Reprographics business "barometer" project ????

Although I'm pretty sure I won't be able to accomplish this project, I'd at least like to attempt it. Please bear with me while I explain.

What this project consists of: A "barometer" of how businesses in the reprographics industry (in the U.S.) are doing, month by month, quarter by quarter, sales-wise.

What would be necessary, I think, to make this happen: To get monthly sales information from at least 50 different firms (and from different parts of the U.S.) And, to be able to get this information no later than 15 days after the end of each month.

What would be published: Total monthly sales (no breakdown by region, just total sales for all reporting companies) month by month, comparative, 2009 vs. 2008.

Who would gather the information: Not me. I would ask one of my C.P.A. friends to be the gatherer and compiler of the information. I would not be privy to who reported what. Participating companies would e-mail their sales data to that C.P.A, not to me.

Publishing: I would, after receiving "totals' from the C.P.A. firm, publish the totals on my blog-site, once a month, shortly after the 15th of each month.

Benefit: While I realize that some would consider ARC's publicly-reported Sales figures to be a good barometer of how the industry's sales are faring, ARC benefits from "national deals" (due to its Premier Accounts Group efforts) that others cannot benefit from. So, comparing your company's numbers to ARC's numbers are not a completely-direct comparison.

If you are willing to participate in this barometer project, please e-mail me (joel.salus@mac.com) to let me know. (Please refer your friends in the business to this post on my blog-site.) If I get a sufficient number of yes-responses, I will move forward with the project.

I trust you've heard of the "Case-Shiller" Home Price Index? Well, if I'm able to get this reprographics-business-industry barometer project done, I'll be calling it the "US REPRO SALES INDEX." (A thankless project, if you will, because I won't get one red cent for doing it!)

Regards to all.