8383 Riley Street, Zeeland MI, 49464 USA
theofda@yahoo.com

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OFDA is a non-profit association of office furniture shippers which accounts for over 85% of the nation's shipments in interstate commerce. Their common bond is that they all ship office furniture in less-than-truckload and volume shipments and therefore have common interests and problems.  They are kept well informed through the medium of a monthly traffic newsletter which brings them news of pending rate and rating increases, changes in rules and regulations, regulatory decisions, new packing requirements and any other transportation or distribution matters on both the national and regional levels for all modes of transportation.

Additionally, OFDA is committed to a continuous educational program. Timely traffic tips are forwarded to members each month and other articles are prepared by the staff or outside experts throughout the year.  Our meetings feature staff speakers, outside well respected speakers and some of the pros in our membership. as well. Roundtable and on-line discussion groups always work well. This is a roll-up your-sleeves approach by participants who share common problems and thrash out the solutions to such problems as shipping rail vs. general commodity carrier, or cartoned vs. uncartoned, or you name it. Members share their own experiences and relate to one another such things as who is a good furniture distributor in Los Angeles, a good furniture carrier in Chicago or a good furniture warehouseman in New York. Every member enjoys a continuous educational program in OFDA.

Members are the key to action. The strength of our association is in its members. The more members, the better the quality and quantity of our work. Dues are our only source of funding. We need members and dues to continue the fight against unreasonable carrier increases, make cost analysis for possible rate and rating reductions, help expand specialized furniture carrier service and to provide a continuing educational program. As you can see, this is a hard working and dedicated association committed to do a job -- making it easier to get your products into the marketplace at reasonable cost and service levels. We, of course, need your help. Help us to serve the office furniture industry and you in the coming year. Join the action group - OFDA.

The evolution and objective of OFDA. While our association's charter is new and our group and goals have broadened, we have provided traffic service to the office furniture industry for over 60 years. Back on May 18, 1923, a group of traffic representatives of the manufacturers of metal office furniture met in Cleveland and formed the Metal Office Furniture Traffic League. That organization was adopted by the Steel Office Furniture Institute on November 3, 1931. Then on November 9, 1934, the traffic representatives, again meeting in Cleveland formed the Steel Office Furniture Traffic Association which continued until October 1976 when its members met and agreed to expand the association to include manufacturers of all office furniture, not just metal.  Thus the Office Furniture Distribution Management Association became a reality to serve all manufacturers of office furniture who join in attacking problems not only in traffic, but in all of distribution.  As stated in the Constitution and By-Laws, our object is

"to promote the common interests of our members as to transportation and distribution management development through educational articles, seminars, programs, and presentation of views to regulatory agencies concerning these common interests.  These common interests include the rules, regulations, ratings, rates and packing requirements of regulated carriers as they relate to transportation of office furniture."

In 1986, the name was shortened to Office Furniture Distribution Association.

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