Once upon a time, being part of trade association was practically a given. Regardless of the industry, the pins and certificates of membership for these organizations were worn and displayed with pride. That once strong tradition has fallen to the wayside in much of the plumbing industry. Perhaps it has been replaced by blogs, forums and Google — which places the answer to practically any question at our fingertips. But, is the professional association really dead? Are the practices of associations obsolete? Far from it.The intrinsic value of professional associations can’t be replaced by online jabber. These nonprofit organizations seek to
