In January 1904, a group of 80 office products, equipment and furniture dealers gathered in Chicago to lay the groundwork for a national association, the National Association of Stationers and Manufacturers. The association grew over the years into what is now known as the Independent Office Products & Furniture Dealers Association (IOPFDA). Celebrating its 110th anniversary in 2014, IOPFDA offers two interactive divisions based on the dealers' primary offering: the National Office Products Alliance (NOPA) and the Office Furniture Dealers Alliance (OFDA) and represent over 1,200 members including dealers, manufacturers, wholesalers, manufacturers representatives and industry service providers.
While the association has adapted to suit the changing industry, the mission to provide independent dealers with the information, tools and knowledge they need to help them to be successful in an evolving business environment has remained the same. From typewriters to tablets and wooden chairs to ergonomic seating, the IOPFDA accomplishes these goals by:
Conducting research studies focused on the dealers and their markets.
Providing opportunities for dialogue, education advancement and business improvement.
Providing a platform for dealers for advocacy on issues affecting dealers.
Promulgating policies and conduct activities for the betterment of dealers.
Although united in its mission and goals, each of the IOPFDA's divisions focus on particular areas of dealer development that are unique to either office products and/or the office furniture industry.
OFDA-Specific Areas of Interest
Research -
The Dealers' Choice Report is a carefully structured, anonymous dealer poll aimed at providing product-category-level feedback from dealers of all sizes on the full range of support they receive from their primary non-aligned suppliers
The Dealer Financial Comparison (DFC) Survey & Report has been designed to help industry firms evaluate their own performance relative to that of similar companies in order to identify improvement opportunities. The survey allows dealers to compare their company’s financial performance to the industry’s best players in the most comparable dealer peer groups.
Data Standardization - The new XML (extensible markup language) OFDAxml industry standard will provide a technology umbrella for sustained schema development and offers a unified way of communicating information throughout the entire order fulfillment process: from the publishing of manufacturer catalogs to the placing and shipping of customer orders.
Educational Growth & Development - A focus on education and networking are the keys to the success of the Dealer Strategies Conference which offers the perfect setting to meet, network and build personal relationships with the most progressive dealer principals and their top sales and operations executives in the office furniture industry.
Under the guidance of a Board of Directors made up of both office supply and office furniture dealers and an Advisory Board is representative of manufacturers and service providers to the industry, IOPFDA is the association for the office products and office furniture dealer community.
