Fairfax, VA: Rob Sincavich, president of Team Sledd, Wheeling, WV, and the 2015 chairman of the American Wholesale Marketers Association (AWMA), announced last week at the 2015 AWMA Marketplace & Solutions Expo in Las Vegas, that the AWMA Board of Directors, at its February 24 meeting, approved changing the name to the Convenience Distribution Association (CDA).
Sincavich said the new name more effectively describes what the organization is all about. "It is who we are. It is what we do," he explained. "We distribute convenience products in varying retail formats and store sizes. We distribute convenience products institutionally. When we talk to our government representatives, they will know who we are and what we do. It makes sense."
The Board also endorsed a wide ranging program of enhancements to the association that include:
- Increased emphasis on government affairs, including the launch of a sophisticated on-line State Advocacy Center.
- Beefed up industry affairs and member engagement efforts, supported by the hiring of two industry veterans: Steve Shing, formerly with GSC Enterprises, Inc., as Vice President of Member Engagement; and David Dresser, formerly of Core-Mark International, Inc., as Vice President of Program Development.
- Increased collaboration with a wide range of other industry associations in an effort to improve the efficacy of programs and encourage supply chain collaboration and efficiency.
- The establishment of a series of "communities" designed to allow collaboration and learning, both at person-to-person gatherings, and in a new custom-built on-line portal.
- Establishment of a Manufacturer Advisory Council designed to get greater input from manufacturer partners.
- New emphasis on digital content delivery to members, allowing the association to provide more information to members, and to make that content more readily available.
The name change will be phased in over the next few months, according to association President & CEO Scott Ramminger. "While the AWMA name has served us well, it has presented some challenges. Every time we go to Capitol Hill we have to explain who it is we represent. Convenience Distribution Association is pretty clear. While we were making other changes, it was a great time to get the name right." Ramminger said.
The Convenience Distribution Association (CDA) is the only international trade organization working on behalf of convenience distributors in the United States. Its distributor members represent more than $85 billion in U.S. convenience product sales. Associate members include manufacturers, service providers, technology companies, brokers, retailers and others allied to the convenience retailing industry.
In addition to convenience stores, their largest customer segment, convenience distributors also service grocery stores, drug stores, tobacco shops, mass merchants, newsstands, concession stands, gift shops, fundraising groups, restaurants, institutions and much more.
