Underground Construction - January 2022 - 25

same rush we had leading up to the 2020
Convention, " Darden said.
Convention highlights
Based on its location and the DCA's
planned programs and activities, the
association's 61st convention will be as
impressive as any that came before it.
The Arizona Biltmore has been a
Phoenix icon since 1929. The historic
resort has 39 acres of gardens, iconic
architecture and championship golf,
including a links course with rolling
fairways, desert ravines and five lakes.
Featured convention speakers include:
* Robert Ballard - Among the world's
most accomplished and recognized
deep-sea explorers, Dr. Ballard is best
known for his historic discoveries of
hydrothermal vents, the R.M.S. Titanic,
the German battleship Bismarck and
numerous other shipwrecks around the
world. Thanks to the declassification of
Cold War-era documents, he can also
now discuss what he was really looking
for when the Titanic was discovered.
* Peter Zeihan - a veteran of the U.S.
State Department, D.C. think tanks
and private intelligence companies and
founder of Zeihan on Geopolitics. He
combines an expert understanding of
demography, economics, energy, politics,
technology and security to help clients
prepare for an uncertain future.
* David Horsager, an author,
entrepreneur and professor who
researches and speaks on the impact
of trust as a fundamental, bottom-line
issue in life. He will share how trust can
improve retention of good employees
and bring greater innovation, higher
morale and better business results.
The convention schedule begins with a
day full of meetings on Thursday, Feb. 17,
through the morning of Friday the 18th,
followed by an afternoon registration party
and a welcome reception and dinner on the
resort grounds.
The pre-auction buffet and silent
auction will be held on Saturday evening,
with meetings and activities run through
Monday, culminating in the popular
President's Reception & Dinner on the
evening of Monday, Feb. 21. Playfully recognizing
the 1929 opening of the Arizona
Biltmore, the party will carry a Roaring
1920's theme with live jazz entertainment
and vintage cocktails. " A farewell breakfast
closes the event on Tuesday, Feb. 22.
Registration and housing
Registration Information -
Register and arrange housing on the
DCA website at: www.dcaweb.org
Registration Fee - $2,500 (single
or couple) After Jan. 25, 2022:
$2,900 Arizona
Biltmore Princess Resort
Accommodation Rates -
Single/Double: $399 (Suites are
available. Please phone the hotel
directly for availability and rates.)
Hotel Booking - https://book.passkey.
com/go/DCAAnnualConvention2022
or phone (800) 950-0086 to speak
to a reservation agent and reference
group code DCA22. *
DISTRIBUTION CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
After Two Years at Helm, DCA President
Sees Progress Through Pandemic
After a rare, two-year term as
president of the Distribution
Contractors Association, Ben Nelson
has a unique perspective on the
progress made and challenges
overcome through the worst of the
pandemic.
Most of the challenges are already
well-documented. The opportunities,
he says, will begin with the
DCA's long-awaited return to a traditional meeting schedule at
February's DCA Convention - the first since 2020.
" In aggregate, we've had more or less a regular year's worth of
events spread out over two years, " said Michels, who serves as
president of Michels Pacific Energy.
" When you come into the presidency, you already understand
how a typical year works, and after seeing what others have
done while leading the organization, you're looking forward to
certain things you want to do, " Nelson said. " For the most part,
I believe I was able to. "
That's not to say there aren't a few disappointments that come
with assuming the presidency at the start of a global shutdown.
But Nelson modestly suggests he was able to work with DCA
members to accomplish at least a year's worth of goals during
the unpredictable past two years. Emerging from that period, he
said, makes the upcoming annual convention a special one.
" I think it's going to be along the lines of our regular
conventions in the past, " he said, " which means it will be great. "
The 2022 convention will be held February at the famed
Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, which reopened in April after an
$85 million renovation. In anticipation of that event and the
completion of his term as DCA president, Nelson spoke with
Underground Construction about some of the organization's key
accomplishments during his term and shared his perspective on
some of the important issues facing distribution contractors now
and in the coming years.
UCONonline.com | JANUARY 2022
25
http://www.dcaweb.org https://www.book.passkey http://www.UCONonline.com
Underground Construction - January 2022

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