of Affiliate Relations at Service Nation organized the meeting. She recalled how the networking benefited her as a young contractor’s wife. She said as a result of her involvement with the trade association she could, “call many contractors in any state and ask a question or ask for direction or get support.”
2. Resources, Resources, Resources
State and local trade associations exist to serve their members, remain close to their members’ needs, and help fulfill those needs. As a result, they collect and vet resources their members need and can benefit from.
Tucker Yarbrough of the Conditioned Air Association of Georgia said, “We provide resources for any type of vendor and supplier resource a contractor could need, whether it be accounting help, human resources assistance, or traditional equipment vendors.”
Tamargo noted, “We are the go-to resource in Florida for HVAC contractors to provide them professional education and business resources.”
Devorah Jakubowsky of the Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Association noted that her association (and other state and local associations at the meeting) affiliated with Service Nation to add to the resources they offer. She said, “We’re proud to partner with Service Nation to provide a rebate program, additional training, marketing templates, business templates, and others things that our contractors can use in their businesses that are helpful to them.”
3. Training
Every state and local association has a focus on training, whether is it technical training of business training. Jakubowsky noted, “We provide continuing education that’s approved by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, so they get their continuing education.”
Adamson added, “Our organization provides technical training and business training as well. We help contractors know how to turn a wrench, but also how to prepare a business plan and understand what a P&L looks like.”
Every contractor wants trade specific technical and business training. The first place to start is the state and local association.
4. Identify Early Trends
The one constant in the stodgy old HVAC industry lately has been that few things are constant. What is constant is change, whether it is related to refrigerants, efficiency levels, or private equity consolidation. Contractors can get a jump on emerging trends through their state and local associations.
Jakubowsky said, “We provide a lot of communication, including news, upcoming trends, new technologies, emerging technologies. We try to get all of that information curated and delivered into the contractor’s hands in a way that is very digestible.”
“We also have annual conferences and trade shows so that the vendors can show their latest and newest equipment,” added Adamson.
5. Legislative and Regulatory Advocacy
One of the most important functions of a trade association is legislative advocacy. Who else will represent the interests of the contracting community with state and local government?
Yarbrough explained, “We’re a leading advocate on every issue facing the industry. We advocate whether it be legislatively, dealing with regulatory issues, permitting, licensing, or anything with the cities, counties, and states.”
“We do a lot of advocacy,” said Jakubowsky. “We provide advocacy for all contractors in the state whether they’re members or not. We hope that everyone sees the value in that and becomes a member. All of the efforts that we make are on behalf of all contractors. We speak in the legislature. We have a lobbyist that works on legislative efforts. We work with regulatory agencies. We have a very good relationship with our state licensing agency. We also talk to code officials.”
Contractors are not always aware of how associations represent the trade before government and how it can affect their businesses. “Once I got with the association,” added Longacre, “I learned about the legislative efforts and how this affects prices.”
6. Policing the Trade
Few things irritate contractors more than unlicensed competition. Yet, focusing on unlicensed contractors takes a business owner’s eye off the ball or growing his own business. This is another role for a state and local association. Policing the trade is a natural for associations.
“We try to collaborate with different city agencies on identifying unlicensed practice and cracking down on that,” said Jakubowsky. This was echoed by every association executive present.
7. United Contractors are Stronger
You have probably seen the motivational posters proclaiming that TEAM means Together Everyone Achieves More. It is a fundamental truth. When contractors unite together, they achieve more. When they share business practices, everyone improves. When they unite to defend the industry against harmful regulations, they achieve more than acting independently. The state and local association is the vehicle for uniting a group of contractors.
Yarbrough noted, “It’s the old adage, a rising tide lifts all boats.”
“Together, we are stronger,” commented Longacre.
8. Increase Profitability
The bottom line is the bottom line for association membership. Every association executive stressed a focus on helping their members become more profitable. Tamargo said, “We help contractors become more profitable and save time.”
How? She said associations, “find excellent resources to make contractors’ businesses more profitable to make their business work for them.”
Yarbrough added that associations simply, “make it easier for contractors to do their job.”
Membership is Non-Exclusive
Association membership is open to every professional in the trade. Even if a contractor is not a member of a state or local association, there is likely more than one association representing his or her interest. Joining is good for the business, good for the individual, and good for the trade.
“You don’t have to belong to just one trade association,” said Tamargo, adding that, “It’s never a bad investment to invest in yourself.”
For more information on state and local contractor associations in your area, visit www.serviceroundtable.com/Affiliates/.