The Board of Directors of Safety Equipment Manufacturers'' Agents Association (SEMAA) and North American Industrial Representatives Association (NIRA) have voted to agree, in principle, to a merger of the two associations, effective Jan. 1, 2001.
NIRA and SEMAA were both started in 1986 with the primary goals of elevating the skills and reputations of multiple-line representatives in their respective industries while educating manufacturers to the advantages of out-sourcing their field sales functions.
SEMAA has concentrated its efforts exclusively in the industrial safety products market while NIRA members serve a much broader industrial base.
With this merger, it is the intention of both associations to offer more value to their membership as well as to provide increased vertical attention to selected industry sectors.
Bob Cutler, CPMR, president of NIRA and Craig Lindsay, CPMR, president of SEMAA, herald the proposed merger as being in the best, long-term interests of both organizations.
"For NIRA, this is the first step in our desire to be the industrial association umbrella for several vertical segments of industrial products and markets," said Cutler.
"It has been in our vision plan for several years," Lindsay echoed. "This new affiliation will allow SEMAA to stay the course on its dedication to industrial safety while taking advantage of all of the NIRA member benefits and services. And, we''ll be able to do all that without the added responsibilities of association governance and the financial drain of redundant expenses. This is the ultimate Win-Win situation."
NIRA''s current membership is 207 representative companies and 66 manufacturer members. SEMAA membership includes 53 representative companies, 27 manufacturers, 2 distributors and 5 publishers.
by Virginia Sutcliffe
