Ohio Regional Meeting Exceeding Expectations
Some came to learn new skills. Others, to the see the latest products and services offered by the industry’s top vendors. Many more came to improve their knowledge of how to run an efficient and profitable fabrication business.
Everyone came to have fun
ISSFA delivered on all those expectations and more at the Ohio Regional Meeting held September 23-24 at the Tower Industries plant in Massillon, Ohio. Over 200 members of ISSFA and the ICPA (International Cast Polymer Alliance) rubbed shoulders and sampled great food, while bringing themselves up to date on the latest innovations in the industry.
A round of championship golf enticed over 80 golfers to hit the course in a shotgun best ball tournament at the Legends golf course. In the meantime, roughly thirty industry pros loaded their shotguns to try their hand at shooting sporting clays (yes, everyone came back alive).
That evening, 230 people converged on the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, where some participants were heard improving their golf and clay shooting scores over cocktails. A sumptuous buffet was served to an overflow crowd, but not before renowned networking expert, Julia Hubbel, educated attendees on the finer points of successful networking. After dinner, former Dolphins linebacker, Mike Peterson, delivered an upbeat keynote address on the principles of success in life and business. After Peterson’s address, everyone had free roam of the museum’s exhibits until closing at 11 pm.
The next day there was breakfast under the big top erected outside Tower Industries’ 45,000 sq.ft. solid surface and cultured marble manufacturing/fabrication facility. Inside the building were seminars on solid surface fabrication and cultured marble manufacturing, tours of the Tower Industries facility and a mini-trade show.
For anyone with a taste for barbecue, lunch approached Nirvana. Fabricators, vendors, manufacturers and staff consumed heaping mounds of steaming barbecue pork that had roasted all night in a portable smoker. Corn on the cob, baked beans and special homemade sauces added the finishing touches to a scrumptious Southern feast.
For those able to stay awake after lunch, the day continued with even more seminars, as well as shop tours and the mini-trade show.
On Sunday, approximately 30 fabricators augmented their regional show experience by taking in the Shop Process Optimization course taught by ISSFA director of education and certification, Bill Wolle.
Click on the photo gallery to check out some of the photos taken during this fun-filled and intellectually stimulating event.