I mentioned in my letter in the previous edition of the Inside Scoop that I was getting ready to go to Fort Worth, TX for the NUCA National Convention. I attended along with 11 other NUCA of Nebraska members. The convention was a great experience. I brought a lot of information back with me and I feel that I learned a lot, both professionally and personally. The National Convention puts you in contact with the people that run NUCA and it is a great chance to learn exactly what they are doing for us. It is also an opportunity to talk to and learn from other contractors from across the country.

 

Nebraska Members at Billy Bob's Texas  Front row: Ryan Kinning, Monty Habrock, Steve Thompson, Rhonda Thompson, Kara Habrock, Kelly Thompson, Brian Sorenson and Ron Siwa Back row: Jodie Thompson and Callie Johnson

The convention was held at the Fort Worth Renaissance Worthington Hotel. It was a beautiful facility located in an area of the city that reminded me of the Old Market in Omaha. There was plenty to do when we weren't in meetings or at events. Our itinerary also included trips to the Modern Art Museum where CAT sponsored the Welcome Reception and the Historic Stockyards area where the farewell reception was held at Billy Bob's Texas, "The World's Largest Honky Tonk." There were several speakers that presented on topics from forecasting the economy to how to leverage your competitive advantage through productivity. There were also speakers for topics that dealt with us as individuals, such as the plenary session that dealt with making sustainable life changes to improve your overall quality of life. These topics were presented by experts who are recognized as the best in their fields.   

 

The convention also gave us the opportunity to hear from Richard Piciotto who was a FDNY Battalion Commander and was inside one of the World Trade Center towers when it collapsed. He told his story and spoke to the importance of setting your priorities and enjoying every day like it is your last. There wasn't a person in the room that didn't get goosebumps during that presentation. We also heard from Laura Bush and learned a little about what it was like to live in the White House during what could be considered one of the most challenging eight years in our countries history.

 

Washington D.C. Charter Presentation

NUCA welcomed two new Chapters at the Convention, Washington D.C. and North Texas. Since Nebraska was the last chapter to be chartered, we had the honor of presenting Washington D.C. with their official charter. Carrying on with tradition, the D.C. chapter presented us with D.C. memorabilia. We welcome our D.C. and North Texas friends to a great organization and wish them as much success in growing their chapters as we have been blessed with!  

 

Next year's National Convention will be held in Phoenix, AZ at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, February 11-15, 2013. We will get registration and agenda details out to you as soon as they become available. I strongly encourage you to make the trip next year. This year we had 12 people from Nebraska at the Convention... I'd like to see double that next year. One of my favorite moments of this year's convention was at the meet and greet with Mrs. Bush. When I introduced myself and told her where I was from, she commented "Wow, there are a lot of people from Nebraska here." I think that our involvement at national events like the convention shows how strong our Chapter is and how hard we are working to improve our industry, and obviously people are noticing! 

 

Ryan Kinning

Vice President, Penro Construction

Jeremy Neill has been promoted to Sales Manager, covering the states of Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota & Wisconsin. Jeremy has spent the last 5 years as the Outside Sales Representative in the Trench Safety Division covering South Dakota & Nebraska. He has become the local trench safety product expert & problem solver for underground contractors. Jeremy will now turn his focus to a larger geographical footprint and help build strong relationships for four branch locations.

 

"It comes as no surprise that Jeremy Neill has been promoted to Sales Manager.  His knowledge combined with his great customer service and people skills will enable him to be very successful in this role.  Jeremy has also exhibited dedication and enthusiasm for this industry via his work on behalf of NUCA of Nebraska, as the membership committee chairperson and as member of the chapter's board of directors.  His work on behalf of NUCA  has been instrumental to the ongoing success of the chapter."

 

Kara Habrock

VP & GM, L.G. Roloff Construction

Immediate Past President, NUCA of Nebraska

 

Jeremy started with United Rentals in 2005 as an Inside Sales Representative in Des Moines and was promoted to Operations Manager in Omaha a year later. Please feel free to contact Jeremy via email (jneill@ur.com) or phone (402-290-3800).