Why you should join NPSA despite your hectic schedule?

Why you should join NPSA despite your hectic schedule?

A membership in NPSA offers numerous benefits and will keep you on top of important ever-changing issues, trends and legislation within the portable storage industry.  There are many benefits being a member of an industry organization. They include;

• Networking

In the great race to the top, who you know matters as much as what you know and meeting industry people outside of your own local sphere of contacts has great value.

• Events

NPSA holds events on a regular basis. These events engage and educate the members which create value for the members.

• Professional Development

Continued education and professional development is key for all business owners. NPSA provides opportunities for you to learn from fellow members through the seminars and presentations at the events.

• Learning Best Practices

All industries have best practices of some kind. They may not be formalized, but by connecting with fellow members and receiving industry information from NPSA, you’ll have the opportunity to operate your business in a better way.

• Industry News and Information

Being a member of NPSA gives you the fast pass to any noteworthy information and development in the portable storage industry. In addition, the portable storage industry is uniquely linked to the maritime container leasing industry and the shipping industry. What happens in those industries has a major impact on the supply of containers throughout North America.  NPSA’s events offer the members a unique opportunity to meet people in those industries from all over the world.

• Support NPSA’s Mission

NPSA gives the portable storage industry a public voice for its members and acts as a guardian for the wellbeing of the industry as a whole.

In addition to the reasons for why you should be a member of NPSA, you need to gage your expectations and your benefits from the association.  NPSA is primarily run by volunteers that spend their time and effort for the benefit of the industry, because they like it. They also they see benefits for their companies and they think it is good for the industry.

Your level of engagement will have an impact on the benefits you get from your membership. Paying your annual dues and going to the events aren’t enough to reap the benefits of your membership in the association. You must also make an investment of time and effort in association activities and become involved.  Being part of a committee is a path to learning more about the organization and the industry. It also develops deeper relationships that helps your business and helps you grow as an individual. Furthermore, you develop a task within the organization that makes the organization better. Finally, being involved gives you an opportunity to drive issues that are important to you. These issues should also be good for the  industry. This is not a place to drive personal agendas.

Unfortunately, NPSA, as in many other organizations, has an active board but not very many active committees and therefore, the board is not as effective as it could be. It would be ideal to select board members from a pool of members that have committee background, background form other associations or suitable skills which would allow them to hit the ground running when becoming board members.

Some members develop informal voluntary subgroups for various reasons. Such reasons can be for a unique situation that they share, a unique product line, a unique geographic area or simply that they get along well and have trust in each other. These groups develop naturally as people meet at the NPSA events and get to know each other.

A membership in NPSA not only benefits you as the company owner or your employees, it also projects a positive image of your company to your customers and vendors. Membership in industry associations shows a business’ initiative, its engagement in a trade and its commitment to staying abreast of current developments in the market.

Some of the biggest advantages of an association membership are the networking and camaraderie that takes place among members. There are a number of other benefits from being an NPSA member. To benefit from those you must participate and be an active member. Simply put, what you get out of your association membership is directly related to what you put in to it.

Did You Know…

• There are about 8,000 professional organizations and associations in the US.
• Approximately 85 percent of all business failures occur in companies that are not members of their industry association.
• Two of the biggest advantages of association membership are networking and camaraderie with other members.
• To reap the benefits of an association membership, you must be engaged and make an investment of time and effort in the association’s activities