Browsing: smc

As has become tradition since the Nashville SMC, this year saw the return of the Educational Sessions. Following the morning’s two mainstage presentations, attendees had the option to attend two of six Educational Sessions. First, attendees had the option to attend presentations on Mega Gas Trends with Scott Rummans and Jeff Holyoak; Leadership with Dave Lambert; or Employee Retention with Ryan Craven. In the second session, attendees got to choose between sessions on AI & Cybersecurity with Allison Earlbeck, Tony Hopkins, and Aaron Turner; Building an Effective Compensation Strategy with Alex Chausovsky; and “Kickin Gas,” an interactive presentation from Bryan…

GAWDA Main Stage veteran Dirk Beveridge kicked off the educational portion of the SMC with a presentation about company culture. Dirk has traversed the United States over the past three summers, meeting with distributor companies who make up the “back bone of America.” And he was able to share lessons learned from the high-performing cultures of these companies practicing the noble art of distribution. Following Dirk’s presentation, GAWDA First Vice President Allison Earlbeck introduced ECI Software Solutions’ Dave Bent and Dr. Jonathan Bein, an author and AI Solutions Speaker who spoke about the important and hot-button issue of Artificial Intelligence.…

The WGW Committee hosted its bi-annual networking Meet & Greet before the Newcomers Reception. The Meet & Greet allows GAWDA’s women attendees to meet like-minded professionals before the conference officially kicks off. This year’s Meet & Greet had more than 40 women registered! It was the perfect way to get acclimated to the SMC before the Newcomers and Welcome Reception. The WGW also toasted the upcoming retirement of its co-chair Sue Reiter. Sue, thank you so much for your time and effort in spearheading WGW’s committee. We wish you well in your upcoming retirement!

The YP Committee hosted a Lunch and Learn and invited GAWDA President Gary Halter to speak to the more than 70 participants about bridging the gap between different generations of employees, not only within GAWDA, but also within our member companies. Gary’s presentation, was, of course, chock full of great Gary-isms as he related how his career has progressed and how much he has gleaned from his mentors along the way. Following the insightful presentation, the Young Professionals hosted what has become an annual event at the SMC, its Scavenger Hunt. This year’s Hunt featured a twist, as the Young…

The Booze Brothers (and Sisters) welcomed all GAWDA Distributors to their private Customer Appreciation Happy Hour at Margaritaville in beautiful San Antonio, TX after the Contact Booth Program.  The event was held on Saturday, April 20th, 2024 at Margaritaville in San Antonio, TX. This is an annual tradition held by Equigas, Direct Wire, Flame Tech, Steelmax, Norris Cylinder, Cryogenic Industrial Solutions, Superior Products, Cryostar, Blue Demon Welding Products & Weldcoa to combine forces to foster one big networking hospitality.

Former GAWDA Presidents Share Advice on Getting the Most out of Convention and SMC Networking is one of the greatest benefits of being a GAWDA member. And the two national meetings each year provide the best opportunity to combine networking and education. However, attending these national meetings means time away from your business. It means paying for hotels and flights. 2021 GAWDA President Abydee Butler Moore stressed the importance of bringing real take-home value home from each meeting that would justify the time and money invested in the trip. We had the opportunity to speak with five former GAWDA Presidents…