By: Dennis Smith, Packaging Specialist
TUG (The United Group) is a member-owned nationwide marketing and sales organization of members and suppliers that work together to provide opportunities to develop relationships between members and a variety of suppliers in packaging, packaging design and restaurant equipment and supplies.
Benefits to Members:
Marketing Allowances – Through the United Group, Preferred Suppliers are initially considered and then monitored in order to provide products to membership through both long-lasting business and personal relationships. There are currently over 185 vendor partners that participate as Preferred Suppliers that provide a wide variety of products from several manufacturers and suppliers.
Benefits to Preferred Suppliers:
There are over 400 companies throughout the country that form a network of independent distributors and are motivated to purchase from TUG Preferred Suppliers.
TUG 2013 National Conference (JW Marriott – San Antonio, TX)
ACH was represented at the National Conference by Ryan Olson (Washington, IA) and Dennis Smith (Denver, CO). They in turn represented Keith Baechle (Kansas City, KS), Bill Hill (McCarren, NV), Chris Benson (Kansas City, KS), Greg Aron (Fond du Lac, WI) and Joe Kurz (Gainesville, GA)
Tuesday, April 16 – arrival JW Marriott-San Antonio - TUG (The United Group)
Wednesday, April 17:
- Registration and supplier set-up
- Supplier Welcome: 4-5 PM
- Welcome Reception: 6:30 – 8 PM
Thursday, April 18
- Table Top Meetings: 8 AM – 5 PM (15-minute rotating ‘on the clock’ meetings) with potential future customers. Ryan and Dennis were extremely busy from early morning to late afternoon meeting with a wide variety of potential customers from all around the country. There were a total of 56 companies from throughout the country that we spoke with from early Thursday and to late afternoon on Friday.
As a new supplier and attending our first National Conference, we were made to feel very welcome and more than one Industrial Packaging Board Member stated that ACH was spoken of very highly and they were looking forward to our relationship with TUG. They informed us we were the only EPS manufacturer and a welcome addition to their list of suppliers.
Awards Dinner: 7 PM – 9 PM – The presentation of awards was impressive and something both Ryan and I agree would be nice to see ACH be a part of in future years. They actually give TUG Boats as awards; very impressive!
Friday, April 19 (Table Top Meetings: 7 AM – 3 PM)
During our presentation, we provide potential customers with a brief history of ACH, our locations, the sales representative in their region and of course the manufacturing capabilities and products in fabricated, and stock and custom molded applications as well as both EPS Loose-Fill and Biodegradable Loose-Fill in three of our nine locations.
We ended the show feeling very good about relationships we established and were informed by TUG management that they like to see the same representation return in the future as it builds continuity and familiar faces are what members are anxious to see at future meetings.
Tobie F. McKown, TUG President: “Team TUG” is more than just our 2013 Conference theme. Teamwork can be an effective and inspiring approach to business and life. Our Conference provides opportunities to spark and reinforce relationships between Members, face time for building dynamic and productive partnerships between Suppliers and Members, and a chance to have fun while doing business.”
