NACE 2019, Wichita, Kansas – The Texas Report
NACE 2019 – The Texas Report
The 2019 NACE Annual Conference was held in Wichita, Kansas on April 14 to April 18, 2019 at the Century II Center and Hyatt Regency Wichita. Texas was represented by Robert Berndt and Joe Trammel from Tarrant County, Charlie Hastings from Kerr County, Bryan Neaves from Bell County, Joseph Jackson from Ellis County, Yancy Scott from Waller County, and Ron Drachenberg (Retired) from Fort Bend County. The Texas group was 10 members strong including the spouses that attend the event. We also had several Texas companies attend from the private sector including Big R Bridge, TranSystems, Ergon and Trinity Highway Products.Some of the Texas highlights from the Conference included Robert Berndt being the Moderator for the Structures and Environment Track – Session 3, being recognized at the Wednesday night Banquet for his service on the Awards Committee and winning a $250 gift card for completing the click game. Joe Trammel sat on the panel for the Structures and Environment Track – Session 1 (A Panel Discussion with Industry and County Engineers about Bridge Options), attended the State Board meetings and attended the Safety Committee meeting. Yancy and Bryan attended the Unpaved Road Committee meeting and Joseph attended the Pavement Preservation Committee. Serving on NACE Committees is a great way to stay informed on breaking national issues and get your say on topics for the next NACE Conference. The Texas State Affiliate Dinner was at The Anchor in Wichita on Monday night. It was a great evening of food, beer and fellowship with our Texas friends and family.
The number of topics covered at the Conference are too numerous to mention but the attendees had their choice of three to four different topics during each program track. The two days in the Exhibit Hall brought companies from all over the United States. Your delegation made many contacts and hopes to bring new vendors to the TACERA conference in October. Please check out the TACERA picture page to view some of the snapshots of the Texas folks in Wichita.
NACE 2020 will be held at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Alabama from April 19 to April 23, 2020. Make sure you include money in your budgets to attend this event next year. The knowledge and contacts you will make at this Conference will enhance your professional career and give you the tools to perform your county job better. If you have any questions about the NACE Conference, please contact anyone of this year’s attendees.
Submitted by Robert Berndt – Tarrant County
