The Association of Closet & Storage Professionals (ACSP) recently named Amanda Conger as executive director. 

Conger, who is also executive director of the Cabinet Makers Association (CMA) and will continue in that role, brings a depth of industry experience and connections having worked as a marketing supervisor for Stiles Machinery and marketing director for Premier Eurocase. Before becoming executive director for CMA, she was director of sales and marketing for the association.

"Her experience with CMA has given her the skills and knowledge to help us move forward into this time of growth," said Eric Marshall, ACSP president. "Communication with our membership and Executive Board is evolving and will become a more seamless experience for new and current members. She will continue working with CMA as she works closely with our Educational Committee and with all our committees in general."
 
When asked about her vision for ACSP, Conger said that she wants to help the association grow.
 
“Similar to what I do for the CMA, and it’s amazing how much that's grown just by increasing its visibility and its level of professionalism. Those are the two things that have worked well for the CMA, and I think it's very appropriate to do the same thing for the ACSP,” she explained. 
 
CMA board members are fully supportive of this move, Conger said, especially with many custom cabinet closets looking to add closets and home organization to their product lines, there is a natural synergy between the two groups.
 
“The CMA Board of Directors are excited and proud to support Amanda in her new role as Executive Director with ASCP,” said Ken Kumph, CMA president. “The CMA will continue to benefit from Amanda’s direction and guidance as its Executive Director and look at this as an opportunity to collaborate with ASCP and strengthen and contribute to both of our associations. Thank you, Amanda, for your continued leadership.”

New initiatives

Upcoming plans to expand ACSP and increase its visibility include a new website to enhance the member experience, regional events to connect with members across the country, and a new training program for designers.
 
As far as the timeline on when these initiatives will take place, Conger said the new website is expected to launch at the beginning of 2022 and regional events will tentatively start in the second quarter of the year.
 
Also tentatively launching at the beginning of 2022 is the designer training program. 
 
“It's an online training course that we're working on and it’s great for people just starting out in the industry, new employees, and the like,” Conger said. “So, we're just working on those details right now too, but we're ready to roll with that. I would hope by the first of the year for that too. We’re pretty aggressive [with the schedule]. This has been in the works. It is a matter of pulling the trigger on some of these things.”
 
ACSP will also have a presence at the International Woodworking Fair (IWF) next August in Atlanta, working with Closets & Organized Storage on its Closets Symposium and the association will participate in IWF’s education sessions during the show.
 
For more information about ACSP, visit closets.org and to contact Conger directly, call 616-287-0954 or email [email protected].