The “Workin’Man” song was written for the 2017 Specialty Tools & Fastener Distributors Association convention as a tribute to the trades, but multiple members have put it on their websites, executive director Georgia Foley announced at the 2018 convention.

Dutton Miller, STAFDA’s 1999 president, contacted Foley about using Workin’ Man on the Whitehead Hardware website to promote the trades and work with a local community college. Web: whiteheadindustrial.com

A few months later Miller emailed: “The Workin’ Man vice has been the inspiration for a campaign honoring tradesmen. We viewed it with Wiregrass Technical College and it led to great cooperation between us.”

“We have produced billboards that honor their graduates and, of course, promote our store,” Dutton wrote. “Now the college is placing our design on some of their billboards. We also established a Tradesman Award for their selected graduates.”

The college is now stocking tool kits from Whitehead to sell to new students.

Foley emphasized Dutton commenting that it could be “easily repeated by other members.”

Indeed Greg Hughes of Oklahoma-based Kinnunen Sales & Rentals started a “Salute to Skilled Workforce” campaign with Meridian Technology Center. A student won a 1,000 tool shopping spree at Kinnunen. Web: ksrsales.com

Foley reported STAFDA had 683 10×10 booths plus nine island booths for the 2018 trade show, compared with 648 booths and seven islands for 2017. Advance registration for 2018 was 3,946 – up from 3,709 a year ago.

STAFDA membership totals 1,033 distributors, 1,140 manufacturers, 308 rep agents and 20 affiliates (press).

The 43rd annual STAFDA convention will be November  8-10, 2019, in Nashville. Web: stafda.org