Equip Dealers_web

THE EQUIPMENT DEALERS ASSOCIATION were surveyed in May 2017 and most were largely satisfied with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) but felt small chang- es were necessary. On the other hand, 41 per- cent felt that bi-lateral trade agreements would lead to better trade terms for the equipment industry (as opposed to multi-lateral agree- ments like TPP). The ag industry as a whole benefits from NAFTA so the EDA is hopeful that new Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, and other ag leadership, will continue working to ensure trade relations with Mexico and Canada don’t deteriorate. EDA’s VP of Government Rela- tions, Natalie Higgins, continues to keep an eye on the NAFTA renegotiations and other trade relations legislation. Workforce development has been an issue for a long time, but EDA and other national associ- ations have recently been working to increase awareness throughout the industry. Agriculture and Construction equipment dealers are in des- perate need of qualified service technicians but are plagued by the skills gap and lack of talent in rural communities. As a way of kick starting a collaborative discussion on the topic, EDA’s charitable organization, the Equipment Dealers Foundation (EDF), will be hosting a Workforce Development Summit in conjunction with the EDA Board of Directors and Foundation Board of Directors meetings this September. The meeting will be held in New Orleans, LA and will be the Association’s largest meeting to date. Invitees include Agriculture, Construction and Outdoor Power Equipment dealers, Manu- facturers, regional association executives, and industry association staff. The goal of the event is to gather these stakeholders to discuss exist- ing Workforce Development efforts and to find areas where stakeholders can work together to be more impactful. It is the goal to create re- EDA recognizes that the Right to Repair legislation is an issue that could have significant impact on dealers across the United States and Canada. The EDA supports legislation which protects consum- ers and opposes legislation which allows the widespread release of proprietary equipment repair information to unqualified persons or entities which are not subject to uniform standards including train- ing, safety, engineering and environmental.