By Ed Avis
IRgA has reestablished a firm foundation over the past three years, with a stabilized membership, a core group of sponsoring vendors, a vibrant internet presence, and growing relationships with other organizations.
Now the IRgA Board has developed a strategy to take the organization to the next level.
“Our goal with this new strategy is to make sure IRgA members have a true 'seat at the table' when they're talking to their customers in the AEC arena, rather than just printing drawings and specs,” says Tony Militano, president of IRgA and owner of Carbon Copy Digital in Calgary, Alberta.
Plan Development
The IRgA Board developed the outline of the new strategy during a two-day meeting in Chicago in September. The first day was a strategy session led by Mark Thorsby, a consultant with Smith-Bucklin, the firm that previously managed IRgA. The second day was a formal board meeting, during which the ideas from the previous day were discussed. Over the subsequent two weeks the plan was honed.
Here are the key points that emerged during the strategy session, and how they were incorporated into the new plan, which is designed to guide IRgA through 2017:
AEC Focus, Marketing Effort
The board discussed at length what IRgA’s core focus should be. Most IRgA members are involved in markets beyond the AEC market these days, and for many members AEC no longer represents the majority of their business. However, serving the AEC market is unique to reprographics firms – no other type of business serves the document needs of that field nearly as well. And the other markets IRgA members serve, such as commercial signage and graphics, are well served by other associations, such as SGIA and ISA.
Consequently, it was decided that IRgA could best serve its membership by helping members more thoroughly serve the AEC market and expand their services to that market, such as with digital services and other services not typically considered traditional reprographics work.
A key point of this expanded range of service to the AEC community is that reprographics firms should have a position of greater respect in the construction process, which is typically called “having a seat at the table.” When reprographics firms have that position, they are more likely to be viewed as true, vital partners in the construction process, rather than as easily interchangeable subcontractors. IRgA’s marketing effort will aim to show that IRgA members can be valuable additions to the team, and deserve that “seat at the table.”
One key initiative of the new strategy is to market IRgA members’ services directly to the AEC community – through cross-promotions and advertising with associations (such as the AIA, ABC, and other local, national, and international associations) serving that community -- and to educate the AEC community about the value reprographics firms can bring them. An important first step toward this marketing effort will be a survey of the AEC community to determine their current impressions of reprographics.
Another important element of the marketing plan is a new, advanced IRgA member directory that is searchable by members’ services and location. This new directory will be marketed to the AEC community through affiliations and promotions with industry associations. The new directory will represent a low-cost way for members to market themselves to new potential AEC clients.
IRgA’s emphasis on providing networking opportunities for members will continue. “Networking is an important member benefit, and its value will only grow as IRgA undertakes this new strategy and markets member services to potential customers,” says Paul Fridrich, IRgA immediate past president and owner of Cyber Copy in Los Angeles. “Getting to know other IRgA members across the country and world will help all members better expand their markets.”
Paid Membership
Related to the new directory and marketing effort, the board decided that the free “basic” category of membership would be eliminated. Beginning January 1, 2016, members will need to renew or join at the Bronze level, which costs $25.
The all-paid membership will ensure that those reprographics firms listed as members in the member directory are bona fide firms that have exhibited at least a small financial commitment to being part of the organization.
All current IRgA members will receive an email next week inviting them to log-in to the directory and edit their profile. Shortly thereafter all members will receive a renewal invoice.
Renewed Committee Structure
Another element in the strengthening of IRgA is the renewal of its committee structure. Currently the organization is governed by the Board of Directors; a more robust committee structure that includes non-Board members will tap the talents of other members and prepare other people for eventual Board participation.
Related to the committee structure, IRgA members will be surveyed in mid-December to determine what they would like to see the IRgA do for them. Please be on the lookout for that survey and respond.
Project Reinvent, Possible New Name
All of the efforts described above are aimed at moving IRgA to the next level. However, driving the entire effort is an initiative called Project Reinvent, which is tasked with developing a new “value proposition” for the organization, a new vision, and possibly even a new name.
Project Reinvent will be run by a committee comprised of current Board members and other IRgA stakeholders. Stay tuned for further information about this important committee’s activities.
“The future success of reprographics firms will be based on how indispensable they make themselves to their clients by providing a full range of products and services beyond traditional printing, and the IRgA aims to help our members do just that,” Militano says. “We feel that Project Reinvent will help IRgA play a key role in keeping the reprographics industry vital for another generation.”