Why Become a Member?

“The WMA Annual Convention has provided us with opportunities to expand our network in meaningful ways. After each event we leave with a greater understanding of not only the industry but also of our fellow businessmen and businesswomen within it. We receive regular updates from WMA and confidently rely on its sound organization and structure. Undoubtedly, we are grateful to be members.”

“Participation in the WMA is a significant component to maintaining and growing our business across North America.  No other trade association provides the breadth and depth of networking opportunities, updates on market trends, as well as educational sessions.  If you are a consumer or producer of building materials, you do not miss the annual show.  It is one of our favorites each year to promote a diverse offering of Poplar millwork products.”

“We did enjoy the breakfast and getting to know some of the WMA members. The speakers were engaging, and not overly long. What really struck me is that, while many in attendance are in the same business and even competitors, the atmosphere was professionally respectful, and personally cordial. The term “friendly competition” comes to mind. We look forward to a very beneficial relationship with the organization.”

“We enjoyed the opportunity to showcase a new to the market idea at your show. We had the right audience there to get the right kind of feedback from the principles and buyers of several companies. We also attended a couple of your educational seminars which were tailored to today’s challenges and gave great insight to our current marketplace. Finally, the speed networking event gave us one on one time with prospects and partners. Bernie Ferrari was a great ambassador. I had called him several times prior to your show to bounce ideas off him to get our presentation right. Thank you for getting us with the right person!”

“It was a great first experience at the WMA! It is a great opportunity to network and meet with current and potential new customers. Also a great moment to review the plan for next year!”

“It is apparent the association is committed to serving their members and progressing forward. I truly felt the ‘Connection Matters’ this week and appreciate the courtesy of board members to reach out to us as a supplier/exhibitor to thank us for our support. We look forward to continuing the opportunity to engage in future events.”

“The New Member & Millennial Benefit Breakfast was perfectly executed. The speakers did a good job and I made some great relationships with the pioneers of the industry. WMA gave us the hook, line and sinker – I can’t wait until the next convention!”

“I found the three days very worthwhile. The lectures were informative, the networking meetings useful, and the trade show floor the perfect size and duration.”

“WMA continues to be a tremendously valuable event for the entire ODL team. The relationship building and sharing of industry insights and information during the event is simply second to none. From the exhibitors on the show floor to the various educational and networking events throughout the week, the WMA team continues to deliver a valuable and informational event unlike any other in the industry.”

“Thanks for all that you guys do! The 2021 WMA Convention & Tradeshow provided great insight into what is happening and what is coming, helping me to forecast the foreseeable future, from Felicia Watson (NAHB) and the following panel discussion. I always look forward to the ITR Economics session at Show. This is my main source for the economic outlook of our industry and is necessary for future planning. Thank you, Connor Lokar. Every year I get to meet someone new at the Icebreaker Welcome Reception, which means I get to learn something new about our industry and make a new friend at the same time.”

“Like so many others, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since this would be our first Show since Covid struck.  However, in spite of our diminished attendance, it ended up being a VERY GOOD Show for RSL/Novatech.  We not only had quite a few visitors to our Booth but they were also Quality Visits with several customers coming back for 2nd & 3rd Visits!!!!  It would seem that the diminished numbers allowed us more personal time with each Visitor!!  All, in all, a Very Good Show.  Great job to you, Rosalie and her Team!”

“This year’s convention was a great time to connect with suppliers, customers, peers, and friends!  Probably more than any other year given the unprecedented challenges our industry continues to navigate through, the panel discussions were of significant value to members and guests.  The exhibit hall was busy, the crowd favorite Ice Breaker was buzzing, and the other events were all well attended while keeping safety at the forefront of the entire show.  As always, well worth the time and investment and already looking forward to next year’s WMA Convention.”

“The virtual conference was really well done. I’ve enjoyed going to the actual conferences in 2018 and 2019 and was curious to see how WMA would pull it  off this year. It was really well done and as informative as always!”

“The WMA 2020 Virtual Conference was orchestrated beautifully. The Women In Millwork Group is of great value to me, particularly as we begin to hold more numerous and expanded roles in an industry that has been historically been run and led by men.”

“With all of the world dealing with the pandemic, it was good to glean insights from how others are reacting and adapting to the ever-evolving situation at the WMA Virtual Conference. It was also good to have some form of visibility with our fellow members during a time when travel has been restricted.”

“I particularly enjoyed the roundtable session which gave opportunity to learn challenges and opportunities our companies face collectively and get/share insights on dealing with them. The speaker also did a nice job of provoking thought about several aspects of businesses as distributors.”

“As you can imagine, I’ve covered my share of virtual events this year, and I have to say that WMA’s delivered with outstanding discussions and content.  My hat is off to you and your staff for putting together such a potent lineup of topics and presenters.”

“Despite the challenges of COVID-19, WMA successfully brought our industry together to network and learn. The speakers were informative and insightful. The virtual networking during the business roundtable allowed us to level-set on the impact of COVID-19 on our respective businesses. It was valuable to see and connect with other industry leaders.”

“The conference was packed with engaging materials. I learned quite a bit particularly about the economic outlook, what’s happening in our markets, building stats and educated opinions on the impact of COVID-19 moving forward.”

“SnapDragon Associates is a new member of the WMA family and to say that we are impressed, is an understatement. We were welcomed into this group with open arms, given a ton of networking opportunity from day one, and have seen positive results to our business already.”

“The Millennial benefits breakfast is a great way to get familiar with all of the things WMA has to offer and understand what specific programs or opportunities you and your company can take advantage of to learn and growth within the industry.”

“Rohden Doors participates as exhibitor in the WMA since 2016 and the annual evolution is impressive. Each year we strengthen our business partnerships, review our customers and have a chance to show our products and services to all participants involved in this great event. We, as Rohden Doors strongly believe in the the WMA Trading Show potential, due the focus in the millwork companies and also events as roundtable and education program. It´s pleasure to come every year and join this important team.”

“It is always good to see old friends but what I enjoy the most is that every year I learn something new and meet new friends.”

“It was a great opportunity for networking and solidifying relationships with others in our industry. And lots of fun to top it off.”

“The Ignite Leadership Conference is a great opportunity for new and tenured leaders to work together in team building and learning more about issues impacting the building materials and distribution market. The roundtable discussion topics were right in line with what many companies are facing today whether they be a supplier of components or distributor of building materials.”

“The Women in Millwork Conference was an amazing opportunity to network with women across the industry and compare best practices to improve our day-to-day responsibilities. The biggest takeaway I gained through the conference was a network of women who understand the challenges I face and can offer empathy and solutions to overcome these obstacles. We were given the structure to discuss these hurdles in a roundtable discussions and work together through team building activities; however, these relationships were solidified as we sat with each other over meals or additional activities to foster the “human connection” that is critical within the whole millwork industry. I am grateful for the opportunity to meet this group of women and look forward to the next time!”

“Three wonderful days spent receiving education, inspiration, and encouragement by a group of our industries leading vendors and talent! Beyond grateful for the opportunity to be a part of an absolutely incredible event!”

“The conversations in essence was worth attending the WIM Conference. With the addition of a team building exercise, and an engaging facilitator, it was powerful. It was through these activities, I was able to self-evaluate, as well as expand my general knowledge in business I had not thought about previously. I am thankful to the WMA for creating this event. Truly this was an experience I will never forget and hope to continue attending for years to come.”

“I have been to several conferences and women’s initiatives over the course of my career and the Women In Millwork Initiative stands out to me as being among the best. The level of thought and detail that went into planning this initiative were evident. Each of the activities (roundtable, teambuilding, facilitated session) allowed for sharing, imparting, mentoring, networking, collaborating and learning.  The organizations that sent their women will certainly reap the benefits, as we all agreed that we left with insights and takeaways that we can apply to make us better leaders in our professional and personal lives. The Women in Millwork conference, was not an event, for me it was an experience that I will carry with me. I say thank you, recognizing that does not effectively capture my level of gratitude.”

“It’s hard to find the words to properly convey the value of the Women in Millwork conference. The conference truly provided an avenue for both personal and professional growth that will have a lasting impact on my performance and the value I can bring to my company, as well as the industry as a whole. Further, it positioned me to better connect with and relate to other WMA members, enabling me to play a larger role as a member of WMA. Beyond that, I formed lasting friendships and had a great time.”

“The first conference for WIM was better than I even expected. With the few amount of women that are in this industry, I found the women invited to be articulate, bright and a great resource. I look forward to our next meeting.”

“The presentation by IRCG was exactly what a young aggressive company like SSI Millwork and Fence needed. We can now go forth and better manage our growth. Thanks!”

“Wow! Great venue and informative meeting.”

“The WMA Ignite Leadership Conference was excellent. As always, Michael Marks was on point with relevant information that was perfectly timed for our current industry state. The venue was perfect and allowed for great interaction from all ends of the Millwork community!”

“Making lasting connections with others in our industry was fantastic. I now know leaders that I can call on and bounce ideas off of. I’m sure they have experienced it all and that will shorten our learning curve.”

“The benefit of walking the show floor is to see new products. I have always been amazed with the variety of millwork products on the show floor, and it’s great to see at one place, one time.”

“We get valuable face time with other people in the industry. You don’t get another event where you get the same quality of face time spent with as many big players in our industry.”

“We can see our vendors any time at our facility, but it is really nice to have a lot of them under one roof, at one time, and to be able to spend time with them at the show”

“As a new member the WMA Distributor Plant Tour and Golf Tournament in Houston was a great event.  Well organized as I anticipated!   Meeting up with my new member WMA Ambassador at the event took much of the anxiety off early on as a new member.  My Ambassador, Rich Fahrner, was awesome, super friendly and welcoming.  WMA members in general were very friendly and I had some great conversations with members!”

“The Houston event was a great event for our company!  It was a great opportunity to visit with industry friends, network with industry peers and gain new ideas from touring other millwork facilities.”

“We have been a WMA member just over a year and have been extremely impressed with what WMA offers in online education and training for our employees. The large selection of millwork courses are informative, relevant and easy to administer. Customer support and service from the WMA staff are exceptional; they are very responsive and eager to help. I would strongly recommend WMA if you are in need of quality educational resources to enhance your company’s millwork.”

“Millwork can be a complicated category and finding employees who are product savvy is not an easy task. The “Millwork Principles and Practices” course has proven to be one of the very best ways to shorten the learning curve for those who are interested in gaining a solid education on a broad spectrum of product categories under the heading of millwork. It is a wise investment.”

“WMA Online Education is a great way to introduce new employees to common millwork terms and construction techniques. The education modules keep the viewer engaged and active in the learning process, and provides the training team and the supervisors information about how they’ve done and how they’ve improved throughout their learning process. The modules are easy to watch, follow along and is always the stepping stone we use to get our new hires ahead of the game”.

“The University of Innovative Distribution was a fantastic event. I attended for the first time in March of 2021 and it was really good virtually; I can only imagine how much more engaging it will be when it’s in person again.  We will be sending more team members next year for certain!”

“The Distributor Cross-Industry Compensation & Benefits Survey is a valuable tool for our business. The in-depth results of the annual survey are used by our HR department as a reference in establishing benefit guidelines for a wide range of employees. Staff retention has always been a strength of our company, and this annual survey provided by WMA is a must.”