Pat Walls, CEO of United Aqua Group, has seen too many potential members turned away from joining the buying group because they didn’t qualify for a credit line.
UAG is changing that.
The organization launched a new initiative to broaden its membership base to include builders and retailers that might not be eligible to participate in UAG’s three existing programs: Aquatech for residential builders, AquaValue for retailers and Aquacommercial for elite commercial builders.
“Maybe they’re new to the industry, have no track record, but want to partake in networking, education, and the annual conference and buying relationships with 275 vendors,” Walls said.
For those prospective members, there’s AquaSupply. It’s an entry-level program that offers the perks of membership, minus the credit line to buy discounted goods through the group.
Walls hopes that AquaSupply will serve as a stepping stone to one of UAG’s other platforms.
“If they weren’t able to qualify before,” he said, “they could qualify down the road.”
UAG currently has 245 members.