Meet CAISD

TORONTO--In an effort to help independent security distributors compete with the likes of ADI and Tri-Ed in Canada, four distributors have hired executive director Joe Cosentino and founded the Canadian Association of Independent Security Distributors. For an annual buy-in of $3,540, new members will be able to leverage a combined purchasing power and, in a way, combine their collective inventories to provide improved service to their dealer customers. The goal is to eventually attract 35 to 40 distributor members, said Cosentino, all of whom have one or two locations. Additionally, the CAISD will offer free memberships to dealers and manufacturers. Dealers will receive purchasing specials and other discounts and services. Manufacturing partners will have the opportunity to sell in bulk to the entirety of the association. How many of these independent distributors are in the Canadian market? "It's difficult to say, exactly," said Cosentino. "I've been trying to figure that out myself. But I don't want to create more competition between them, so the idea is to limit the number of dealers that come on board. Maybe we'll only have four or five in the Toronto area, for example, a few more in Vancouver, and then one or two each in the smaller cities." He said there won't be a yearly revenue cap or any other specific criteria for admission to the association, but companies will apply, and "once they submit the application it will be easy to tell if they qualify." For more information, visit www.caisd.org.