History of the MDNA Blog Part 2

The Machinery Dealers National Association — the MDNA — grew from a Depression-era inspiration into a robust trade organization in the 1940s and 1950s. Then, over the next three decades, it matured into a trusted brand with expanded professional services an important advisory role in the sensitive area of government regulation, while paying close attention to the personal side of its many family-centered members. Delve into the backgrounds of MDNA member businesses and you find telling similarities. Many of the stories feature humble origins in small, urban shops and craftsmen who put a premium on precision and innovation. This often produced results that propelled companies to regional, national, or even international prominence. It was a world that combined both metal and mettle — the resources to be shaped and the skills and determination needed to shape them. Key to success were the people who worked, under often difficult conditions, to repair, evaluate, and transport goods that fashioned and built things the world needed. Used machinery sales became a big business with a coast-to-coast reach, and it rested on a foundation of personal and institutional trust articulated by the MDNA’s Code of Ethics. With the 1960s in America came the space race, the consolidation and expansion of domestic vehicle production and, in the latter half of the decade, a military buildup to support the escalating conflict in Southeast Asia. As manufacturers adapted to rapidly shifting market demands and technological advancement, the used machinery trade exploded. Dealers and manufacturers needed a convenient, reliable way to find quality used equipment and the MDNA provided that through its Locator service, established in 1969 as a members-only newsletter. Today, Locator is an online presence that lists more than 1,100 business offering used machinery sale, repair, or transport services. In 1965, Randolph K. Vinson, who had been the MDNA’s executive director and organizational linchpin since its founding, retired and was succeeded by Richard K. Studley. At about the same time, Washington lawmakers again sought counsel from the MDNA. Leaders from several member businesses were called to testify before a Senate committee helping craft investment tax credit legislation aimed at boosting American competitiveness in increasingly global markets. Keeping pace with the organization’s growth in the 1970s, MDNA leadership decided to move its offices from the District of Columbia to the capital’s suburbs, and in 1973, it purchased a new headquarters in Silver Spring, Md. The organization now has its headquarters across the Potomac River, in Alexandria, Va. Austin D. Lucas, whose Massachusetts-based business had been an MDNA mainstay since its earliest days, was often recognized by the organization for his guidance and generosity. In 1983, the Lucas family endowed an academic scholarship to benefit children of employees of MDNA-member businesses. Since its inception, what is today known as the Austin D. Lucas Scholarship Program has awarded more than $2 million in assistance through scholarships and grants established by MDNA member organizations and families. This era of strong MDNA growth saw the establishment of a companion group, the Association of Equipment and Machinery Appraisers, in 1983. The AMEA was created to provide certification standards for appraisers, whose expertise and integrity are crucial to assuring the fair pricing practices that undergird used machinery sales. These events played out against a backdrop of increased MDNA involvement in the educational and personal well-being of its membership. Owners, managers, and employees of member businesses could benefit by taking part in MDNA gatherings. Its annual meeting, usually held in the spring, was an opportunity to network and relax on a national scale. The MDNA had expanded from its Midwest and Northeast roots to an operating model featuring 11 chapters across North America and one in Europe, each containing numerous member and associate businesses. While the MDNA national conventions were traditionally the year’s social high points, chapter meetings also served as forums for learning and fellowship — offering everything from professional seminars and workshops to golf outings and weekend sojourns to big-league sports events. The MDNA broadened its reach and influence over the latter decades of the 20th century, maintaining its core mission as the voice of the used machinery trade on a national scale while giving its members new opportunities to strengthen their professional and personal bonds. And while all this this was taking place, the machine trades were adapting to compete in a new and promising digital landscape which, like the analog arena from which they had emerged, would have a vital niche reserved for the MDNA.