Members

SUMMARY OF THE WESTERN COTTON SHIPPERS ASSOCIATION

Since 1923, the Western Cotton Shippers Association has played an important part in the cotton industry, continually striving to better communications with every area of the cotton community.  Understanding the needs of the grower, working with gins and compresses, constant contact with the transportation industry are all of vital importance to getting a quality crop to the buyer and obtaining the best price for the seller.  In today’s economy and ever changing export markets, our members face the constant challenge of marketing the cotton crop.

The Western membership is comprised of Merchant, Non-Merchant Handler and Associate members.  The merchant and non-merchant handler members are the merchants and brokers whose firms are actively engaged in the buying and/or selling of raw cotton in the Western area.  The associate members are those firms who provide the services that support our industry.  Among them are banks, warehouses, steamship and truck lines and port authorities.  The Western area includes the States of California, Arizona, New Mexico and the El Paso Territory of Texas.

Our Association is one of four Federated Associations of the American Cotton Shippers Association, which is the national trade association of cotton merchants, shippers and exporters of raw cotton.  The ACSA’s administrative offices are in Memphis, Tennessee with the General Counsel’s office located in Washington, D.C.  The merchant, non-merchant handler and associate members of the Western carry an automatic membership in the American, and such members receive informational letters and circular material issued by the American as well as that generated by the Western.

The major purposes of our Association are to establish and maintain just and equitable rules, regulations and principles in the cotton trade.  We endeavor to acquire, preserve, and disseminate information relating to supply and demand, sale and shipping of cotton and our members work to promote economical handling and marketing of the cotton crop.  Our Association takes every precaution to uphold the integrity of our membership.  If a member of the Association is found not to have honored the terms or conditions of a contract or if a dispute arises, the Association provides a system of binding arbitration, available to both members and non-members.

The officers of the Western include the President, Vice President, Past President and the Secretary/Treasurer.  The Board of Directors is made up of the President, Vice President, Past President, and six Directors elected at each annual meeting.  Standing Committees appointed by the President review and analyze problems and operations for which they are responsible and present recommendations to the annual meeting in the Spring of each year.

The Western Cotton Shippers Association’s success since 1923 is largely attributable to the high level of participation by its members.  Much credit is due to the hundreds of members, present and past, who have served as officers and on boards of directors.  Commendation also goes to all those who have served on the various committees and special projects, as well as representatives of other groups who have worked with our Association in the consideration of problems of mutual interest.

The members of the Western Cotton Shippers Association have a long record of integrity, honesty and dependability as suppliers to both domestic and world cotton markets.

MERCHANT MEMBERS

NON-MERCHANT HANDLERS

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS