l NEWSLETTER HOME l WMIA WEB SITE l WMIA AWARDS PROGRAM l

WMIA Leaders Meet in Planning Session

Key Objectives Identified for 2004-06

WMIA leaders met earlier this summer for a strategic planning session to set a course for the association's future activities. Using input from a recent membership survey combined with the group's WMIA leadership experience, the meeting generated several key objectives for the next three years.

Communicate a compelling message on profitable strategies for U.S. manufacturing. 

It's no secret that a significant amount of wood products manufacturing has gone overseas. This impacts the sales of WMIA member equipment. Thus it is of critical importance to try to keep that manufacturing in the United States.

"WMIA's Marketing Committee has been assigned the task of determining how to effectively communicate the benefits of maintaining and increasing the manufacturing of wood products in the United States," says WMIA Executive Director Bill Miller, CAE. "If we can achieve this objective, it will make for a healthier industry."

Identify areas of common interest where collaboration with other organizations has potential.

The success of the Woodworking Industry Conference has led WMIA leaders to explore other opportunities where collaboration with groups such as WMMA, AWFS and other industry organizations might be mutually beneficial.

Actively pursue and advance an industry-wide portal that adds value to WMIA membership.

"We have been meeting with other woodworking organizations to determine how someone might go to one online resource to find out anything they want to know about woodworking and woodworking machinery," says Miller. "This is certainly an area where the collaboration in objective number two comes into play.

Increase distributor members from 59 in 2003 to 70 in 2006.

WMIA leaders identified the distributor membership category as one where membership growth is most likely to occur. The Membership Committee will develop a plan to solicit new members in this category.

Strengthen the content and value of the WMIA web site.

WMIA's web site makes the association's resources available to the industry 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is an ongoing priority for the WMIA's Web Commerce Committee to find ways to enhance the site's value to WMIA members.

"Strategic planning is a ongoing process that includes not just association leaders, but all association members," says Miller. "We encourage both feedback and active participation from our members and would like to hear from them at WMIA headquarters if they would like to be a part of implementing this plan."