Let's Talk NTPDA Scholarships!

It's that time!  The opportunity for NTPDA to help a student continue or start classes at the university, college or trade school level. And all you need to do is apply.  Here are the details:

The 2024 NTPDA Scholarship Application is now available on our website here.  The NTPDA Scholarship Program is open to NTPDA members, employees of members, and dependents of members and employees who are planning to enroll full-time (12 or more credit hours) at an accredited trade school, college, or university for 2024 – 2025 academic year.   

NTPDA will award 10 trade scholarships and 15 collegiate scholarships. If there are less than 10 trade applicants, the remaining scholarships will go to collegiate applicants. The top two applicants will be awarded $5,000 each and the remaining scholarships will be $3,000 each with the sponsoring company contributing $500 towards the scholarship award per recipient.  NTPDA will invoice companies following the selection of the recipients and one check will be sent to the recipient from NTPDA in the full amount. The lifetime maximum an applicant may receive a NTPDA scholarship is two.  There is a limit of two scholarships awarded per paid membership per year.  This includes Regular, Associate and Affiliate members.  Additional details are available on the front page of the application.

Scholarship awards are based on academic achievement, extra-curricular/community activities, evidence of leadership, work experience, short- and long-term career goals, and the applicant's overall response to each of the questions on the application.  Financial need is not considered in the review process and there is no distinction made on race, religion or gender of the applicant.

We hope to see YOUR application soon! 

2023 Scholarship Deadline March 15

Welcome to March NTPDA Members! We can almost feel it in the air.  And because March is upon us so too is the 2023 Scholarship Deadline. March 15 is the date when all scholarship applications must reach our office in Texas.  But first some NTPDA Scholarship details:

This year NTPDA will award 10 trade scholarships and 15 collegiate scholarships. If there are less than 10 trade applicants, the remaining scholarships will go to collegiate applicants. The top two applicants will be awarded $5,000 each and the remaining scholarships will be $3,000 each with the sponsoring company contributing $500 towards the scholarship award per recipient.  NTPDA will invoice companies following the selection of the recipients and one check will be sent to the recipient from NTPDA in the full amount following proper documentation*. The lifetime maximum an applicant may receive a NTPDA scholarship is two. There is a limit of two scholarships awarded per paid membership per year.  This includes Regular, Associate and Affiliate members. 

These scholarships are awarded to deserving students who are NTPDA members, employees of members, or dependents of members or employees.  Scholarship applications are open to U.S. and Canadian graduating high school seniors, trade school or college students enrolling full-time (12 or more credit hours) toward a diploma, certificate, or degree at an accredited trade school, college, or university.   Completed applications must be accompanied by written verification of affiliation with a NTPDA member company and a Recommendation Letter from someone outside of the sponsoring company or your family.

Here is the LINK to the NTPDA Scholarship Page and the application.  Remember the deadline is March 15...so let's go!

*Scholarship recipients must provide evidence to the NTPDA office that college registration is complete before scholarship funds are disbursed.  Upon receipt of such evidence, the NTPDA will issue a check to the recipient.

 

The NTPDA Scholarship Program 2021

One of the many benefits enjoyed by members of the National Tractor Parts Dealership Association is our Annual Scholarship Program. It's time, once again, to get those applications in to our office so we might distribute to our Scholarship Committee.

The total award to each recipient is $2,000. NTPDA contributes $1,500 and the sponsoring company kicks in $500. We'll invoice each sponsoring company and then issue the scholarship award to the recipient. The lifetime maximum an applicant may receive from the NTPDA Scholarship Program is two. In addition there is a limit of two scholarships awarded per paid member per year. This does include Regular, Associate and Affiliate members.

The scholarships are awarded to deserving students who are NTPDA members, employees of members, or dependents of members or employees. The application process is open to U.S. and Canadian graduating high school students, or current college students, enrolling full-time (12 or more credit hours), toward a diploma or degree at an accredited college or university.

Completed applications must be accompanied by written verification of affiliation with an NTPDA member company and a Letter of Recommendation from someone outside of the sponsoring company or family.

Scholarship awards are based on academic achievement, extra-curricular/community activities, evidence of leadership, work experience, short- and long-term career goals, and the applicant's overall response to each of the questions on the application. Financial need is not considered in the review process and there is no distinction made on race, religion or gender of the applicant.

The selection process is an extremely difficult one because of the many outstanding applicants each year. Therefore, great care is taken to assure that impartial and unprejudiced choices are made. Applications are sent to the NTPDA office where they are logged in and noted with the date received and assigned a student code. The numbered applications are then sent to the Scholarship Committee and the original kept in the NTPDA office. Based on the criteria above, the committee then ‘rank’ the applications, choosing the top ranked as the recipients of the scholarships. Their selections are then forwarded to the NTPDA office for announcement to the Association and in the student's local newspaper.

Remember, scholarship recipients must provide evidence to the NTPDA office that college registration is complete before scholarship funds are disbursed. Upon receipt of such evidence, the NTPDA will issue a check to the recipient.

Here, again, is the link to download the NTPDA 2021 Scholarship Application.

Applications must arrive in our Texas office by Tuesday, March 16.  That address is Post Office Box 1181, Gainesville, TX 76241.

The 2020 NTPDA Scholarship Winners

The National Tractor Parts Dealer Association (NTPDA) Scholarship Committee has released the names of the 2020 NTPDA Scholarship Winners. The committee, made up of NTPDA members, met several times to rank the blind applications. Congratulations to the following individuals and their sponsors:

Tate Blankespoor, son of Harvey and Cheryl Blankespoor, was recently awarded a $2,000.00 scholarship from the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association.  Tate is attending Iowa State University pursuing a degree in Biology. His sponsor is A & I Products in Rock Valley, IA.

Alicia Dennie, daughter of Cory and Teresa Dennie, recently was awarded a $2,000.00 scholarship from the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association.  Alicia is attending Purdue University pursuing a degree in Pre-Dentistry.  Her sponsor is Bates Corporation in Bourbon, IN.

Addie Dickerhoff, daughter of Doug and Kelly Dickerhoff, was recently awarded a $2,000.00 scholarship from the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association.  Addie is currently attending Purdue University pursuing a degree in Nursing. Her sponsor is TTP – Diesel Power and Machine in Pierceton, IN.

Madison Koresh, daughter of Jeffrey Koresh and Stacy Roach, was recently awarded a $2,000.00 scholarship from the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association.  Madison is currently attending Western Michigan University pursuing a degree in Psychology – Behavior Science.  Her sponsor is Steiner Tractor Parts in Lennon, MI.

Sophia Luu, daughter of Binh and Melanie Luu, was recently awarded a $2,000.00 scholarship from the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association.  Sophia is currently attending Iowa State University pursuing a degree in Apparel, Merchandising, and Design; Emphasis: Creative & Technical Design.  Her sponsor is Hy-Capacity in Humboldt, IA.

Ty Joseph Neldon, son of Jamie and Jessica Neldon, was recently awarded a $2,000.00 scholarship from the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association.  Ty is currently attending Southeast Missouri State University pursuing a degree in Business Administration. His sponsor is Worthington Ag Parts in Sikeston, MO.  

Emily Smith, daughter of Pete and Cindy Smith, was recently awarded a $2,000.00 scholarship from the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association.  Emily plans to attend California Polytechnic State University to pursue a degree in Agricultural Business.  Her sponsor is F.P. Smith Parts & Equipment Company in Fairfield, CA.

Jadelynn Vopat, daughter of Ray and Sara Vopat, was recently awarded a $2,000.00 scholarship from the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association.  Jadelynn plans to attend Washburn University to pursue a degree in Biology.  Her sponsor is Abilene Machine, LLC in Abilene, KS.

Morgan Wood, daughter of Brian and Jenny Wood, was recently awarded a $2,000.00 scholarship from the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association.  Morgan plans to attend Lancaster Career and Technology Center to pursue a degree in Veterinarian Technician.  Her sponsor is Wengers of Myerstown in Myerstown, PA.

The National Tractor Parts Dealer Association (NTPDA) is a trade association serving the agricultural and industrial industries with members throughout the United States, Canada, U.K., and India.  The NTPDA awards scholarships yearly to members, members’ employees and their families based on academic achievement, extra-curricular and community activities, and leadership abilities.  Each of our scholarship recipients has demonstrated outstanding qualities in each of these areas, and the NTPDA is very pleased to have presented them with this scholarship. 

Member Benefits with Eric Shaul

While we were in Arizona for the NTPDA Annual Conference and Trade Show we heard from long-time member Eric Shaul of Allied Information Networks. Here in "Voices from Maricopa" Eric talks a bit about his business and also the NTPDA Scholarship Program. Applications are now online with the deadline of March 17th to return those applications to our Texas office. To hear Eric just click the audio connection below:

NTPDA Scholarships Eric Shaul

Scholarship awards are based on academic achievement, extra-curricular/community activities, evidence of leadership, work experience, short- and long-term career goals, and the applicant's overall response to each of the questions on the application.  Financial need is not considered in the review process and there is no distinction made on race, religion or gender of the applicant.

OK!  So let's send you to the NTPDA Scholarship Page on our website that has all the details and the application. 

Remember, applications must be complete and received in the Texas office by Tuesday, March 17, 2020.  That address is: 

NTPDA - Post Office Box 1181 - Gainesville, Texas 76241

Time For NTPDA Scholarships!

Each year the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association presents scholarships to deserving students wishing to advance their education. The NTPDA Scholarship Program is open to NTPDA members, employees of members or dependents of members or employees.  Students must enroll full-time (12 or more credit hours) at an accredited college or university for the 2020 - 2021 academic year.

Due to the rising cost of education, our Board of Directors voted last year to raise the amount of the annual scholarship. 

NTPDA contributes $1,500 and the sponsoring company of the recipient is to contribute $500 for a total of $2,000 award per recipient.

Scholarship awards are based on academic achievement, extra-curricular/community activities, evidence of leadership, work experience, short- and long-term career goals, and the applicant's overall response to each of the questions on the application.  Financial need is not considered in the review process and there is no distinction made on race, religion or gender of the applicant.

OK!  So let's send you to the NTPDA Scholarship Page on our website that has all the details and the application. 

Remember, applications must be complete and received in the Texas office by Tuesday, March 17, 2020.  That address is: 

NTPDA - Post Office Box 1181 - Gainesville, Texas 76241

Once again, here is a link to our NTPDA Scholarship Page.

Register Now and Save!

The 2020 NTPDA Conference & Trade Show runs January 16th - 18th at the beautiful Harrah’s/Ak-Chin Casino in  Maricopa, AZ (Think...Phoenix) and, as usual we've got a great event for our members full of networking, education and some fun! And...if you register before the end of day the 30th of November we'll save you some money!

Here's a quick video to encourage you to join us in January: 

But, remember...register today to get in on the "Early Bird" Savings. Here is your registration link and we look forward to seeing you in January for #NTPDA20!

 

Social Media and Business

Over the years, according to our count, we've done maybe six or seven seminars about business and social media. We've had our NTPDA members speak to the issue and brought in some social media experts. It was all meant help our members better engage with their customers and, in the end, sell more product.

Last week we thought it might be interesting to do a social media assessment of our regular members. You know, see what social media channels they are on, what they are doing with social media and get an idea of the utilization. It was very informative. We looked at blogging, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The results were mixed.

We didn't find many of our regular members who blogged. There were some that use YouTube and fewer who used Twitter or Instagram. It seems the social media platform of choice is Facebook with over 60% of our members engaged there.

We next looked at how often our members posted and what they posted about. We found, not surprisingly, that most were featuring products for sale and some special sales they were having. Very few members who posted on Facebook posted much else. The YouTube users, and there were a couple, did a mixture of "behind the scenes" and "how to" videos and many of those were done well.

We did find lots of Twitter accounts that were started a couple of years ago but then abandoned after only a few dozen tweets. Some members link their Facebook posts to Twitter so when they post on Facebook those posts automatically go right to their Twitter feed.

It was enough data to get us to thinking that maybe it's time to do a refresher, here on our Blog, about best social media practices. What each platform is good at and what they should be used for. You see, each really has a different audience.  

So, that's what we're going to do.  Over the next several weeks we'll post some helpful thoughts about each platform and offer up some best practices. We're hoping it will help and we promise not to go too deep into the weeds.

In the meantime if you've got thoughts about the use of social media for business let us know with a comment here. Just go to the comment section and post your thoughts about social media. We'll not make those public because, well not everybody wants to air their laundry. Right?

Thank you for being a member of NTPDA. We hope you'll find this information valuable. 

Investment or Expense

In business we're all to aware of these two words. An investment usually means we expect some sort of return for the good money or time that we've expended. An expense can also bring us a return but often it is simply the "cost of doing business". It can be a capital expense or keeping the lights on. The expense allows us to do business.

The same can be said about your membership in the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association. You can go ahead and pay your dues without expecting much in return...an expense...or you can be wise about your "investment" and expect value and a return on your dues payment.

We really hope your view of NTPDA Membership is an investment. But, to really get the most of your membership it takes just a bit more. The return on your investment depends on your involvement.

I'm really not sure of another organization that gives as much back to its members as does the NTPDA. Recently we published a sheet of "benefits" that membership brings you...it filled nearly four pages. But, the trick is to use them...but to use them ya gotta know about them. One of them is our NTPDA Scholarship Program that we wrote about last month. To check out the others head to our website or follow this link.

Investment and Involvement are also linked with you and your company make the decision to be truly engaged in your association. You can do that through a number of ways:

• Volunteer - There is nothing like learning about the workings of your Board of Directors other than volunteering to work on a committee. This year our goal is to get more involvement from our Membership in a committee structure from Membership to Planning;
• Attend - Your association holds two events each year. Our Summer Meeting and our Annual Trade Show and Meeting. When you attend these you become involved in making sure your investment pays off. Real business ideas and solutions along with creating relationships with fellow members and the folks who supply us with goods and services.

In the end it's your choice. We know you've got a bunch on your plate. We all do. But, here is a way that you can get the most out of your NTPDA investment and that one word is..."Involvement".

Thanks for reading!

NTPDA Scholarship Time!

Each year the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association offers our Annual Scholarship Program. NTPDA contributes $1,500 and the sponsoring company of the recipient contributes $500 for an award total of $2,000. The scholarships are awarded to deserving student who are NTPDA members, employees of members, or dependents of members or employees. Our scholarship applications are open to U.S. and Canadian graduating high school students, or current college students, enrolling full-time (12 or more credit hours), toward a diploma or degree at an accredited college or university.

The scholarship awards are based on academic achievement, extra-curricular/community service activities, evidence of leadership, work experience, short and long-term career goals and the applicant's overall response to each of the question on the application. Financial need is not considered in the review process and there is no distinction made on race, religion or gender of the applicant. Completed applications must be accompanied by written verification of affiliation with a NTPDA member company and a Recommendation Letter from someone outside of the sponsoring company or your family.

Sound good so far?

The Details

NTPDA will invoice companies following the selection of the recipient or recipients and one check will be sent the recipient from NTPDA in the full amount. Scholarship recipients must provide evidence to the NTPDA office that college registration is complete before scholarship funds are disbursed.  Upon receipt of such evidence, the NTPDA will issue a check to the recipient. 

The lifetime maximum an applicant may receive a NTPDA scholarship is two.  There is a limit of two scholarships awarded per paid membership per year.  This includes Regular, Associate and Affiliate members.

The selection process is an extremely difficult one because of the many outstanding applicants each year.  Therefore, great care is taken to assure that impartial and unprejudiced choices are made.   Applications are sent to the NTPDA office where they are logged in and noted with the date received and assigned a student code.  The numbered applications are then sent to the Scholarship Committee and the original kept in the NTPDA office.  Based on the criteria above, the committee then ‘rank’ the applications, choosing the top ranked as the recipients of the scholarships.  Their selections are then forwarded to the NTPDA office for announcement to the Association and in the student's local newspaper.

Applications MUST be complete and received in the NTPDA office by Monday, March 18th, 2019.

And...here it is.  Download the application here.

Good luck and thank you!