An Introspective Period — 1968
November 12, 2020
1968 was an introspective period for CEDA. Members Bob Leroy and Hill Morgan had been conducting a study of What Do We Want From CEDA. After a presentation of their report at the annual meeting, a three-hour discussion ensued. A committee was formed following this discussion to further investigate future trends and to recommend to the board any appropriate actions that should be taken by the association.
Anticipating additional financial obligations as a result of this new direction, the 1968/69 Board of Directors was authorized by the members to spend up to 50% over the already approved budget – if necessary. The extra funds to be taken out of CEDA’s reserves.
To ensure that distributors would have an adequate pool of employees from which to draw, a Distributor’s Personnel Educational course was suggested, with Humber College in Toronto as the proposed location. Director Les Greenbaum headed the committee looking into this possibility.
An important development that year was a new dues schedule, based on the member’s total sales of electrical materials. Most members agreed that the increased cost of running the association necessitated an increase in dues, especially when they considered the deficits of the past years.
One joint venture in 1968 was the production by the electrical Industry of a promotional video, budgeted at $30,000. CEDA’s share of that cost was $1,500. A copy of the film still exists in CEDA’s archives.
Source: CEDA: Fifty Years of Service – An Historical Review of the Canadian Electrical Distributors Association, 1934 to 1984, Kerrwil Publications. Please feel free to reach out to us any time if you have great photos, historical anecdotes or perspectives. We would love to hear from you; linegoyette@kerrwil.com.
