FIRE AND EMERGENCY MANUFACTURERS AND SERVICES ASSOCIATION

Why Join FEMSA?

Growing your business or organization means taking advantage of networking opportunities that lead to awareness and future partnerships, according to James Long, Vice President of W.S. Darley & Co. and a long-standing FEMSA member. 

James’ need to contribute led him to become personally involved with FEMSA. “After being more of a participant than a worker, I felt like I should be doing something. It is like going to your neighborhood block party, you show up and eat, and everybody else does all the work,” James said. “At some point you start feeling a little guilty. Can I help with the tables or throw away the garbage? What can I do to help participate and become more involved? So, I said give me a job. It does not matter what that job is, but I feel I should be contributing.” 

James said that being a FEMSA member helped grow his contact list. “While I know a lot of people in the industry, there are many more I would never have met had I not been part of FEMSA, and that includes our association with FAMA,” he said. 

James’ advice to a manufacturer or organization considering joining FEMSA is based on growth and networking. “I think to grow your business means involvement, and you need to cultivate partnerships that you may need somewhere down the road,” he said. He added that those interactions also provide a true understanding of what is going on from a funding standpoint. “If you want more information on our industry and its players, you must try to connect with more people.” 

James said that FEMSA membership provides a larger, deeper connection. “As I am walking the floor of the larger trade shows, I always see a lot of people I know because of my association with FEMSA. It could be a truck builder. It could be a dealer and distributor. It could be somebody in the media or a firefighter,” James said. He added that membership opens so many other doors. “I have always felt like the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. I feel like I have gained a lot, and I want to make a commitment to help our industry become even stronger.”

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