Transportation infrastructure is the lifeblood of our economy. Unfortunately, that lifeblood has been ignored over recent years and has been allowed to become anemic, threatening the veins and arteries that feed our very economy. As Infrastructure Week kicks off in earnest next week, we are reminded of how important our roads, bridges, airports, and seaports are to growing the US economy and ensuring we continue being a global economic powerhouse.
The logistics of shipping chemicals often comes with it’s own unique set of challenges. Ensuring the standards of safety and proper protocol falls to the National Association of Chemical Distributors who works with supply-chain partners across the globe to realize their mission to enhance and communicate the professionalism and stewardship of the chemical distribution industry.
One of the many functions of trade associations like NACD is to advocate for the industry we represent in front of lawmakers and regulators. Oftentimes, the priorities of different industries are at odds with one another making the advocacy process difficult and slow. But, this year two issues stand out to NACD that have broad support among a number of industries – association health plans and regulatory reform. Asking Congress to address these two issues through your own personal advocacy efforts can make a major impact.
Last week, President Trump offered his FY 2018 budget submission to Congress for its consideration. While I applaud the president for attempting to trim this country’s ballooning fiscal footprint, his proposal takes whacks at several programs important to NACD members, most importantly the potential shuttering of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB).
Losing your biggest account. It’s something no organization wants to think about, least of all small companies and start-ups … perhaps to the degree that they literally don’t think about it and are floored when it happens. To vendors that depend on a few key accounts for survival, it seems like a no brainer to say, “Be prepared.” The fact is, though, things happen beyond our control.
The American public is now digesting daily the commentary our President puts out on Twitter. Whether you agree with him or not, @realDonaldTrump continues to make headlines on a wide array of topics including the media, politics, policy and Hollywood (POTUS and the Terminator continue to have a spat over The Apprentice failing on TV). The question is, what impact will all this social media have in addressing the policy concerns confronting @NACD_RD members
Chemicals are the building blocks of everyday life, but we at the National Association of Chemical Distributors know that elements are the building blocks of chemicals. We owe quite a lot to the creation of the Periodic Table of Elements, which is why we’re taking time today, on National Periodic Table Day, to thank Dmitry Mendeleev and Henry Moseley, as well as their predecessors Alexandre-Emile Béguyer de Chancourtois, John Newlands and Julius Lothar Meyer for creating a tool chemists around the world depend on.
An essential part of running a successful business is making sure that both employees and products remain safe. Training employees about safety can be complicated and time consuming, but it doesn’t have to be. An easy, cost effective solution to this problem is using online training resources, which have many benefits including easy access to safety information, reduced costs to your business, fewer safety incidents, and more.
With the new year and a new three-year cycle of Responsible Distribution fast approaching, it’s time to start thinking about what the changes and enhancements to Responsible Distribution will mean for NACD members and potential members. To get a better understanding of what the 6th cycle will bring, we went straight to the source, Terry Aubry Garrett – the director of quality for EMCO Chemical Distributors, Inc. – and the newest chairperson of NACD’s Responsible Distribution committee.