Manufacturers get seat on NAED Board

The National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED), St. Louis, has approved a change in its organization that would allow a manufacturer to be selected to sit on the NAED board.

As part of the change, NAED has approved changes in its dues structure and in manufacturer registration fees. It will charge electrical manufacturers dues based on their sales volumes and reduce their conference registration fees. NAED plans to announce details of the plan this month, according to Sonia Crites, the association's director of public relations.

Tom Naber, NAED's president, said while the exact dollar figures for the new manufacturers' dues and reduced registration fees are not yet finalized, the association wants the end result to be that it's a “break-even proposition” for manufacturers, or ends up costing them slightly less to attend meetings. The goal, he said, is to encourage manufacturers to bring more people to the meetings, and for them to get more involved in the association.

“We've had to raise our registration fees for manufacturers for the last few years quite a bit,” said Crites. “That's one of the concerns a lot of smaller manufacturers had.”

Pass & Seymour/Legrand's Bob Smith, who serves on NAED's manufacturers' advisory council, said, “I think it opens up the NAED board to more ideas and input. I think you'll see this develop as time progresses.”