North American Meat Institute (NAMI)
Client Overview
The North American Meat Institute (NAMI), founded in 1906, supports meatpackers and processors through regulatory and legislative advocacy. With 650 organization members spanning general, supplier, and allied categories, NAMI collaborates with federal agencies and regional organizations to advance the industry.
The Challenge
NAMI’s legacy system was outdated, lacked staff adoption, and suffered from poor data quality. It relied on a single individual for support and failed to meet the organization’s growing needs.
Over time, staff resorted to workarounds and siloed data repositories. This prompted the association to re-evaluate its technology infrastructure to align with future goals.
Then, when their technology vendor announced its closure, NAMI had to quickly find and implement a new system.
The Goals
NAMI needed to:
- Replace its legacy system with a reliable, user-friendly solution
- Improve data quality and system adoption.
- Align technology infrastructure with long-term goals.
The Approach
Dennison & Associates conducted a comprehensive tech assessment, highlighting the system’s deficiencies. Leveraging prior knowledge of NAMI’s operations, they expedited the selection process and recommended a modern, scalable solution. Dennison also managed the system’s implementation, and ongoing support, ensuring seamless adoption.
The Implementation
Dennison & Associates conducted a tech assessment, giving leaders hard facts to bolster the anecdotal evidence they already had: staff saw little value in entering data, and there was no effective way to retrieve or use the information later.
NAMI’s key takeaway from the technology assessment was to understand clearly the purpose behind the changes. Knowing why the system change is necessary, along with where the organization currently stands and its future goals, was essential.
After the pandemic paused their technology changes, NAMI’s AMS vendor announced plans to stop supporting the association’s legacy system. NAMI needed to jump start the selection and implementation process quickly, so they called Dennison & Associates again.
Dennison’s prior knowledge of NAMI’s systems and challenges enabled them to move efficiently, making them a valuable partner for the selection. Dennison helped NAMI select a modern AMS to meet their strategic needs.
Dennison guided NAMI through the implementation, working with staff and the vendor to meet the tight timeline. Dennison also helped with change management, building staff trust in the data and ensuring seamless adoption by go live.
Due to their long experience of Dennison’s care and expertise, NAMI continued to work with Dennison for continuing improvements for over a year after go-live.
The Results
The Dennison team’s expertise allowed NAMI to focus on strategic decisions, like updating business processes, while Dennison handled technical and logistical challenges. Their familiarity with NAMI’s culture and goals facilitated a smooth transition.
From developing an initial digital strategy through selection, implementation, and ongoing culture change, Dennison helped NAMI enhance member engagement, streamline workflows, increase staff system adoption, and position themselves for data-driven decision-making.
Testimonials
Eric Zito, VP of Business Development
Position
The Dennison team has been great to work with. The camaraderie and chemistry of working together for over a year, as well as their knowledge of us as an organization, was incredibly helpful. Dennison’s expertise saved us time and effort. Their guidance helped us modernize our operations and set a clear path for future growth. “The same team did the tech assessment, helped with the selection process and then guided implementation.”