Trade Associations:Why Belong?

I think that it is fair to assume that almost everyone present today is a member of a trade association. However, perhaps all of you are not aware of how many trade associations some of those present belong to. Almost everybody here belongs to the International Society of Arboriculture, many of you belong to, ISA chapters as well. Being an International gathering of commercial arborists, one would expect to find many members of the National Arborist Association present and they are. Many people here belong to many other “Green Industry” trade associations such as local and state arborists associations, the American Society of Consulting Arborists, American Association of Nurserymen, Associated Landscape Contractors of America and the International Pesticide Applicators, just to name a few.

Periodically, you might ask yourself why you belong to one or another of these groups. Do you know what the value received is for dues paid and/or time devoted? Why do you belong?

Since I am an Executive Secretary of a National Trade Association you might think that my comments are prejudiced. You are right. They are, but I am a member of the International Society of Arboriculture, a former member and Past President of the National Arborist Association, the New York State and Long Island Arborist Association, a member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists, American Society of Association Executives and several others. Nobody pays the dues to these associations for me. I pay them myself. If I weren’t a firm believer in the value of a National Trade Association I obviously would never have left my ivory tower in the tree care industry to assume this responsibility, I wouldn’t belong to the other associations that I mentioned if I didn’t feel that I received an appropriate value from each.

Let’s look at some of the values and the services that trade associations provide us.

The most important item is information: technological developments, government regulations, business practices and industry statistics are summarized for you and presented to you in newsletters or other periodic publications. Your trade association is a clearing house for information. If you need information on a particular subject, problem, or just want to discuss something you are thinking about, call your trade association. If the staff cannot answer your questions immediately, they will find the answers for you.

With EPA, OSHA, IRS and other Federal and State regulatory bodies issuing edicts all of the time, it would be impossible for you alone to be current on all of the regulations that are being imposed on our highly regulated industry.

Have any of you ever attempted to read the Federal Register every day looking for regulations that have some bearing on the tree care industry? You not only don’t have the time, you shouldn’t be required to. That is a function of your trade association, be it the Federal Register on a National level or a State publication on the State level. Your trade association does this for you.

Your trade association can handle government relations for you. We comment on proposed regulations, are consulted about pending regulations by various government agencies, obtain answers to specific questions from government agencies and provide access to government when needed. Just to give you several examples of what your trade associations can do in these areas, the National Arborist Association, the International Shade Tree Conference and the American Pulpwood Association all sent witnesses to testify at the Asplundh/OSHA hearing in Dallas. We also comment on proposed regulations as they are published in the Federal Register and very often our opinions are solicited when regulations are being formulated.

How about public relations? Your industry image? Your trade association is the means by which you are affiliated with your industry. Anything that the Association does benefits you, individually, if you identify with it. Your image is enhanced by your trade association. You have all heard about the joint NAA/ISA Bicentennial Program. The amount of publicity that this program will generate for both associations and their memberships could not be bought for any amount of money.

Let’s look at standards of quality and procedure. Your trade association provides you with a common ground on which mutually acceptable standards of work can be established. A code of ethics to which all members subscribe is part of membership in many trade associations. This code is designed to maintain a high level of professional practice.

Trade associations provide numerous member services such as logos for stationary and business cards and decals which identify you as a member. Some of our associations provide advertising material, periodic industry statistics, and a myriad of other services.

We provide our Home Study Program for arborists which is available to members and non-members as well. At present we have some 600 students actively involved and we have already graduated over 600. The Western Chapter of ISA has recently developed a very fine educational program with excellent text book material. This new program lends itself to a tailgate or classroom situation.

Probably the single most important function that a trade association performs is to provide for periodic or annual meetings. A meeting such as one this one is an example of all that a meeting can be. You can attend the sessions and hear speakers in various fields of expertise in our industry. Then you can talk to them, exchange ideas, ask questions. You also have the opportunity to do the same with your peers from all over the world. As I am sure you all realized, it is much easier to exchange ideas with a tree man who is a stranger to your operation than it is with someone you compete with.

The National Arborist Association holds its meetings in a somewhat different fashion. All of our educational sessions are scheduled for the morning. The afternoons are left free purposely, at the request of the members, to enable them to talk to one another freely and conveniently about problems of mutual interest.

With a Trade Show you have the opportunity to talk directly to suppliers whose wares you have read about in trade publications. You have the opportunity to witness demonstrations of new equipment.

Looking at everything I have just presented from another angle, consider these points:

1. You have access to a tremendous storehouse of information.

2. You are part of a voluntary and cooperative organization which represents your industry.

3. You are represented before legislative or regulatory agencies.

4. You will advance your own industry.

5. You can improve your business by taking advantage of the information furnished to you.

6. You will profit through participation.

There are still other considerations. All expenses involved in attending a meeting are tax deductible. As many in this room can attest, you will develop life long friendships that you can’t duplicate anywhere. Most important our collective efforts will help raise the image of the tree care industry to a level that will permit us to change the prices that we deserve to provide the services that we do.

It is true, there are people who join trade associations for prestige and detract from the image of the profession rather than improve it. It is also true that there is duplication of effort on the part of trade associations and it is also true that the cost of belonging is expensive. However, you get what you pay for. When I was active in the tree care industry as a practicing arborist I always had the philosophy that if I wasn’t able to gleem information from any of the trade associations that I belonged to that wasn’t worth at least twice what my cost of membership was, then I was not taking full advantage of my membership. Trade associations are a business tool to be taken advantage of, capitalized on, not considered an expense that you must incur. Your trade association is an investment which can pay you dividends if you let it.

• © 1975, International Society of Arboriculture. All rights reserved.