Our V.P. Scott recently returned from the annual Secondary Materials andRecycled Textiles (SMART) conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Bank & Vogue have been members for several years and our participation is important to our team and business. Since 1932 SMART (www.smartasn.org) has been the voice of our industry providing advocacy and education for industry members.

Besides escaping from the never-ending winter in Ottawa, this event is always a great opportunity to engage on topical issues and challenges that we face as a company and across our industry. It is always enjoyable to reach out to our customers and sellers who attend and even spend time with our competition to share stories and catch up.

One of the highlights of the conference was a half-day session on Bin Collection compliance and regulation – a growing issue for government, citizens and indeed for charities and private collectors. Bank & Vogue remains very supportive of SMART’s position and leadership on this matter as it works closely with members and local government to create fair, transparent and reasonable guidelines for the placement and management of collection bins. It is important to understand this issue. More information can be found at www.smartasn.org/events/CollectionBin_code_of_conduct.pdf.

We strongly encourage other for-profit companies to consider membership in our industry association. It provides great networking opportunities and a chance to be a part of the conversation in shaping the future of our industry.