Letter From The IEDA President

There are any number of challenges and uphill battles that we face as business owners every single day. It might range from administration and insurance issues to software and technology decisions. It might be issues with regard to terminating an employee or the ins and outs of running a rental business. Whatever the challenge may be, one thing is certain. Inevitably, a fellow member of the IEDA has faced a similar challenge and might be willing to share their experience in an effort to assist us all in running a smarter, more profitable business. If we begin to think bigger and wrap our arms around the incredible amount of value this network of ours holds, we can individually become stronger and more profitable as a result.

One of the biggest challenges the IEDA has right now is how to harness the value of each of the reputable companies we have on board as members. The Board of Directors recognizes how important it is to offer as many opportunities as we can to help our members network with one another and to take advantage of the many benefits our Associate Members offer to the group. We can do this with the events that we hold throughout the calendar year, and we can also do this very efficiently from a technology standpoint.

The Board is currently evaluating the effectiveness and usefulness of the IEDA website to see if there are other options that we have not yet explored. Is the IEDA ready for a stand-alone website that houses an inventory of member equipment? Could we potentially down the line host web sites for our members? Could the IEDA somehow assist our members in more efficiently managing the time they spend maintaining inventories on multiple advertising sites? Can we develop a universal tool for independent dealers to use when they need a recommendation about what accounting software to use, for example, by creating a “forum” that is used as a valuable reference tool?

Our ability as an organization to evolve and grow will empower each of us. The advancements made will provide us with choices and opportunities. We can elect to use the time savings we experience to devote more hours to private or personal endeavors or to expand our businesses. We can redirect ourselves to the passions of our lives, which may be service oriented for some and relaxation to recharge for others. The advancements can and will afford us these opportunities and I look forward to the improvement of the quality of our lives with excitement and optimism.

Respectfully,

Chris Lohman, South Mountain Tractor Co.

President, IEDA