The Final Countdown to EXPO ‘08
Grab Your Hawaiian Shirts, NUCA Is Heading to Kauai
By Jason Morgan
By mid-January, the novelty of winter has worn off.
 The pristine blanket of white gives way to grimy snow piles growing along streets and slush that creeps up your pant leg as you walk into work. Luckily, the National Utility Contractor Association (NUCA) is giving you a good excuse to get out of the cold office and make your way to Kauai, Hawaii, for the Utility Construction EXPO ‘08, Jan. 15 - 19.
This year, NUCA is taking a new approach to an old favorite. EXPO ‘08 has been given a new Executive Experience format. By eliminating a trade show-feel, EXPO is focusing on fostering relationships amongst utility contractors and the industry’s manufacturers and suppliers. Of course, if you are flying to Hawaii, you’re going to want to take in as many of the sights as possible; so, NUCA has condensed the general education sessions, which all attendees experience together and set up a host of exciting speakers and events.
As if getting out of the cold and having excellent networking opportunities weren’t enough, NUCA is hosting EXPO at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa — which rests peacefully along a stretch of white sand beach on Keoneloa Bay. When you’re not pressing the flesh and making contacts, you’ll be floating in the lagoons, getting a massage at the open-air ANARA Spa or playing a round of golf on one of the championship golf courses.
So be sure to grab your Hawaiian shirts while packing your business cards because NUCA has a non-stop line up of networking on this Hawaiian adventure.
Jason Morgan is associate editor of Utility Contractor.
Tuesday, Jan. 15
 NUCA committee meetings will be held from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m., sponsored by TT Technologies Inc. Later in the day, you have a chance to drive for show and putt for dough at the NUCA Golf Tournament held at the Poipu Beach Club from 12 to 5 p.m.
The jaw-dropping venue was created for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf and has been host to some of golf’s greatest, including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk. Even more impressive is the scenery. Native nene geese, Hawaiian monk seals, green sea turtles and humpback whales will all be distracting you as you try to make par. For a course overview and hole-by-hole tour, check out www.poipubay.com. Separate registration for the NUCA Golf Tournament is required.
After a 8- to 12-hour flight to Kauai, it’s best to finish the day with a welcome reception — complete with live Hawaiian music, delicious island delicacies and ample beverages.
Sponsored by Caterpillar and hosted by NUCA, the reception is the only way to kick off EXPO ‘08 and enjoy the Hawaiian sunset.
Wednesday, Jan. 16
 This is when the EXPO gets rolling. The morning opens at 8 a.m. with a traditional Hawaiian welcome from Auntie Stella, the Hyatt’s Cultural Concierge, and NUCA CEO Bill Hillman will provide a recap of the association’s accomplishments in 2007 and give an outlook for 2008. The NUCA Associate of the Year Award will also be presented.
From there, Norm Ornstein, congressional expert, TV commentator and author, takes over for the General Session II:
Political Outlook. Ornstein is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, a political contributor to “MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour” and an election analyst for CBS News. You’ll be hard pressed to find another person on the small island of Kauai, or even in Washington, D.C., who is better qualified to present the political outlook for NUCA. The General Session II is co-sponsored by CNH-Kobelco and CNA Insurance.
Following Ornstein’s rousing political predications, the NUCA Board of Directors and Annual Membership Meeting will be held from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 17
NUCA kick starts your morning at 8 a.m. with a General Session Breakfast featuring Larry Winget — the “pit bull” of personal development. Winget is a no-nonsense, new age philosopher of success whose edgy, controversial, sarcastic and hilariously refreshing attitude will keep you on your toes. You better bring your A-game to breakfast. Winget teaches principles that work for everyone from blue to white collar workers.
In addition to his A&E reality show “Big Spender,” He is a member of the International Speaker Hall of Fame and is the author of It’s Called Work for a Reason: Your Success is Your Own Damn Fault and Shut Up and Stop Whining and Get a Life: A Kick-Butt Approach to a Better Life. Co-sponsored by CNH-Kobelco and CNA Insurance.
 At lunch, you’ll be treated to the NUCA 500 Fun Lunch. The Lunch begins in the Ilima Gardens and then it’s off to the Poipu Beach Gardens where the attendees will break into small groups and build racecars out of an odd assortment of materials. While learning a little about racing, you’ll be learning more about team building and getting to know other NUCA members. The event runs from 12 to 2:30 p.m. and is sponsored by Case Construction Equipment.
At 3 p.m., NUCA concludes the day with Captain Andy’s Sunset Cruise. Live Hawaiian music will send you sailing into the sunset, armed with pupus (appetizers), sneaky tikis, beer and wine, with dolphins, humpback whales and other marine life as your guide. Separate registration is required.
Friday, Jan. 18
As the NUCA Utility Construction EXPO ‘08 comes to a close, you’ll start your last day with a networking breakfast at 8 a.m. At 10 a.m., the General Session: Utility Construction Economic Forecast peers into a crystal ball to see if the outlook for heavy construction and site development will stay positive in the new year. All questions — from “which utility construction market segments will be drivers in 2009?” and “will prices for materials and fuel continue to skyrocket?” — will be answered.
Reed Business Information’s Director of Economics Jim Haughey will lead the session, which is designed as a business planning tool for the next 12 to 18 months and beyond. Haughey has more than 30 years experience as a business economist, including 20 years monitoring the construction market, and he is a frequent speaker on the construction outlook at events sponsored by trade associations, trade unions and construction suppliers. Gain insights and find
answers to key economic issues affecting the industry.
The Winds of Trade
The Annual NUCA Auction, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 5 p.m.
Just as the northeasterly trade winds affect the Hawaiian climate, the funds raised at the annual NUCA Auction drastically impact the utility construction industry throughout the year, with support going to the association’s legislative and educational endeavors.
Four international resort packages — Switzerland, London and Monte Carlo; Australia and New Zealand;
Fairmont Bermuda Resort; and Vancouver, B.C. — will be this year’s hot auction tickets. The Switzerland, London and Monte Carlo package offers a nine-day, two-person tour of some of Europe’s top luxury hotels and includes round-trip coach airfare on American Airlines. The Best of Australia and New Zealand package will fly you and a guest on Qantas Airlines to 10 nights at your choice of Hyatt hotels in Australia and New Zealand. The Fairmont Bermuda Resorts package flies two people on American Airlines to Hamilton for a five-night stay at a Junior Suite at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess. The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver, B.C., package is good for a two-night stay at the hotel during the 2009 NUCA Fall Board Meeting.
Of course, there’s plenty to do in the United States. A Sonoma Wine Extravaganza in California wine country, a Saks Fifth Avenue $1,000 shopping spree in New York, a three-night stay at the Wynn in Las Vegas with VIP Seating for Shows, a Stevenswood Spa Resort retreat in Northern California and a Florida Keys getaway are all up for grabs.
If you’re more of a homebody, or just a work-aholic, there are tons of items to bid on, including a helicopter tour of Kauai, a 3-in. HammerHead Mole pneumatic piercing tool and a HammerHead TriHawk boring system.
The event is co-sponsored by Ritchie Bros. and Komatsu America Corp. If you are interested in donating items or money, call NUCA at (703) 358-9300.
For Our Fathers
Flags of Our Fathers Author Hosts
General Session, Thursday,
Jan. 17, 10 a.m.
After getting woken up by the pit bull of personal development, the EXPO shifts gears when James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys, takes the stage for a general session. Bradley is also a professional motivational speaker who delivers his message, Doing the Impossible, to audiences across the country.
The film adaptation of both of Bradley’s books were released; Flags of Our Fathers was directed by Clint Eastwood. The story focuses on the six men who raised the flag on Iwo Jima. The photograph is the most reproduced in history and one man in the picture is Bradley’s father, John. You don’t want to miss this chance to hear Bradley’s inspiring tales — from jumping out of an airplane at 15,000 ft and scuba-diving in deep waters to trekking Mount Everest’s base camp and walking among lions in Africa. Co-sponsored by Benjamin Media and CNA
Insurance.
A Luau Fit for
a President
Join NUCA for EXPO ‘08’s
Last Hurrah
What would a trip to Hawaii be without a luau? EXPO ‘08 closes in style at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18, with traditional foods and entertainment at the Ilima Gardens. Spend the evening eating delicious food while dancing and chanting along with Polynesian songs and legends of ancient Hawaii. The luau also includes the presentation of NUCA’s Ditchdigger of the Year award, the swearing in of new officers and words from the association’s incoming and outgoing presidents. The event is sponsored by John Deere Construction and Forestry Division and Hitachi. |
