Author: GAWDA MEDIA

By Brian McLaughlin As a GAWDA Member, you have access to the GAWDA Group Life Insurance program through MetLife and can take advantage of an offering that has averaged over a 10% dividend for more than 50 years! This dividend eligibility is not available with the typical single employer plan. History indicates that many employees have no other life insurance. The employer paid Group Plan may be their only family security. The enhanced GAWDA Life Insurance Program offers: Triple Indemnity for Occupational Death & Dismemberment No Charge for $10,000 spouse insurance, and $5,000 child insurance Eligibility for “good claim experience”…

Members of GAWDA’s Member Services Committee Discuss the Biggest Member Benefits of GAWDA The following is an excerpt from the June 1 episode of GAWDA TV. Watch the episode here: For the June 1 Episode of GAWDA TV, we had the opportunity to speak with members of GAWDA’s Member Services Committee to discuss the biggest benefits that come with GAWDA membership. Aside from the networking and education that take place at the SMC, Annual Convention, and Regional Meetings, membership in GAWDA comes with a whole host of other benefits. So, whether you are looking to take more advantage of your GAWDA…

How GAWDA consultants can help GAWDA members avoid costly mistakes By Tom Badstubner, Marilyn Dempsey, Michael Dodd, Rick Schweitzer and Steve Guglielmo The GAWDA Consultant Program is a GAWDA Member Benefit that is included as part of your annual dues to the association. It is consistently rated as one of the most valuable member benefits that GAWDA provides. Between the four to them, GAWDA’s Consultants bring more than 100 years of industry-specific experience to the association. For this issue, we spoke to the Consultants about specific examples of times where they were able to help GAWDA members save money and…

By Mike Marks and Dan Horan, Indian River Consulting Group Customer expectations have been changing for years, and the COVID-19 pandemic simply magnified and accelerated them in 2020. Being on the defensive is only a strategy if you want to lose slower. For distributors who are willing to play offense, there are three major trends to watch and take advantage of in 2021. B2B customer expectations have changed online Customers are no longer happy to only have a basic online buying process; they expect their experience to be as good as the experience in their everyday B2C life. As a…

By Paul Bernier and David O’Guin With many years of experience in the Industrial Gas/Welding supply industry, I have learned that many companies do not truly offer safety services and supplies in their product mix. It is understandable, since the margins are not in line with what we enjoy in gases. But, if you are not providing safety products to your industrial customers, who is? Our main marketing objective is to try and provide as many products as possible to our customers, adding more line items to our invoices, truly striving to be a one-stop provider, as much as possible.…

by Frank Kasnick, IWDC President and CEO I have not met an Independent, whether part of our group or not, who isn’t struggling with their e-commerce strategy. Usually, the discussion starts with “should we sell online?” The prospect is quite tempting – put up a webstore and sit back and take credit card orders. If only it was that simple. That is not to say there isn’t opportunity in the B2C arena. If done correctly, it can lead to some incremental sales with a fairly low fixed cost. Members who are committed to this customer segment are leveraging their existing…

By Paul Banuski What is the responsibility of a manager when he/she suspects an employee may be struggling with depression, anxiety or other mental health challenges? It’s not an unreasonable question, and it is one that every supervisor should be prepared to answer, considering that 1 in 5 Americans will be diagnosed with a mental or behavioral health issue this year, according to the Center for Disease Control. Whether it’s an anxiety disorder, PTSD, post-partum depression, bipolar or any other number of conditions, mental health issues can be a disruptive part of an employee’s life that can lead to struggles…