I have the opportunity to read more than a few industry newsletters, and every so often one of them captures a point that deserves repeating. My friend and colleague Howard Marcus of the Minnesota Transport Services Association recently made such a point when he addressed a comment that all association leaders hear from time to time: “I don’t get business from the association.” On the surface, that may sound like a simple complaint about return on investment. But the longer I have worked with members, chapters, committees, and industry partners, the more convinced I am that it misses the deeper value of belonging.
An association is built first on relationships, not transactions. Sometimes those relationships do lead directly to business, and when they do, that is certainly welcome. But more often, the value comes in ways that are harder to measure on a single invoice or job ticket. A fellow member may refer you to a customer, explain a regulation, recommend a vendor, share a training idea, warn you about a problem, or simply answer the phone when you need a practical second opinion. Those moments may not look like “business” in the narrowest sense, but they are part of the support structure that helps good companies become better companies.
That is especially important in our industry because not every member competes for the same work. One company may focus on van line hauling, another on government work, another on office moving, household goods, logistics, installation, storage, or specialized services. Some members are large and multi-location; others are family businesses built on decades of local trust. That variety is not a weakness. It is one of our greatest strengths. When people with different experiences sit at the same table, the conversation becomes broader, more useful, and more honest.
The same principle applies to one of the biggest challenges facing employers today: finding good people. Across the skilled trades, employers are working to build stronger talent pipelines, improve training, and attract people who may not yet understand the opportunities available in hands-on careers. Our industry feels that challenge every day. It is not enough to look for someone who is already fully trained and ready to step into a truck, warehouse, office, sales, or operations role. Those people are valuable, but they are also scarce. Increasingly, the real opportunity is finding motivated people who are at least trainable people with the right attitude, work ethic, curiosity, and willingness to learn.
That is another place where the association matters. No single company can solve the talent issue alone. But together, members can share what is working, identify what is not, and help raise the image of the industry. We can talk about how to recruit younger workers, how to train office staff to complete paperwork correctly, how to develop drivers and crew leaders, how to make warehouse work more professional, and how to show new employees that this is not just a temporary job but a career path. We can also remind one another that training takes patience. A new employee may not know the tariff, the paperwork, customer expectations, or the rhythm of peak season on day one. But if that person is dependable, respectful, and willing to learn, they may become exactly the kind of employee our industry needs.
Relationships make that possible. A member who has solved a training problem can help another member avoid the same mistake. A chapter meeting can introduce a new manager to experienced operators. A committee discussion can turn one company’s frustration into an industry-wide improvement. A newsletter article can remind someone that they are not alone in the challenges they are facing. That is not abstract value; it is practical value.
So when someone says, “I don’t get business from the association,” I would encourage a broader question: Have you built relationships through the association? Have you attended meetings, volunteered, asked questions, offered help, mentored someone, or allowed someone to mentor you? Business may follow, but even when it does not come immediately, the relationships, knowledge, advocacy, and credibility developed through active participation are worth far more than a quick transaction.
Our association is strongest when members understand that belonging is not a spectator sport. The more each of us invests in relationships, training, leadership, and shared problem-solving, the more valuable the association becomes for everyone. In a time when talent is hard to find, and every company is being asked to do more with less, that kind of community is not optional. It is one of the best tools we have.