For example, in my lifetime, I’ve gone from watching black and white-only TV to being able to watch an entire movie on my cell phone as I’m flying across the continent. Speaking of phones, I can still remember the “party” line (two longs and a short) from the wooden-encased phone on the wall with a local operator to assist my call. I can still hear the clicks of everyone else on our “party” line picking up to hear at least the first part of my phone call with Grandma or Grandpa. My cell phone is now with me 24/7 and delivers my mail messages instantly no matter where I am, plus it plays music and much more.
Yesterday and today ...the comparison between the two times can be startling when we take time to reflect.
In 1907, a group of equipment dealers within a 100-mile radius of St. Louis gathered to form an association to serve the needs of area dealers. It was called the Mississippi Valley Equipment Association (MVEA). One hundred and four years later, a small group of equipment dealers gathered again in St. Louis to dissolve that same organization. There have been several mergers between equipment dealer associations, but during my tenure at NAEDA, MVEA was the first association to totally dissolve. But, that’s not really the point. The point is that change rolls on in our industry.
It took soul searching and guts for MVEA’s board and members to vote Feb. 24, 2011, to dissolve that proud organization. It had a rich heritage that will be marked in our history books forever. The group had seen its ranks dwindle to only a few dealers representing each of the various major company lines. The manufacturers had also dwindled over time. Consolidation took its toll over the 104 years of MVEA’s existence. Like inflation or overeating, the effect was not immediately evident, but eventually the reality hit home.
Two points in time can not only remind us of change, but reveal why such changes are taking place. The customer base is changing. Technology is changing and the need to reach customers further from our base of operation is also a major source of change. And, yes, there is a continual push to be more efficient and financially viable to compete and carry out the higher standards and expectations of manufacturers. Such change is a glaring reminder of Charles Darwin’s concept that it is not simply the strongest of the species who survive, but the most able to adapt to change. Such is true in our industry.
Change is a certainty. It may come from a variety of directions, but it will happen. Can we adapt? Will we adapt? Will we adapt in time? These questions will determine our fate and future. The dissolution of MVEA is a reminder of how insidious change can become over time and of what can happen as a result.
As I said earlier, it took courage for the MVEA board and members to recognize how change had affected the association’s ability to serve members at a level commensurate with today’s expectation for programs and services. The board members not only recognized the situation, they did something about it. Now, the former members of MVEA in Missouri will be served by the SouthWestern Association and MVEA members in Illinois will be served by the Midwest Equipment Dealers Association.
Change will continue to occur. The secret is not simply realizing it will occur, but determining what that change will mean and responding appropriately. It is our ability to compare and contrast two points in time, then project the effect of such change into the future and respond to it that are the essential qualities for survival. Whether the two points in time are 104 years apart or 104 minutes, they are important stakes in the ground to measure what is going on all around us. And that’s the way I see it.
Paul Kindinger is president/CEO of the North American Equipment Dealers Association. The association provides educational, legal, legislative, and financial services to approximately 5,500 retail agricultural, construction, large property/rural lifestyle, and outdoor power equipment dealers in the United States and Canada.