GenNext was originally founded in 2014 as a stand-alone professional organization with individual memberships and a simple mantra: Educate, Mentor, Recruit. Fast forward to today, that "next generation" of leaders has become the most active group of volunteers giving their time and talents to the CVSN organization. Today's GenNext may look different, with past members participating in the various CVSN Pillar Communities, but the spirit of the organization still remains intact. We know the future depends heavily on our industry's younger team members and that future is now.
Educate:
On the education front, the GenNext organization founded one of CVSN's most success events - the Distributor Training Expo (DTE). Each year, this event brings the front-line sales employees from CVSN Distributor members together to get trained in multiple product lines by some of the industry's leading parts suppliers. Starting in 2024, DTE will serve as the flagship track of The Seminar and will continue to provide quality booth and classroom training over the event.
In addition to DTE, GenNext will be offering two professional certifications focused on enhancing and standardizing the basic training needed to succeed specifically in the commercial vehicle aftermarket. These certification classes are intended to be taught at CVSN's education event "The Seminar" as well as virtually throughout the year.
- GenFirst Certification Program - Think of this certification as a "Commercial Vehicles 101" entry-level course for new hires or employees transitioning into the parts side of the busienss. Topics will start with the anatomy of the truck, dive into the functionality and fit of the individual part groups, and then follow the life cycle of the part from the manufacturer through the distribution chain to the end users.
- GenNext Certification Program - Focused on the future executives, this program takes parts experts and teaches them the fundamentals of all areas of the business. This includes sales, marketing, warehouse, back office, and general management training.
Mentor:
One of the favorite legacy activities from GenNext is the "Speed Mentoring" sessions, held at various industry events. Speed Mentoring provides an fun and casual opportunity for industry newcomers to meet the more experienced industry leaders, spawning relationships and new perspectives that can carry forward with them throughout their careers. And this learning goes both ways as many of the mentors gain valuable insights and innovations from these conversations. Speed Mentoring sessions are held during both the HDA Truck Pride and VIPAR group events, as well as at HDAW (new in 2024!) and as individual recruiting events throughout the year.
Recruit:
Working as part of the Industry Awareness Community, recruiting future employees is one of the biggest challenges facing the industry. CVSN has several new activities and projects focused on identifying and reaching out to new pools of talent that will give our members access to potential employees and future leaders. This area of the business will be a constant challenge for the industry and strong participation from GenNext is vital to its success.
For more information on GenNext, please e-mail gennext@cvsn.org or contact the CVSN staff directly.