Member Services
Core Value of ISD Membership
Meetings & Networking
CEO Forum
"I can't believe I hadn't joined the CEO Forum sooner", "I view my group as my own expert Board of Directors", and "Effective, enjoyable, and productive!" are some of the comments we received when we asked participating members about the CEO Forum program. This program is a presidents' club comprised of groups of six to ten non-competing ISD Distributor CEO's who set their own schedules throughout the year to meet and talk confidentially and openly about issues affecting their business operations. The CEO Forum is a unique and extremely valuable opportunity for all ISD distributor members.
Emerging Leaders Initiative (ELI)
ISD/s Emerging Leaders Initiative is an exciting new program designed to help up-and-coming fluid sealing industry professionals learn from experts in their field, broaden their current knowledge base, establish a professional community of peers, and collectively develop ideas and methods to create industry transformation and innovation.
ISD Annual Summit
Provides members with the opportunity to meet annually with current or potential suppliers or distributors in a relaxed, professional, and social environment. It is also a perfect forum for networking opportunities that include the Associates' Showcase reception where manufacturers are able to display their wares as they meet personally with ISD's distributor members. Members will also participate in educational sessions with the industry's most applauded speakers. Additional activities available for both delegates and spouses to enjoy include annual golf, tours, luncheons, and more. It's a highly anticipated event that provides the right mix of business and pleasure for leaders in the industry.
Communications
INBrief
A monthly e-bulletin informing members and prospective members of association news, programs, and educational events. The ISD INBrief also includes a Member-To-Member section, where members have the opportunity to advertise company news regarding personnel updates, business expansion opportunities, & new product announcements.
ISD Website - www.isd.org
Our members benefit from ever-evolving and expanding on-line services available through the ISD association website. Members are able to search for products from other members, register for the latest ISD e-Seminar or Summit, sign-up for UID, search for educational opportunities, or communicate with other industry leaders to share ideas, ask questions or explore new business concepts. It's round the clock service we know you depend on. You can even apply for or renew membership on-line.
Education
Education & Resource Center
ISD knows how hard it is to find the right information and resources for your specific business needs. That's why ISD's Education & Resource Center is devoted to providing members with up-to-date, relevant educational materials, training resources, management information, & other services covering topics of interest to ISD members.
Products are updated and added after each educational event such as an e-Seminar or the Summit, keeping members ahead of the game. Education & Resource Center resources are chosen to help you provide training for your employees that will have a positive effect on your company's bottom line and give your company that "competitive edge" in a constantly changing marketplace.
University of Innovative Distribution
As a founding association sponsor of the University of Industrial Distribution (UID), ISD is proud to offer what has become the most cost-effective and efficient program for providing top-notch education and training for your personnel. Over 5,000 industry professionals world-wide have benefitted by attending UID since 1994. Developed in conjunction with Purdue University, the UID program offers four days of classes taught by leading industry experts and covers a wide variety of industrial distribution topics, such as sales and market planning for the industrial distributor and the logistics of industrial distribution. Registration fees are very affordable, and low cost housing opportunities help to maximize your training budget. Both distributors and manufacturers can benefit from this excellent educational program.
Management Tools
NEW Benchmarking Program Offered Monthly to Members
We are excited to announce a new Streamlined Monthly Benchmarking Program. This important new member benefit is designed to be completed in fewer than 10 minutes each month and provides participants with valuable market and company-specific insights.
Specifically, each month, participants will receive:
- General Industry Overview Report summarizing monthly trends (sales, orders, inventory, pricing / gross margin, forecasts, end markets...)
- Company Specific Results / Report is available via the dashboard with interactive charting capabilities. The report will include a detailed analysis of your company's results including a business cycle analysis, YTD, and forward-looking projections. Additionally, you will be able to compare your firm's results to a benchmark of other participating companies as well as important industry metrics.
Submit your data from last month now via the link below by using the same email address you use to log in to ISD.
If you have any feedback or questions, please contact Joe Calvello at 440.465.2234 or Calvello@EdgewaterRC.com.
Business Discounts
We pool our buying power to offer business services to the ISD membership that can provide solutions to everyday problems and cut costs. ISD presently offers programs in the major cost centers of insurance, freight management and communications. And ISD is always on the lookout for new programs that will enhance the daily operations of its members.
CEO Forum
As noted above, this program is a presidents' club comprised of groups of six to ten non-competing ISD Distributor CEO's who set their own schedules throughout the year to meet and talk confidentially and openly about issues affecting their business operations. The CEO Forum is a unique and extremely valuable opportunity for all ISD distributor members.
ISD Financial Benchmarking Report
The best source of financial benchmarks for the industry is the ISD Financial Benchmarking Report. The information in this report provides answers to questions such as “Are the most successful firms in a down market placing more emphasis on gross margin management or expense control?”
In short, this report presents a wealth of financial and operating guidelines. In addition, it provides direct comparisons between your firm and other participating firms. This valuable information is only available for free to distributor firms that participate in the study. Participants receive:
- The ISD Industry Report provides a summarized analysis of trends and insights garnered from the data of all participating FPDA distributors.
- Each participant will also receive a confidential Customized Benchmarking Report which compares their company’s metrics to distributors of similar, size, customer/product focus, and regional profile.
If you have any questions and/or are interested in participating, please email Courtney Truelove at CTruelove@ISD.org.
The PROFIT Report
A financial and operating profile of the entire industry.
Profit Improvement Profile
A confidential report sent directly to you comparing your firm with similar participating firms. Many firms take this report to the bank to discuss loans and lines of credit.
