Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/508347
4 FEDA News & Views Brad Pierce President Restaurant Equipment World brad.pierce@rewonline.com The President's Message T welve months ago, I humbly took office as your FEDA president and have had the pleasure of work- ing with the Association's leadership on a number of important initiatives. As we moved forward, I'd like to take this opportunity to discuss what we've accomplished so far, and the direction we're headed. FEDA Data Interchange Initiative (FDI)—74 Manufacturers are on Board We've worked extensively with AutoQuotes over the past year to develop an order-status plat- form that will reduce costs, increase pro- ductivity, and elimi- nate the mundane task of manually checking order sta- tus—and the indus- try's response has been overwhelm- ingly enthusiastic. FEDA member orga- nizations now have the ability to view order confirmations, expected ship dates, backordered items, and obtain shipment tracking informa- tion from within AutoQuotes. At last count, there were 74 manufacturers signed on to the project and we expect more to embrace FDI in the coming weeks. Member feedback also has been enor- mously positive, along with a tidal wave of suggestions for enhancements. Future plans for FDI involve more than just order status, it's about developing stan- dards that can be used for additional functionality, such as stock status and electronic purchase orders. You'll see FDI continue to grow and evolve as it progressively transforms data communi- cations within our industry. Interior Design For many years now, FEDA has advo- cated supporting efforts to fight interior design legislation. We've been successful in these efforts thanks to strong member support and an effective lobbying advo- cate who's represented our interests whenever new legislation is proposed. While we play this game of whack-a- mole on a state-by-state basis, we've also stepped back to take a fresh look at this issue and evaluate the viability of vari- ous scenarios to end this fight once and for all. In the mean- time, we ask that you continue to help us fight this battle. The consequences of sit- ting back and doing nothing are far too dangerous for indi- vidual dealerships and for FEDA as an organization. Membership FEDA realizes our industry is changing. There's the impact of consolidation, the entry of VC firms, geographic boundar- ies being eliminated, new and changing business models, continued erosion of margins, a widening gap between large The State of the FEDA Association A look back at the past year... and the future! continued on page 30 FEDA member organizations now have the ability to view order confirmations, expected ship dates, backordered items, and obtain shipment tracking information from within AutoQuotes.