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NGWA Expo highlights

The 65th National Ground Water Association’s (NGWA) expo touched down in Nashville from Dec. 3-6.

The 65th National Ground Water Association’s (NGWA) expo touched down in Nashville from Dec. 3-6. Over 3,680 attendees and nearly 300 exhibitors turned out for this year’s event.  

“The 2013 NGWA Groundwater Expo and Annual Meeting ranks fifth all-time among our non-Las Vegas venues in our 65-year history,” said NGWA CEO Kevin McCray, CAE, in a prepared statement.

“Fresh ideas promised a memorable experience and it looks like folks found that to be true. We hope all of our guests left happy and renewed, and ready for a new and prosperous year.”

There were attendees from Canada, the U.S. and across the globe spanning all industry professions, including water well drillers, contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, scientists, engineers, as well as 32 first-time exhibitors. Ground Water Canada was an official media partner of this year’s convention.

Boshart Industries, CanWell 2014, Cadman Power Equipment, Di-Corp, Foremost Industries, GéoRocFor, GP Fiberglass, Maxidrill, Solinst Canada and International Pipe were some of the Canadian exhibitors that Ed Cosman, Ground Water Canada’s national sales manager, bumped into at the show.

The opening session on water by Michael E. Campana and Thomas M. Hanna was well received, reported the NGWA Expo in a press release. There was also a dedicated section on the show floor for hourly mini-seminars on topics such as drilling methods, water well maintenance and ground water supply. Attendees could partake in skill-testing activities and take in the NGWA award presentations. The association presented awards of excellence, outstanding ground water projects awards and divisional awards.  Longtime NGWA member Ronald B. Peterson received the association’s top honour as the 2013 recipient of the Ross L. Oliver Award for outstanding contributions to the ground water industry. Peterson is an employee of Baroid Industrial Drilling Products, which is located in Utah.

The National Ground Water Research and Education Foundation’s (NGWREF) charity auction raised $29,075 to help educate the public and conduct research on ground water. Founded in 1994, NGWREF recently launched a campaign to raise more than $1,500,000 for educational initiatives through the Len Assante Scholarship Fund.

Ground Water Canada also spotted a number of Canadian delegates at the Dec. 3 hockey match between the Vancouver Canucks and the Nashville Predators, with a final score of 3-1, respectively.

On the final afternoon of the show, attendees were treated to concerts by Sweethearts of the Rodeo and The Bellamy Brothers.

Next year’s NGWA show is set to take place from Dec. 9-12 in Las Vegas.