Does FMI/FDI Have 20/20 Vision?
A release posted on FDI’s 2002 Midyear Executive Conference begins, “One of the true challenges to business leaders is vision – knowing where your organization is today and where it should be tomorrow. Such insight provides stability as your business is buffeted by a changing economy, changing relationships, and a changing world – all forces that affect the long-term health of your company. The 2002 Midyear Executive Conference focused on change factors now affecting the retail food channel and provided an important opportunity to share views and concerns with peers and trading partners.”
The conference provided Tim Hammonds (FMI) and John Block (FDI) an opportunity to update members on the progress of the merger between the two associations.
Mr Block said that the consolidation of the two groups was “the right thing to do” for the industry. Mr. Hammonds believes the merger “builds on strength,” and said positions will be added to the FMI Board specifically for wholesaler members.
Moderator’s Comment: What do you think will happen
when the needs of the large chains that heavily influence FMI policy conflict
with those of the association’s wholesale members and smaller chains/independents?
We’ve received reports that the Midyear Executive Conference
was filled with a lot of the kind of happy talk we’ve come to expect at these
events. This “for public consumption” display took place around the ongoing
concerns that wholesalers (and their retail customers) have about what will
happen when conflicts arise (and they will) with the new organization. [George
Anderson – Moderator]