These councils give dealers an impactful way to shape the direction of the industry and set the stage for sustained growth and adaptability, but I’m equally inspired by how much members are willing to offer each other. One initiative I’m especially excited about is the Dealer Growth Accelerator Mentoring (DGAM) program, which will connect growing distributors with their peers at larger, more established companies. Having a mentor in your corner who has already walked the path you’re on can be incredibly powerful. In an industry that supports highly demanding customers who operate around the clock, every day of the year, business-to-business mentoring creates a safe space to ask relevant questions, learn from past mistakes and gain real-world insights that can’t be found in textbooks or seminars. And, as executives and senior managers know, mentorship isn’t just about business growth; it’s about building confidence, sharpening decision-making ability and gaining long-term perspective. That kind of growth benefits both the mentee and the industry as a whole. While our distributor and manufacturer members are so generously devoting their time to these forward-looking efforts, FEDA is also continuing to build industry-specific education and leadership development resources through the FEDA Learn Institute (
www.learn.feda.com). As a former classroom teacher, I’m passionate about designing programs and curriculums that support learning and growth. One of the things that drew me to FEDA was the opportunity to create meaningful learning experiences for a national association. Fortunately, FEDA has a strong foundation in place. The association already offers courses in several strategic skills areas, including digital marketing,
finance, leadership, operations and technology, operator trends, product education, sales strategies, and supply chain. Going forward, the goal is to streamline and build on what we’ve already established to achieve a cohesive curriculum.
Over the past two years, part of
FEDA’s educational focus has been helping dealers identify ways to improve their supply chains. This has been addressed through on-demand courses on the FEDA Learn Institute, sessions at the FEDA Annual Executive Leadership Conference and the work of the FDC. Additionally, we see continued interest in understanding the potential of artificial intelligence, improving data management and streamlining connections between operational systems. Feedback in those areas is already informing the upcoming Tech Talks at the 2025 FEDA conference and will serve as the foundation of upcoming courses focused on developing technology skills. Finally, FEDA is preparing to expand both online and in-person leadership development opportunities. That work starts with retooling the FEDA Young Industry Leaders (YIL) program. Rather than the current age-based format, YIL will shift to a more comprehensive, two-track structure that better supports emerging professionals at all stages of their careers.
As with all of FEDA’s efforts, each new educational program, course and resource is crafted with distributors at their core. Today’s industry is in a state of constant transformation, and dealers need practical tools and insights that can help them navigate those changes with confidence. I’m excited to help build many of these resources, and I look forward to collaborating with more members to ensure our educational offerings align with their businesses.
What to know about Erin Bagley
What is a cool or interesting fact about you? I have ticker-tape synesthesia, which means I automatically visualize written words like subtitles when hearing people speak (or even from my own internal dialogue). I didn’t even realize this was unusual until my 20s, when I mentioned it to a friend and discovered not everyone sees words the same way. The brain is so cool!
What drew you to education? I’ve always loved using my ability to break down complex skills into manageable steps to help students build confidence as they learn. Pinpointing where someone is getting stuck and helping find ways to support their growth is especially rewarding. In my role at FEDA, that’s still what drives me: spotting common challenges across the industry and creating practical resources and programs that help businesses move forward.
What are some things you are learning in your new role at FEDA? Observing my first couple of council meetings felt like auditing a master course in the foodservice equipment and supplies industry. It’s fascinating that in such a niche market, there are endless approaches companies take to managing their operations and so many ways they create value for manufacturers and end users. Every company has a distinct way of doing business, but they are still interested in finding ways to streamline some of their processes. That leaves ample room for innovation as members work through those possibilities.
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