I’ve stayed away from making any of my previous articles an ‘advertisement’ for the World Sweeping Association. However, as readers consider how to better position their companies for the new year, I decided to let you know about some of the value WSA brought to the table for its members in 2019.
WSA’s twice-monthly email updates provide its members with a variety of info they wouldn’t otherwise have, as well as with a valuable platform for informing each other. This has allowed members to provide insight and a ‘heads up’ about industry changes they’ve seen in their areas, in order to help other members sidestep those same pitfalls.
In the last half of 2019, WSA contacted Walmart corporate about a wide range of issues impacting its sweeping contractor members. The end result was a better understanding of the business practices employed by Walmart, especially as concerned working through third party vendors.
Because of WSA’s proactivity, last November I was granted a rare interview with Walmart’s Senior Manager for Exterior Services, Dale Brantley. You can find this interview, which as a courtesy we made available to the entire industry, at this shortlink: https://wp.me/p2SsDh-25A
WSA also contacted a variety of third party vendor companies at the request of its members, often to straighten out non-payment issues. Several member companies credit WSA with getting them five-figure sums they were owed. In another instance, an auxiliary engine manufacturer held up a member’s warranty claim for over two months. Fifteen minutes after we contacted the manufacturer’s warranty manager, the member’s claim was allowed.
Unlike many associations, WSA maximizes membership value not just with industry discounts, but also through finding ways to get members the help they need, when they need it. Give it a try: you’ll find that my 30+ years of sweeping industry knowledge allows me to truly understand the needs of today’s contractors as they move into an ever-more complex future.
