Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/92325
President's Message continued Indianapolis each year. As a bonus, another $300 is available to the first-approved scholarship for any company that has never attended. One last thing I'd like to tout is the online product educa- tion. There are 34 product-specific education courses available on the FEDA website. It's great learning for staff that is a little less versed in our industry. More information on all of these great educational opportunities and many others are available on the FEDA website, www.feda.com. I suspect that many people are putting less emphasis on train- ing as their profits continue to get squeezed and the Internet continues to grow. People now have as much information at their fingertips than they could have ever imagined, I am told. I, however, take a different view. I think that not having a knowl- edgeable sales staff pushes more volume to the web and, con- versely, a very knowledgeable staff is a differentiator vs. the web. The web is a great place to get started, but we all know that looking at a single piece of equipment with all of its spec- ifications is much different than talking about the kitchen as a whole and how all of the pieces will work together. Any program you choose will pay for itself in better customer service, better margins and a better understanding of your busi- ness and our industry. Imagine for a moment what the possi- 66 FEDA News & Views