An Association Advocate

Kristin Smith

Summer is fast approaching, which means most of your businesses are headed into the busiest time of year. When your sole focus is on the work at hand, it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, which is the health of the industry as a whole. As you are gearing up for what I hope is a season full of activity, don’t forget organizations are working behind the scenes for your benefit.

Associations like the National Demolition Association (NDA, www.demolitionassociation.org) and the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA, formerly the Construction Materials Recycling Association, www.cdrecycling.org) exist to make your jobs easier, your industries better and your voices heard.

Coming off of my first NDA convention in San Diego in March, I have to say I was impressed with the number of people who are dedicated toward the safety and education of their industry peers across the United States and the world. These folks are passionate about the work they do and, while these companies may be competing for the same business, there is a sense of unity and respect these members have for one another.

You can see that providing tools to members and holding the industry to high standards is of utmost importance to NDA board members and Executive Director Mike Taylor. I had the privilege of attending my first NDA board meeting while in San Diego and was impressed with the level of professionalism and organization I saw. You should be grateful to the board and committee members who devote their time to the betterment of the industry on top of running their own businesses; they’ve made a commitment to you.

By the same token, I’ve seen the same dedication to those CDRA board members and Executive Director Bill Turley. The CDRA has joined with other associations to help ensure your interests are represented in Washington. The association also has shed light on C&D recycling industry issues such as false reporting of recycling rates.

The NDA and CDRA do these jobs so you don’t have to. They work tirelessly on the issues facing your industries so you can focus on your business and on being successful.

If you have a chance to thank your associations, their boards, their committee members, their executive directors or employees, I encourage you to do so. If you want to do more than thank them, perhaps you can support these associations by not only becoming members but also by becoming involved. There are many ways to become involved and share your strengths and expertise with your association for the betterment of the industry.