Associations Advance America
Members agree ASA one of most beneficial
There's no doubt about it: There are a lot of associations, they are important, and they are big business! And most association members - including those affiliated with Automotive Service Association (ASA) - would agree that being a member of an association can be beneficial.
To give you an idea of why associations are so important, consider the following facts from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE):
There are more than 23,000 national, 15,000 international, and 100,000 state, local and regional associations in the United States representing every industry, profession, cause and interest.
Seven out of 10 adult Americans belong to one association - one out of four belong to four or more associations.
Associations provide 500,000 full-time jobs, employing roughly the same number of people as the steel, computer or airline industries. More people work for nonprofit organizations than for the federal government and all 50 state governments combined (8.6 million vs. 6.8 million).
Americans are forming as many as 1,000 new associations each year.
The Washington, D.C., area is home to more associations than any other city, with the New York City and Chicago areas placing a close tie as the second and third highest concentrations of associations. Associations are the third largest industry in the District of Columbia metropolitan area, behind the government and tourism.
Associations rank as the nation's largest health insurance market with more than $21 billion in health premiums. Annually, $65.7 billion is collected by associations from insurance casualty and property insurance premiums and $61.9 billion in personal lines.
Associations spend $5.6 billion annually on printing and publishing - $3.2 billion for printing alone. Virtually all associations (95 percent) publish a periodical and 26 percent publish books. Most associations no longer purchase all of their printing and publishing needs locally. For many, this is now a national or international activity.
Associations spend $2.2 billion annually on technology.
Educational programs are offered by 90 percent of associations to their members and the public. Associations spend more on continuing or specialized education than any state - except for California.
American associations spend 400 times more than the government on setting and enforcing product and safety standards that affect us all. Associations are the originating source for codes of ethics and professional and safety standards which govern such professions as law, medicine, banking and manufacturing.
Two-thirds of all associations engage in research or statistical gathering. Businesses and government depend heavily on associations for their statistical information, which is often not available elsewhere.
More than 100 million volunteer hours in community service are documented annually by associations often using members' skills for the greater common good.
Surprisingly, only about one-third of national associations have any government relations activity. Much of that is spent in explaining the government to its members, rather than in an advocacy role (the amount is on average less than 5 percent of their expenditures).
The top five national associations by membership size are the American Automobile Association, with 35,291,651 members; the American Association of Retired Persons, which has 32 million members; YMCA of the USA, 14,447,270 members; National Geographic Society, 9,500,000; and National Congress of Parents & Teachers, 6,500,000.
The largest national association conventions in 1996 based on attendance were held by the National Marine Manufacturers Association, with 177,468 attending; the Association for Manufacturing Technology, which had 121,601 attendees; the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, with 103,756 in attendance; the National Sporting Goods Association, 94,166; the Construction Industry Manufacturers Association, 85,000; the National Restaurant Association, 73,580; the American Hardware Manufacturers Association, 65,000; and the National Association of Broadcasters, which had 61,796 attending.
To appreciate that association meetings are big business, consider these statistics provided by ASAE:
Associations dominate the $83 billion meetings industry, spending more than $56 billion annually to hold conventions, expositions and seminars. The entire meetings industry ranks as the 23rd largest contributor to the Gross National Product. Data extrapolated from Association Meeting Trends 1995 indicate ASAE members collectively planned 375,980 meetings, expositions and seminars in 1993-94 involving 272,146,200 delegates.
Conventions, expositions, meetings and incentive travel account for $66 billion of the hotel industry's operating revenue - more than one-third of all hotel revenue.
The direct spending of the conventions, expositions, meetings, and incentive travel industry supports 1.57 million full-time equivalent jobs in the United States. Meetings and conventions generate 22 percent of the operating revenue of the air transportation industry. Meetings also account for more than $12.3 billion in state, local, and federal sales and income taxes.
If you are a member of the Automotive Service Association (ASA), you are part of the largest not-for-profit trade association of its kind serving automotive service professionals. The association, which is headquartered in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, is in its 47th year. ASA consists of two major divisions: mechanical and collision. With 30 affiliate groups, 200 chapters and more than 12,000 members throughout the world, ASA represents the voice of the automotive aftermarket service industry.
ASA membership spans the world. These businesses represent the finest in automotive service, with the average ASA collision and mechanical shop having 25 years of experience. Studies show that 96 percent of ASA members are the business owner and slightly more than 80 percent are part of a family-owned business.
- ASA annually hosts three major events:
- An annual convention for the general membership.
- The International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE) for the collision industry.
- The Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) for the mechanical and transmission industries.
There are five levels of membership in ASA: Regular members - establishments that perform automotive repair services; associate members - suppliers of goods, services or equipment; educational members - automotive vocational educators; honorary members - selected by the board of directors for meritorious service to the automotive industry; senior active members - shop owner members who are no longer in the industry.
There are many benefits to being a member of ASA (see below).
Eric Steeg, the owner of Masters Autobody in Daly City, Calif., is extremely positive about the benefits of being a member of ASA. "The association provides the resources for us to get cutting edge information and the technology to keep current with - and sometimes even ahead of - the industry," he says. "For example, there are so many new products you might never hear about if you didn't read AutoInc. or attend any ASA trade shows. ASA also keeps us current on legislation and issues that affect our business. In short, it enables us to be more competitive and provide better, higher quality service to our customers."
Camille Eber, owner of Roth & Miller Autobody & Paint, Inc. in Portland, Ore., and currently president of the Portland chapter of ASA, cites the AAM training offered by the Automotive Management Institute (AMI) as "one of the greatest values for me as a business owner." She says, "I also get a lot out of the opportunities I have to share ideas with other shop owners at local meetings and ASA-sponsored events, such as the International Autobody Congress and Exposition and the ASA annual meetings."
Debi Conde, the owner of Automotive Diagnostic Services Inc., in Brandon, Fla., and immediate past president of ASA-Florida, says she is a member of ASA "not only for the membership benefits but to be a more professional businessperson. As a leader in the association I can honestly say people educating one another in this industry is one of the most valuable tools you can ever find in belonging to ASA. Issues that are brought to our attention give us an opportunity to bring about improvements in the automotive industry. And ASA always keeps its members informed on any issues and changes in the industry."
Richard "Rick" Bigham, AAM, the owner of Bigham Automotive & Electric Co. in Lubbock, Texas, and president of ASA-Texas, is a member of three other associations but says ASA is by far the most beneficial of all the associations with which he is affiliated. He is also a member of the National AAMCO Dealer Association (NADA), Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association (ATRA), and Automotive Service Industry Association (ASIA). Bigham says, "ASA is an assembly of people with common interests and goals. Association members join together to establish the highest quality of standards for the automotive industry. ASA committees help regulate member businesses to ensure the negative historical stereotypes of the automotive repair industry fade, and the new, educated technician advances through the millennium."
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The Business of Insurance || A/C Contamination and Blends || Air Bags: On or Off? || Associations Advance America || A Tribute to G.W. "Bud" Merwin III || Guest Editorial: "Association" is key to growth. || Tech to Tech || Tech Tips || News Briefs || Taking the Hill || Around ASA || Shop Profile || Net Worth || Stat Corner || Chairman's Message
AutoInc. Magazine ®, Vol. XLVI, March 1998