Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/799779
4 FEDA News & Views Joe Schmitt President Rapids Wholesale Equipment jaschmitt@rapidswholesale.com The President's Message A s I was preparing for the upcoming FEDA Convention (April 5-9 in San Antonio), I was reminded of the relentless speed of time. Twelve months have passed since the gavel was passed from Brad to me, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to be of service to the indus- try and this wonderful trade association. Time fl ies when you're enjoying what you do, trying something new, charting a new course, or collaborating with industry partners to make a difference in our channel. In spite of the comfort of staying the course, the FEDA Excom, Board of Directors and Staff have been driven to make change happen and we have collectively impacted many facets of our channel for the bet- ter. Thanks to the efforts of my prede- cessors, the industry and the channel in which we coexist are collaborating and communicating at a level that I believe may be unprecedented. In June 2016, the "Five Families of Foodservice" (CFESA, FCSI, MAFSI, NAFEM and FEDA) met in a joint session to identify opportunities to collaborate throughout the channel, acknowledging that we can accomplish more for the industry as a whole than when we look to advance individual agendas. With that spirit in mind, there have been mul- tiple efforts to work on three key ini- tiatives—the improvement of industry education tools; recruiting and market- ing our industry to the next generation of leaders; and the development of a joint conference for our channel. Led by a joint task force, planning for the latter is already underway. The fi rst-ever Foodservice Equipment and Supply Channel Conference is tentatively sched- uled for March 21-25, 2018, at the JW Marriott in Palm Desert, and will include participants from CFESA, NAFEM and FEDA. During the past 12 months, I've worked with several board members from other trade associations, and the relationships that have been built and enhanced with such participation will have a lasting impact on me personally, and I believe in our chan- nel. We all have a place in the channel that is mutually benefi cial to not only our own busi- nesses, but also to the businesses of other channel participants. We all serve the same customer and when you cut through the details, our joint customer really does not care who ultimately designs, builds, delivers, installs, starts up, services and maintains the equipment. They want what we all want—the best solution to service their customers in a creative, innovative, consistent, cost-effective manner. So as I look toward my fi nal 12 months, I would like to challenge the boards of the "Five Families" to develop a means for us to collectively respond to the voice of our customer. It is critical to remember that we all have a responsibil- ity to the end user, and to one another, to ensure we deliver solid solutions. Let's make the most of the time we have by elevating our collective brand and exceeding expectations. Time Flies so Let's Make the Most of It As I look toward my final 12 months, I would like to challenge the boards of the "Five Families" to develop a means for us to collectively respond to the voice of our customer.