News from the American Veterinary Distributors Association

AVDA proudly introduces its newly elected president and board of directors for 2005-2006.

Sam Woodside of NLS Animal Health will be leading AVDA as president. Woodside’s term as president comes on the heels of a successful conference in Coral Gables, where more than 130 industry representatives and spouses attended the annual event.

Supporting Woodside is a strong cabinet of officers including Chairman Davey Stone of The Butler Company; and Immediate Past Chairman Jim Cleary of MWI Veterinary Supply. Deborah Olson of Nelson Laboratories was named President-Elect.

Lorne Elder of Welch Allyn was elected to the board as an Alternate Associate Member Representative.

Continuing on the board are: Greg Eveland of Walco International; Gary Huffine of IVESCO/Iowa Vet Supply; Steve Fowler of Henry Schein, Inc.; Mike Gerlaugh of Columbus Serum Company and Bobby Mims of Merritt Veterinary Supply. Representing Associate Members on the board is Gary Cushing of PRN Pharmacal.

Kaymie Thompson has enlisted as AVDA’s new Director of Meetings and Member Services. She will work with Executive Director Jackie King in orchestrating association events and facilitating membership duties.

Kaymie is a well-versed association practitioner with experience in all aspects of event planning and membership management. She has several years of experience in organizing educational seminars, charity events, trade shows, conferences and meetings of all sizes beginning with her first golf outing for the Indiana Lumber & Builder’s Supply Association, (ILBSA) in 1993. Prior to joining AVDA, she worked for two DC-based trade association management firms.

Kaymie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations and Japanese from Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana. She can be reached by phone at 443-640-1040 x112 and by email at kaymie@ksgroup.org.

AVDA members spent this past legislative session working with the Florida Attorney General, Statewide Prosecutor, Director of the Governor’s Office of Drug Policy, the Secretary of the Department of Health and key legislative leaders toward the creation of a new veterinary drug wholesaler license for Florida veterinary wholesalers. DETAILS

Manufacturer incentive programs designed to motivate distributor sales representatives can sometimes be painful for distributors to manage. Now Focus Technology Group has a solution that is making distributors and manufacturers a lot happier. DETAILS

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released its official snapshot of e-commerce activity in key sectors of the economy for 2003. Not surprisingly, 94% of e-commerce in 2003 was business-to-business, driven by high use of EDI by manufacturers and distributors. Merchant wholesalers, excluding manufacturers sales branches and offices (MSBOs), reported e-sales of $387 billion in 2003, up 13% from the previous year. Three distribution sectors accounted for 61% of total e-sales in the wholesale sector: Drugs and Druggists' Sundries wholesalers accounted for 34% ($132 billion); Motor Vehicles, Parts and Supplies wholesalers, 17% ($64 billion); and Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies wholesalers, 10% ($39 billion). In 2003, EDI sales for merchant wholesalers excluding MSBOs totaled $332 billion, 86% of their e-sales.

Manufacturing led all industry sectors with e-commerce shipments that accounted for 21.2% ($843 billion) of the total value of manufacturing shipments. Merchant wholesalers ranked second with e-commerce sales that represented 9.0% of total sector sales. In manufacturing, 70% of all e-commerce shipments in 2003 occurred in five industry groups. Transportation Equipment was the largest group, accounting for 39% ($327 billion) of total manufacturing e-shipments, followed by the Chemicals industry group with 10% ($85 billion). Computer and Electronic Products contributed 8% ($67 billion); Food Products accounted for 7% ($60 billion); followed by Petroleum and Coal Products contributing 6% ($52 billion). Click here for the e ight-page summary report.

It is not stretching things to say that in most distribution organizations, across virtually every line of trade, credit is not viewed as a service, but as a necessary evil. Most AVDA members are giving up profit dollars by being more conservative than they should be with regard to accounts receivable. DETAILS

The Butler Company and Burns Veterinary Supply, Inc. announced that they will merge. The transaction will create the nation’s leading distributor of animal health products and services to veterinarians. DETAILS

AVDA Welcomes Multivet International Inc.

Multivet International Inc., our newest Associate Member is based in Saint Hyacinthe, Quebec. Multivet International is a premier distributor of humane animal behavior control solutions. Bernard Boiteux, National Sales Manager for Multivet International is the primary contact. He can be reached by e-mail at bernard.boiteux@multivet-inter.com or by phone at 888-456-2626.

Ten years ago in the 104th Congress, the first bill proposing to allow the formation and multi-state operation of Association Health Plans (AHPs) with preemption of state insurance laws, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Since then – most recently last year – the House has passed AHP legislation seven times and is at the threshold of doing so for the eighth. DETAILS

A strong majority of U.S. executives rate healthcare insurance costs as their #1 concern. Small business faces higher health insurance costs per employee than big companies because of: lack of buying clout; higher administration costs per employee; and more sensitivity to state insurance mandates. Health Savings Accounts can help. DETAILS

The House approved S. 714 on June 28, legislation to restore pre-2003 rules for sending unsolicited commercial faxes. This follows Senate passage last week. The bill will be sent to the President Bush for signature and he is expected to sign it, thus ending the long running debate over whether a business can send unsolicited advertisement faxes to a recipient with which the business had "established business relationship" (EBR). DETAILS