Independent distributors connect in Alberta
Kananaskis, AB -- The IDI Independent Distributors Inc. Annual Meeting and Supplier Summit, which took place at the Delta Lodge At Kananaskis in Alberta June 15-18, 2010, turned out to be at a great l...
September 1, 2010 | By Eric Achilles Cousineau
Kananaskis, AB — The IDI Independent Distributors Inc. Annual Meeting and Supplier Summit, which took place at the Delta Lodge At Kananaskis in Alberta June 15-18, 2010, turned out to be at a great location for the members and vendors who were golf enthusiasts.
One of the events took place at the beautiful Banff Springs Golf Course in nearby Banff, where the scenery was breathtaking. Another event saw delegates attend a live rodeo show, which was a first-time experience for most of the buying cooperative’s members. But this meeting wasn’t just fun and games, as a great deal of business was done during vendor-member meetings.
During these meetings, Scott Bebenek, president of IDI, presented his view on the distribution cooperative and why it works so well. It mostly comes down to acting like a big family and coming together when other members need support, he said.
IDI members are proud of being a part of a community and giving back, which they proved by raising more than $22,682 during the event for selected charitable causes, including more than $15,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society and $2,500 for The Weekend to End Women’s Cancers.
IDI’s meeting also provided an opportunity for the IDI office to update its shareholder members on the current status of priority issues, such as IDI Connects, importing, electronic and paper catalogues, and national accounts, to name a few.
The meeting concluded with the honouring of past directors, past chairmen of the board, retiring directors and the outgoing board of directors, and the passing of the gavel from outgoing chairman Craig Urquhart of Intercity Industrial to incoming chairman Michel Vezina of VL Industriel.
IDI is a member-owned cooperative of Canadian distributors specializing in bearings, fluid power products, industrial supplies, janitorial supplies, power transmission products and safety supplies, who wish to retain their independence in a rapidly changing and dynamic marketplace. IDI’s mission is to advance the interests of its members, customers, suppliers and staff, and to work in harmony towards the continuation of their success in a free enterprise system. IDI currently consists of more than 100 member companies in over 250 locations across Canada, employing in excess of 2,300 employees and commanding sales of over of $1 billion. For more information, visit www.idiind.com.