As she marked her 10th anniversary of service with MANA earlier this year, Susan Strouse, the association’s secretary/treasurer and accounting manager, notes that despite the many changes that MANA has undergone during her tenure, its dedication to serving the membership has never wavered or been stronger than it is today.
Strouse arrived at MANA a decade ago well prepared to provide the association and its members with expert financial service. Prior to her time with the association, she worked for 13 years as chief financial officer and bookkeeper at a printing company, and 10 years as bookkeeper, student services director and class registrar at an educational institution. Those positions took her to the time MANA came calling.
In her current position with the association Strouse serves as accounting manager, secretary and treasurer for MANA. Her duties include accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, monthly financials, board meeting preparation, proof reading, and customer service, along with a variety of other projects.
And MANA’s CEO Charles Cohon notes that he was lucky to have Susan already in place in 2011 when he came on board. “Susan’s deep knowledge of MANA’s policies, practices, and history were invaluable to me when I joined MANA, and her unstinting dedication to the association has reinforced her extraordinary value as a resource to me and to MANA’s members.”
Strouse, who has seen any number of changes including the coming and going of personnel, up-and-down business climates and even changes in the location of the association’s headquarters, notes that “In the nearly 70 years that MANA has been in existence, it has always cared about its members and remains here to help them in any way it can. From what I’ve experienced over the years, MANA has always been great with customer service, but at the same time, we are always striving to do even better. The association is constantly looking for ways to improve and continues to add more value to the membership. MANA stays on top of a variety of technical fields to make it easier for members to access all the products, services and information in the MANA member area.”
In mentioning the services the association provides for the membership, Strouse notes, “MANA has so much to offer that it’s difficult to choose services that are more valuable than others. If I had to pinpoint anything I would say that the online databases are extremely valuable. They’ve been constructed so it’s extremely easy for reps to find principals and for principals to locate prospective representatives. While that might be the first service to come to mind, I also feel that continued education for reps and manufacturers remains critical. That’s why our monthly magazine, Agency Sales, and our special reports and teleforums fill such an important role in the lives of our members. In addition, the “Steps to Rep Professionalism” and “Steps to Becoming a High-Quality Principal,” which can easily be found on our website (www.MANAonline.org), cover so many aspects of what reps and manufacturers need to know in order to work effectively with each other and grow their businesses. Then, of course, there’s our Business Telephone Counseling with Charley Cohon and Jerry Leth and the counseling sessions with MANA attorneys that provide members with immediate answers to important questions.”
