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Team GAWDA Gathers in Paradise
Over 900 Distributors, Manufacturers, Spouses and Guests arrived on Paradise Island over the weekend.
They came to attend GAWDA's 64th Annual Convention, which got off to a rousing start on Sunday with a reception for First Time convention attendees and New Members, all of whom used the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of membership and to network with the Board of Directors, association staff and other members.
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| Gary and Liliana Stoneback |
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Gary Stoneback and his wife Liliana greeted attendees at the President's Welcome Reception, held on the Dig Deck of the Atlantis, where attendees sampled local food, heard island music, met association friends and reconnected with families. First-time attendee Greg Sanford from Technical Alloy and Industrial Gases in Houston, TX, said, "Friends in the industry told me it was a good idea to come to Convention." Sanford and his wife Pam were still without power when they left Houston, but were powering up on the networking opportunities available to them in the Bahamas. GAWDA Executive Director Kent Van Amburg had advice for all the first-time attendees, "Meet as many members as you can."
At the Opening Business Session on Monday, Jerome Elliott, president of the Bahamas Society of Engineers, greeted attendees and encouraged them to enjoy the island in their free time, repeating the Bahamian motto, "Once is not enough."
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First-time attendees
Greg and Pam Sanford |
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| Jerome Elliott, president of the Bahamas Society of Engineers, greeted Convention attendees. |
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| A record $134,000 was raised for this year's GAWDA Gives Back program. |
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A check for $134,000 (a record amount) was presented to Remelda Moxey, board of directors president for The Ranfurly Homes for Children. Moxey expressed "the sincere gratitude of our country," and encouraged GAWDA members to continue to give, saying, "When those less fortunate benefit, everybody benefits." A list of donors as of September 19 may be viewed here.
| 50th Anniversary of Group Life Insurance Program |
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| Insurance Trustees Chair Charles Miesch (r) presents Group Life Insurance Consultant Dave Irving with an anniversary plaque. |
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GAWDA Group Life Insurance Consultant Dave Irving was honored for the 50th anniversary of the GAWDA Group Life Insurance Program. Irving referred to the approximately 600 beneficiaries and approximately $3 million awarded as the "concrete result of 50 years of vision." GAWDA Insurance Trustees Chair Charles Miesch awarded Irving with a plaque and $5,000 American Express gift card. MetLife presented two additional plaques. MetLife Account Managers Bill Pellegrini and Kristy Solie honored GAWDA and Dave Irving, respectively. |
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| President Gary Stoneback |
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State of the Association
GAWDA President Gary Stoneback presented his State of the Association address. Stoneback spoke of teamwork and how this theme played out over the past 12 months. "In order to be successful and accomplish our ambitious goals, we needed to work together," explained Stoneback. "Our volunteer members became more involved as evidenced by our monthly Executive Committee conference calls, our quarterly Board of Directors conference calls, and the countless committee calls, meetings and e-mails in between. We have worked hard on the fundamentals and have put in the time and effort to make GAWDA a better association." You can read President Stoneback's speech in its entirety here.
Association Finances
GAWDA Treasurer David Walker provided the financial overview of the association. With revenues and reserves, Walker pointed out the strong balance sheet of the association. Walker also referred to the change of GAWDA's fiscal year to the calendar year, resulting in two extra paid months of membership in 2009.
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| President-Elect Britt Lovin |
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Teamwork in Action
President-Elect Britt Lovin reported on improved services to members, which encompass a strong and more efficient relationship with GAWDA consultants, each serving under an annual contract. Rick Schweitzer will continue in his role as Government Affairs and Human Resources Consultant; Mike Dodd will continue in his role as DOT & Homeland Security Consultant in addition to new responsibilities for OSHA/EPA guidance; Mike Degan will continue to serve as Welding Fume Litigation Consultant; and Tom Badstubner was named FDA & Medical Gases Consultant. TAP Resources was named as Operations Consultant.
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First Vice President
Lloyd Robinson |
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First Vice-President Lloyd Robinson cited dues equity and fairness as a significant improvement to a newly structured member dues schedule. Across-the-board adjustments will allow for more fairness and a dues structure that more accurately matches up with a member's annual revenues.
GAWDA University Online
Kent Van Amburg explained the benefits of GAWDA U. Currently, 6 companies have signed a training agreement for the 27 courses and 16 future course offerings. You can see a list of offerings here.
Young Executives
Young Executive Committee Co-Chair Richelle Smith-Brecht explained the criteria of membership in the YE program: 45 years of age or less, employed by a GAWDA member company, excited about the industry and seeking ways to develop both personally and professionally. Many benefits are available to GAWDA's Young Executives, including special educational sessions at the Convention and Spring Management Conferences, scholarships to the University of Industrial Distribution and additional workshops, an annual retreat, and a subscription to GAWDA Edge, the association's publication specifically designed for young executives. You can read the latest edition of GAWDA Edge here.
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| The Orlando Magic's Pat Williams inspired GAWDA's team. |
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Teamwork and Sports
Speaker Pat Williams, senior vice president of the NBA's Orlando Magic, explained the lessons that can be learned from sports teamwork. Williams discussed the eight qualities of outstanding teams, peppering his advice with anecdotes collected over his past several decades in sports management. Attendees were told that if they walk away with nothing else, they should know, "The best way to be a life-long leader is to be a life-long learner, and the best way to be a life-long learner is to be a life-long reader."
Consultants Update/Questions on the State of the Association
GAWDA DOT, Homeland Security, OSHA and EPA Consultant Mike Dodd had good news for members, reporting that PHMSA/TSA is proposing to narrow the list of hazmats needing security plans. GAWDA FDA and Medical Gases Consultant Tom Badstubner informed members that the SOP program will remain the same under his guidance and highlighted his services, which include providing a forum for monthly online discussions and performing mock and remote audits. Dodd, Badstubner and the Board of Directors answered questions from Convention attendees.
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| GAWDA Board and Consultants took questions from the audience. |
INDUSTRY
BEAT
(what
people are talking about)
Jara Joins Taylor-Wharton (Mechanicsburg, PA) • Stuart R. Jara was named vice president and general manager of Taylor-Wharton International' s pressure vessel and cylinder division, Taylor-Wharton. Jara will assume the responsibilities of Scott W. Boyd, who is retiring on September 30, 2008. Taylor-Wharton President Hoyt Fitzsimmons says, "Taylor-Wharton's initiatives are a perfect fit with Stuart's expertise and experience in the industrial gas industry."
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| Neil Armstrong |
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Armstrong Promoted at ESAB (Florence, SC) • Neil Armstrong was promoted to vice president of operations for ESAB Canada. An ESAB employee since 1991, Armstrong will oversee relations for key distributor accounts, marketing, service, supply chain and general operations. His previous positions include technical sales representative, marketing manager and logistics manager.
Mark Falconer Named ADA Co-Chairman (Minneapolis, MN) • Minneapolis Oxygen Company President Mark Falconer was named ADA co-chairman. The ADA, founded in 1993, enables independent distributors to leverage group purchasing power to achieve volume discounts and earn rebates. The ADA’s executive board provides guidance to its independent distributor members and vendor partners.
American Torch Tip Hires McCulloch (Bradenton, FL) • Jack McCulloch was hired as distributor liaison for the American Torch Tip Company. McCulloch has many years of industry experience, having previously been employed by Victor Equipment Company and Thermadyne Holdings. As distributor liaison, McCulloch's focus is on supporting general distributor communications, distributor relations and distributor programs.
U.S. Airweld Expands (Phoenix, AZ) • U.S. Airweld is expanding its facility at 2755 Highway 95 in Bullhead City, AZ. The expansion, which includes a 2,500 sq. ft. showroom, provides more facility space and is expected to grow business in the area. A grand opening will occur on October 10, 2008.
In Sympathy
William D. Ellen, 73, president and co-owner of Arcet Equipment Company, passed away on September 17. Mr. Ellen joined Arcet in March 1957 and, along with Parker Dillard, purchased it ten years later. Mr. Ellen was an essential part of Arcet's growth, expanding the company from one store to 20 stores, and establishing the CO2 beverage division. Not afraid of risk, he served as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army and had a career as a professional race car driver. "Bill was our spiritual leader," says Arcet General Sales Manager Greg Groome. "He was the inspiration that made us what we are." Mr. Ellen is survived by his wife Betty and three children.
GAWDA also sends its condolences to Weldcoa President Hector Villareal on the death in July of his father, Hector G. Villarreal Sr., and to Mark Straka, Specialty Air Technologies president and CEO, whose wife, Vicki Leal-Straka, passed away in an equestrian accident on July 5. |
GAWDA NEWS
Attention, Volunteers • Interested in helping to grow our membership? We are looking for volunteer leaders to be a part of the GAWDA Membership Committee. If interested, please contact Membership Director Kate Cole at 215-564-4672 or kcole@fernley.com.
Take Advantage of GAWDA University Online
GAWDA U is an easy-to-use and inexpensive online training tool for your employees. The educational content of GAWDA U was developed to support GAWDA's primary mission of providing information to assist you in improving your company's safety and compliance.
GAWDA U Online will be an ever-changing and growing program. The initial course offerings will concentrate on training for new employees during their first 90 days. The second generation of content will focus on more advanced training that will build upon the earlier basic/elementary courses. This summer, we will be seeking training material from our members that can be adapted to the GAWDA U platform and will expand the program to include supplier-based training on company-specific products and services.
We are conducting weekly Webinars to introduce members to the functions and content of GAWDA U and to answer any questions. Please contact GAWDA Membership Director Kate Cole (kcole@fernley.com) to sign up for the introductory webinars or to find out more about this exciting opportunity!
Click here to view course listings.
WORKSHOPS,
WEB CONFERENCES & SEMINARS
University of Industrial Distribution
December 2-5, 2008
The University Place Conference Center and Hotel, Indianapolis, IN
The University of Industrial Distribution is a concentrated educational program focused on the unique needs of the industrial wholesale distribution industry. Known worldwide for excellence in education, UID is sponsored by GAWDA and the leading industrial distribution professional associations, in cooperation with the Industrial Distribution Program of Purdue University. To register, click here, or visit the GAWDA Web site.
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