Committees
Most BSA activities are carried out by committees under the Board of Director's direction.
BSA members and participating manufacturers are encouraged to take an active role in the association by participating on these committees. Committee members are expected to attend committee meetings which are generally held three times per year – in the Spring (virtual), Fall (usually late September or Early October), and in the Winter (usually in late January to early February).
If you are interested in joining a BSA Committee or Task Force, click here for a Committee Description and Preference Form. All committees must have a majority participation of Distributors vs. Manufacturers.
Today BSA's active committees and task forces are listed below. Select each committee to see their leadership and purpose.
Convention
Planning
Develop the program of events and activities for the BSA Annual Convention
Planning
Distributor / Manufacturer Relations
Strengthen distributor-manufacturer relationships and, in turn, improve their image to customers.
Certification and
Education
Identify, develop, and recommend educational materials which will enhance expertise in the industry.
Education
Member Engagement and Programs
Ensure members are involved and continuing to receive value from their BSA membership.
Past Presidents
Council
To promote BSA membership, engage key industry personnel, support Board nominations, and recommend future convention sites
Council
Supply Chain Strategy & Technology
To monitor IT and supply chain advancements and recommend relevant improvements
2027 Convention Planning
The Convention Committee shall, under the supervision of the Board of Directors and the President of the Association, develop the program of events and activities for the BSA Annual Convention. It shall present to the Board of Directors a general outline of Convention programs. The Committee shall also be responsible for all arrangements for the Annual Convention and shall act to ensure that a balanced budget is maintained, and that deficit spending is avoided. BSA staff shall negotiate and conclude all contractual arrangements pertaining to annual convention.
Committee Leadership
2027 Convention Chair: Ben Padd, Applied Industrial Technologies
Distributor / Manufacturer Relations
To enhance the relationship between distributor and manufacturer and in so doing enhance their image to the customer. Inherent in this purpose is the long-term viability and value of BSA.
Committee Leadership
Chairman: Jeff Cloud, IBT Industrial Technologies
Vice Chair: Sara Blondin, BDI
Manufacturer Liaison: Kyle Sobke, Dodge Industrial, Inc.
Task Forces:
Chairman: Kyle Sobke, Dodge Industrial, Inc.
Present annually BSA Excellence Awards recognizing innovative contributions to the industry at the 2026 Fall Meeting and recognize Award Recipients at the 2027 Annual Convention and review Award criteria, nominating process and industry promotion following 2026 Fall Meeting making necessary adjustments prior to distribution of the 2027 Award Applications and increase the number of votes to 80% of all Distributor Member Companies. Additionally, review the Philanthropic efforts of BSA Members and Participating Manufacturers and identify an award to recognize the efforts of those companies by the 2027 Winter Meeting.
Chairman: Ben Padd, Applied Industrial Technologies
Increase BSA’s website activity and social media followers by 10% by the 2027 Convention now that the website has been optimized and using BSA’s content such as Excellence Award videos, the Bearing Industry promotional videos and other social media strategies the task force identifies.
Chairman: Mitch Bouchard, General Bearing Service, Inc.
Maintain a landing page on BSA’s website to keep distributor members apprised of what technology and information is available regarding sensors, post 5-10 sensor technology success stories on the landing page and identify an end user speaker in a senior maintenance position to share details regarding how they utilize sensor technology by the 2027 Winter Meeting.
Certification and Education
To develop or identify and recommend educational materials which will enhance expertise in the industry. Oversees the development and implementation of the certification program to instill confidence that bearing specialists have the quality of knowledge and critical skills necessary to provide effective service and solutions.
Committee Leadership
Chairman: Lauren Lanter, B&D Industrial
Vice Chair: TBD
Manufacturer Liaison: Sylvia Silveira, NTN Bearing Corp. of Canada
Task Forces:
Chairman: Bill Shepard, BDI
Develop the entirety of the Advanced Training Curriculum and share it on the BSA YouTube page by the BSA 2027 Convention. Increase the YouTube basic training video views by 10% by the 2027 Convention and collaborate with PTDA to incorporate the training into an LMS available for BSA Member and Participating Manufacturer Companies by the 2027 Convention.
Chairman: John Masek, Bearing Service, Inc.
Develop and implement a comprehensive promotional strategy for the CBS Program, including hosting two virtual study sessions, with the goal of increasing total CBS certifications by 10% by the 2027 Convention. Increase the CBS Exam passing rate by 30% by the 2027 Convention. Maintain a renewal rate of at least 90% of CBS’s still in the industry by the 2027 Convention.
Chair: Lauren Lanter , B&D Industrial
Vice Chair: Rebecca Picano, Climax Metal Products Company/RBC Bearings
Develop content for the 2027 Talent Forum including HR industry trends and industrial distribution-specific issues, as well as a student panel, maintain a minimum of 20 attendees, and meet or exceed the expectations of 95% of those attendees.
Member Engagement and Programs
Ensure members are involved and continuing to receive value from their BSA membership.
Committee Leadership
Chair: Sara Blondin, BDI
Vice Chairman: Matt Pavlinsky, Applied Industrial Technologies
Manufacturer Liaison: Ben Walls, Bearing Manufacturing Company
Task Forces:
Chairman: Ben Padd, Applied Industrial Technologies
Implement three tactics to increase committee meeting attendance by 5 attendees YOY at the 2026 Fall and 2027 Winter Meetings.
Co-Chairs: Tracie Longpre, Applied Industrial Technologies
Sara Blondin, BDI
Increase female participation in BSA by ensuring that 75% of the women who attend the 2026 Convention attend the 2026 Fall or 2027 Winter Meetings. Hold a Women in Industry meal function at the 2026 Fall Meeting and 2027 Winter Meetings with 80% participation of the women attendees. Host the first Women in Industry Task Force webinar with a minimum of 20 attendees by the 2027 Winter Meeting.
Past Presidents Council
To promote BSA membership to qualified non-member bearing distributors; to identify and invite to the Annual Convention, appropriate manufacturer personnel; to identify and nominate officers and members to serve on the BSA Board of Directors; and to identify and recommend sites for future BSA Conventions.
Committee Leadership
Chairman: Ben Nations, B&D Industrial
Task Forces:
Chairman: Doug Savage, Bearing Service, Inc.
Review and prioritize prospective member list to identify the top five prospects and propose next steps to acquire three new members before the 2024 Fall Meeting and begin implementation before the 2025 Winter Meeting as well as identify the criteria for an invited guest.
Supply Chain Strategy & Technology
To keep apprised of advancements and improvements in information technology and distributor supply chain efficiencies and develop, as may be appropriate, specific recommendations for them. This committee also supports the Association by recommending programs that will enhance knowledge, disseminate information, and improve efficiencies in the distributor supply chain.
Committee Leadership
Chairman: Derek Nielsen, BDI
Vice Chair: Loretta Dell, Bearing Service, Inc.
Manufacturer Liaison: Matt Eckels, The Timken Company
Task Forces:
Co-Chairs: Tracie Longpre, Applied Industrial Technologies
Scott Eiss, NTN Bearing Corp. of America
Develop and deliver a Digital Supply Chain Forum during the 2028/2029 fiscal year with at least 40 participants and identify possible tour locations and topics as well as the date (2028 Fall or 2029 Winter) by the 2027 Annual Convention.
Chairman: Bill Shepard, BDI
Achieve at least 60% member participation in the PAR by March 31, 2027, with the minimum requirement of submitting an income statement and balance sheet, supported by outreach from the task force chairman to encourage participation from non-participating members and by providing results from a prior year for reference.
Chairman: Dave Tassi, NSK Americas
Continue to maintain and enhance the Sustainability Knowledge Center by engaging an external partner to support ongoing regulation updates, with the intent to increase page traffic by 10% by the 2027 Convention. Identify current barriers to efficiently exchanging regulatory information and develop recommendations for a standardized process by the 2027 Winter Meeting.
PIE Task Force
Oversee the Product Information Exchange (PIE) data-sharing platform used by authorized distributors and manufacturers of industrial products, including reviewing and processing proposed updates to the PIE Template as needed. Expand the PIE Template and Technology Platform by adding three additional power transmission product categories by the 2027 Convention.
Committee Leadership
Chairman: Joe Savage, Bearing Service, Inc.
Vice Chairman: Joe Kahn, SKF USA Inc.
Interested in joining a BSA Committee or Task Force?
All committees must have a majority participation of Distributors vs. Manufacturers.
