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AN OPEN LETTER TO SAFETY EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTORS

From ISEA President Dan Shipp
 
I am writing to introduce you to ISEA, the International Safety Equipment Association, and invite your company to be part of it.
 
You may know ISEA as the manufacturers’ association, and manufacturers are indeed the core of its membership.  I encourage you to think of ISEA as the PPE association – the forum where all stakeholders in the industry can work together to help each other prosper.  At one time there were a number of distributor members, until they felt the need for their own association and ISEA helped organize the Safety Equipment Distributors Association (SEDA) in the late 60s.  Today distributors are eligible for associate membership, with access to a full range of services and information.
 
ISEA is a strong advocate for this industry, developing standards that provide the common language for this marketplace, working to incorporate these voluntary standards in regulation, and lobbying for public policies favorable to the role of PPE in protecting workers.  The association uses its contacts in the industry, Washington and around the world to keep members informed, and to ensure that our message is heard. 
 
ISEA is a source of up-to-date market information and networking, where members gain insight and build important personal relationships.  Every Monday a Market Intelligence Digest appears in members’ email, with links to online news about safety products, companies and markets.  The Web site and social media cover the industry and provide a platform for exchanging views.  Use and selection guides are aimed at users, giving them generic information on what they need to know about PPE, and where to find more information about what to buy.  At the Executive Summit and Fall Meeting, members learn from experts and each other.  Member companies are prominently featured in our Protection Update supplement toEHS Today magazine, and online features.
 
As the sole sponsor of the Qualified Safety Sales Professional (QSSP) course, ISEA will work to continue its record of success, and develop information and communications channels to meet the ongoing education needs of the more than 1000 manufacturer and distributor sales and marketing personnel who have earned the QSSP designation. 
 
ISEA employs a full-time professional staff, with expertise in government relations, products and standards, marketing communications, and meeting and conference management.  They are dedicated to the association, and they have a strong knowledge and understanding of the broader world of workplace safety and health.
 
ISEA – its member companies, leadership, product groups and staff - all come together with one common goal: serving the business interests of the companies that design, manufacture and sell personal protective equipment, so that you can help workers around the world avoid injuries and illness on the job.  As a part of the personal protective equipment industry, shouldn’t you be a part of its association?
 
At its meeting in late November, ISEA’s Board approved a budget that includes a dues schedule for distributors that mirrors what your company was paying for SEDA membership.  Take a look at the services ISEA offers, and the opportunities to grow your business through product knowledge, market insight and networking, and we believe you will find that ISEA is a worthwhile investment.
 
If you have any questions, please feel free to call me or Cristine Fargo, ISEA’s director of member and technical services.  We look forward to hearing from you.