SALEM, Ore. — The members of the Pacific Northwest Hardware and Implement Assn. (PNA) have voted unanimously to merge with the Western Equipment Dealers Assn. One hundred percent of the votes cast at the nine regional meetings held to discuss the merger and returned by mail were in support of the merger. Earlier this summer, the PNA board of directors approved a merger plan and submitted it to the members for a ratification vote.

“This is a huge vote of confidence in the leadership and board of directors of the Pacific Northwest Hardware & Implement Assn. and Western Equipment Dealers Assn.," stated Farrell Oswald, president of the PNA. “This is an exciting time for our organization, and we are very pleased to see that our members support our growth plan.”

Scott Eisenhauer, president of the Western Equipment Dealers Assn., is also pleased with the strong show of support from PNA dealer members. “This unanimous support confirms our belief that this merger is of benefit to dealers and the industry as a whole. We look forward to working with dealers in the Pacific Northwest region.”

The Western Equipment Dealers Assn. is governed by seven directors. With the merger, three board members will be added from the Pacific Northwest region. The following individuals were elected to serve on the Western Equipment Dealers Assn. Board:

Farrell Oswald, Pioneer Equipment, Idaho Falls, Idaho — 1-year term

Greg Hamilton, Washington Tractor, Okanogan, Wash. — 2-year term

Kevin Pawlowski, Farmers Equipment, Lynden, Wash. — 3-year term

The merger is effective as of Oct. 1, 2015. The Western Equipment Dealers Assn. is an international trade association that will now represent more than 1,250 hardware and equipment dealers in nine U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. It is the largest regional equipment dealer association of its type in North America.