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
2026 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
2026 Convention Chair: Bill Shepard, BDI
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 Chairman: 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 2025 Fall Meeting and recognize Award Recipients at the 2026 Annual Convention and review Award criteria, nominating process and industry promotion following 2025 Fall Meeting making necessary adjustments prior to distribution of the 2026 Award Applications and increase the number of votes to 80% of all Distributor Member Companies.
Chairman: Ben Padd, Applied Industrial Technologies
Work with a digital marketing company to optimize the BSA Website by the 2025 Fall Meeting and increase the website activity and social media followers by 10% by the 2026 Convention.
Chairman: Mitch Bouchard, General Bearing Service, Inc.
Develop and maintain a landing page on BSA’s website to keep distributor members apprised of what technology and information is available regarding sensors beginning with surveying manufacturers about sensors then holding individual presentations from each manufacturer to distributors regarding their sensor products by the 2026 Convention.
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: JP Bouchard, General Bearing Service
Vice Chairman: Lauren Lanter, B&D Industrial
Manufacturer Liaison: Sylvia Silveira, NTN Bearing Corp. of Canada
Task Forces:
Chairman: Bill Shepard, BDI
Develop the Advanced Training Curriculum by the BSA 2026 Convention. Implement the marketing plan for the basic training videos, increase the YouTube views by 10% by the 2026 Convention and determine whether BSA’s training should be incorporated into an LMS available for BSA Member and Participating Manufacturer Companies by the 2026 Convention.
Chairman: John Masek, Bearing Service, Inc.
Develop a promotion strategy for the CBS Program and increase CBS Certifications by 30% by the 2026 Convention.
Chairman: John Masek, Bearing Service, Inc.
Vice Chairman: TBD
Develop content for the 2025 Talent Forum including HR industry trends and industrial distribution-specific issues, as well as a student panel, maintain a minimum of 20 attendees, and to 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
Chairman: Sara Blondin, BDI
Vice Chairman: Matt Pavlinsky, Applied Industrial Technologies
Manufacturer Liaison: Ben Walls, Bearing Manufacturing Company
Task Forces:
Chairman: John Masek, Bearing Service, Inc.
Implement three tactics to increase committee meeting attendance by 5 attendees YOY at the 2025 Fall and 2026 Winter Meetings.
Co-Chairs: Tracie Longpre, Applied Industrial Technologies
Sara Blondin, BDI
Increase female participation in BSA by ensuring that 80% of the women who attend the 2025 Convention attend the 2025 Fall or 2026 Winter Meetings. Hold a Women in Industry event (dinner, breakfast, or social hour) at the 2025 Fall Meeting with 80% participation of the women Fall Meeting attendees. Host the first Women in Industry Task Force webinar with a minimum of 20 attendees.
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: John Masek, Bearing Service, Inc.
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 Chairman: Loretta Dell. Bearing Service, Inc.
Manufacturer Liaison: Matt Eckels, The Timken Company
Task Forces:
Chairman: Joe Savage, Bearing Service, Inc.
Vice Chairman: Joe Kahn, SKF USA Inc.
Review and process proposed changes to the PIE Template as needed. Add 3 additional power transmission product categories to the PIE Template and Technology Platform: Adjustable/Variable Speed Drives, Enclosed Gearing, and Gearing (open) by the 2026 Convention. Oversee the data sharing platform for product information exchange (PIE) among authorized distributors and manufacturers of industrial products and implement a promotion plan to obtain 25 total participants by the 2026 Convention. (NOTE: Maintain a minimum of 25 participants every year thereafter.)
Co-Chairmen: Tracie Longpre, Applied Industrial Technologies
Scott Eiss, NTN Bearing Corp. of America
Develop and deliver a Digital Supply Chain Forum during the 2026/2027 fiscal year with at least 40 participants and identify possible tour locations and topics as well as the date (2026 Fall or 2027 Winter) by the 2027 Annual Convention.
Chairman: Bill Shepard, BDI
Obtain at least 90% Member Participation with the minimum participation of providing the income statement and balance sheet by March 31, 2026.
Chairman: Dave Tassi, NSK Americas
Continue to grow the sustainability knowledge center on BSA’s website by adding a table of regulations tracking important dates and updates related to sustainability issues and increase traffic to the page by 10% by the 2026 convention.
Interested in joining a BSA Committee or Task Force?
All committees must have a majority participation of Distributors vs. Manufacturers.
