By: Joey Thomas, Induron Business Development Manager
As the leading representative of the steel tank industry, STI SPFA is largely made up of fabricators, erectors, and supplier companies of steel tanks as well as other specialty steel fabricated products. Induron is proud to be an affiliate member of this organization and continues to remain very active in committee work and continuing education in support of our Industry.
Throughout the year our membership convenes a few times to discuss committee work and planning for activities we all participate in while promoting steel. The marquee event, however, is the Annual Meeting typically held each spring at various locations across the country.
This year the meeting took place from April 18th – 20th in sunny Scottsdale, AZ at the Fairmont Princess Resort. It was here that Induron’s National Sales Manager Andy Odorzynski and I got to depart our Ohio and Kentucky confines and trade pants and jackets for shorts and short sleeves. While you would never find Andy or I complaining about drastic improvement in spring weather conditions, the event was about way more than an opportunity to catch a tan.
It is at this yearly event where we get to be together with our fellow members (many of which are our valued clients) to catch up and really focus on the steel tank industry. As an organization, we get to work under the safe confines of antitrust laws with not only our competitors but also fabricators and their competitors all in a shared effort of promoting the critical importance of steel and steel asset protection for our collective industries.
It is truly a unique experience each time I have attended and allows each member to bring their own version of help to the greater good of the organization. The days are mostly filled with member presentations, guest speakers, and critical committee meetings where as a group we define our respective messages and presentations we will be giving during the year for advancing and educating individuals on the importance of steel to our crucial assets across the country.
While there are many formal activities we partake in, there’s also a reasonable amount of free time where members can engage one another for individual meetings, dinners, or even a drink at a pool bar. I find myself cherishing these times that I get to meet new members, catch up with old members (many of which I consider dear friends), and frankly being able to have some of the most important face-to-face conversations with clients I might get to have all year. The event concluded with a farewell dinner and awards ceremony highlighting some of the most impressive steel fabricated products and projects of the year.
For now, it’s back to work in the real world–but I can assure you that Induron will be looking forward to continuing our involvement with this great organization over the course of the year and is sure to be present next February as this event crosses the country to Hilton Head in 2025! Cheers!