Associations clash over voice in Washington
Two, large, multi-state, regional associations of lumberyards announced a plan to expand their role to include lobbying legislators and regulators at the national level in Washington, D.C.
The move by the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association and the Construction Suppliers Association brought a strong rebuke from the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association, which has represented the interests of dealers in the nation’s capital for decades.
News of the creation of a competing federal-level lumberyard lobbying effort dropped during the NLBMDA’s ProDealer Industry Summit, a three-day virtual event that ended Friday.
[Note: HBSDealer is a longtime partner with the NLBMDA as co-hosts and official media partner for the Summit.]
The CSA withdrew from the national association in October. The NRLA voted May 11 to disaffiliate with the NLBMDA – a decision that was made “following a year of discussions resulting in NLBMDA adopting changes that are not aligned with NLBMDA’s, or NRLA’s mission,” according to an NRLA member newsletter.
The NRLA's President Rita Ferris elaborated on those changes here.
The break-away regional associations represent a combined 1,180 retail locations. The NRLA represents more than 860 locations in 11 northeastern states. The CSA, with a headquarters in Tyrone, Ga., has 320 locations in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma.
NRLA’s President Rita Ferris stated: “It is exciting to formalize the relationship and have an official partnership with CSA to provide outstanding federal legislative and regulatory services to our members.”
The NRLA and the CSA are coming up with a new name for their partnership to advocate for members on Capitol Hill. More news regarding the rebrand will be announced later, the groups said.
The NLBMDA responded with strong criticism of the NRLA decision to break away, arguing that such a move ignores the national associations legislative accomplishments of the past year, divides the industry, and reduces its political influence at a critical time.
Chief among the NLMBDA’s 2020 successes, according to its statement, was its effort to secure “essential” status for lumberyards through its relationships in Washington, D.C., nurtured over decades.
Read the NLBMDA’s full statement here.
The NLBMDA also called for a united and unified voice in Washington to more effectively advocate for the entire industry.
Propelled by the concept that there is strength in numbers, several regional associations over the years have joined forces to provide better service to members. For instance, In 2015, the Indiana Lumber & Builders’ Supply Association and the Michigan Lumber & Building Materials Association voted to merge the two groups into one.
Roughly at the same time, the Mid South Building Material Dealers Association merged with the Construction Suppliers Association, bringing Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi under one association.
However, the latest move with the CSA and NRLA is the first time that regional associations have joined forces to create their own federal advocacy program.
[The above article has been updated to include a link to NRLA's specific points of opposition to NLBMDA changes.]
