As 2018 comes to a close, the NAED Education & Research Foundation is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The Foundation’s goal is to provide relevant content and education products to all members of NAED. That includes a variety of educational products.
“We view it as extremely important for the educational content,” Dan Dungan, Executive Chairman of Springfield Electric Supply Company said about the NAED Foundation. “We are a power user of it...and have been for many years, and that’s because NAED creates the education programs in a first-class way.”
As a former Chair for NAED, and someone who works closely with the association on many projects, Dungan is also talking with other trade associations about their education programs. He says the comparison is not even close. “We are in a unique wholesale chain in what we sell. NAED is one of the few associations with these education resources. To help you understand the value, there are (other associations) that don’t have these resources, and they don’t realize what they are missing,” Dungan says.
To highlight what the Foundation does to help members become successful, Dungan shares the story of a new employee who joined Springfield Electric Supply Company about five years ago. Without a college degree, Dungan says he had no idea what electrical distribution was, and maybe even more importantly, the new employee had no path toward success in any industry.
However, the new employee decided he wanted to find his way. “He came in and drove a truck for a couple of years and wanted to improve,” Dungan reports. “He talked to HR and they put him in a development program. He took as many modules as possible and turned into an EPEC Gold graduate.” Today, that employee is part of Springfield’s outside sales staff and is continuing his leadership development.
As the NAED Foundation begins celebrating 50 years of success stories like that, it is also that time of the year when the Foundation is asking for your contribution. Before you close out your year, there is an opportunity to contribute to future success stories like the one Dungan was fortunate to witness. Please consider making a pledge to the Future Fund or contact Michelle McNamara, NAED Chief Operating Officer/NAED Foundation Executive Director.
“Since the founding (of the Fund), we have been a contributor,” Dungan says. “I have seen it grow. The resources the Foundation has accumulated are for the sole benefit of the channel. Through the stewardship of the Foundation, we have first-class tools to help our membership thrive.”