Companies roll out new initiatives all the time.

Emails flood your inbox, announcements fill your screen, and it’s easy to think, “What are they selling now?” But stay with me – we’re not pedaling a product or pushing a policy. We’re offering something that money can’t buy: genuine connection.

Isn’t that why you’ve chosen to work with our association in the first place? However, wondering why you should care is a completely fair question!

Normally, new initiatives might promise better service or shout about some shiny feature. And I won’t lie, as someone in the Marketing team, it’s my job to send some of those announcements! 

But you and I both know, at the end of the day, what we all yearn for is a sense of connection. That’s what makes any experience—whether it’s a dinner party, first date, call with your friend, business interaction, you name it—truly memorable.

And that’s exactly what FBA’s “People Among Us” program aims to foster.

It’s All About Connection

The staff at FBA–or in any association–aren’t just names in an email or voices on the other end of a call. 

They’re the people who bridge your experience in this community! They help you solve problems, offer you guidance, and yes, sometimes even share a laugh or two.

In a world that’s increasingly automated and impersonal, these genuine human interactions make all the difference. I mean, think about it. How many meetings do you have a day? Out of the many, I’d guess that the most memorable ones are with people whose conversation moved you in some way.

That is so incredibly valuable – especially when we view our time as a commodity. 

More Than a Job Title

Here’s another hard truth: it’s tempting to put people in boxes based on their job titles—especially in the corporate world.

But at FBA, we see people as more than their roles. Every team member has a story, set of challenges, triumphs, hobbies, and favorite vacation spots. Knowing that there’s a fellow dog-lover or travel enthusiast on the other side of that email chain? That’s the sort of stuff that makes work not just work. It can even be… fun!

You might be a broker who interacts with our staff to streamline your business, or perhaps a franchisor interested in joining our inventory. Either way, what ties these professional interactions together is the genuine, human-to-human relationship. It’s what turns a network into a community and a transaction into a meaningful exchange.

What’s Next with “People Among Us”?

In the upcoming months, we’re going to introduce you to some of the incredible people who make FBA what it is.

Some faces you’ll recognize, others will be new—but each story will offer a fresh perspective on who we are as an organization and a community.

So, keep an eye out. Our first feature will introduce—and celebrate (hint hint)—a team member who’s making a difference in the best way possible: by being herself.

Read that article, here.

And I will leave you with this… from me, and everyone at FBA, thank you for being one of the many important People Among Us.