On the latest episode of The A100, OnWrd & UpWrd co-hosts Colleen Gallagher and Christine Stay talk with Suzanne Bohle, executive vice president for the Council of State Restaurant Associations. Suzanne shares the challenges that state restaurant associations have faced in recent years as the pandemic had a massive impact on the restaurant industry, and talks about how it forced them to become more nimble and innovative. 

She talks about the prominent role government affairs plays in their efforts at the national, state  and local levels, and highlights the power of storytelling when they bring the restaurant operators themselves to meet with legislators. 

CSRA works to make it easier for their state restaurant association members to empower their members to navigate changing consumer preferences, technology advancements and sustainability concerns along with workforce issues. It’s all about bringing members together to share industry best practices. She also talks about CSRA’s focus on professional development and information sharing, as the association offers both virtual and in-person opportunities to meet their members’ needs. 

“At our restaurants and in our industry, you've got from baby boomers to millennials to Gen X to Gen Z. How do they work? What are their work traits? How do you motivate them?” Suzanne shares when talking about one of the ways CSRA provides value for their members through bringing in topical conference speakers. “So what we do is we educate our members. We plant the seeds. A lot of that they'll take back to their members. Some of it's  to educate the associations, but some of this is to educate them so they can educate their members.” 

If you’re looking for advice from an association excelling in providing ROI for its members, even through difficult times, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. 

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Follow along for best practices, top trends, helpful ideas and smart strategies and tactics that work in the world of associations:

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