COVER STORY
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
JULY 2021 | 2021 ABC of LA State Convention By: Lindsey Russ, Director of Member Services
NEW was the keyword for this year’s 2021 ABCLA State Convention. New location, new state, new agenda, new keynote speaker, new sponsorships, and new faces! After 37 years in San Destin, ABC of Louisiana made the decision to move the State Convention to Gulf Shores. The Convention was held at The Lodge at Gulf State Park, on the beach of Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Merit Shop Message | Summer 2021
After a canceled Convention in 2020 and over a year’s worth of planning for the 2021 Convention, the ABC staff was excited to get to the beach to celebrate the merit shop with members from all across Louisiana. This year’s agenda was a little different than year’s past. Wednesday started with check in, sponsored by Hancock Whitney Bank and Grady Crawford Construction, for members to grab their bags, sponsored by Gainey’s Concrete and Convention t-shirts sponsored by Turner Industries, Trade Construction Company, Hannis T. Bourgeois and Bengal Crane & Rigging and a welcome reception, sponsored by Bottom Line Equipment, where members were able to cruise through ‘Vendor Alley.’ Vendor Alley featured 7 sponsors who set up booths for the duration of the Convention. These sponsors included; Autodesk Construction Cloud, Prime Occupational Medicine, Industrial Fabrics, Inc., 24HR Safety, Universal Data, Inc., TorcSill Foundations, LLC & Griffin Dewatering, LLC.
5
We kicked off Thursday morning and the first full day of Convention with a member breakfast where Scott McKnight, 2021 State Convention Committee Chairman, provided a full update on the planning that went into this year’s improved agenda and the new location. McKnight recognized and thanked the convention committee members who dedicated their time to planning the event all year. Next up was the chapter updates provided by Robbie Wooderson of Durr Heavy Equipment for New Orleans/Bayou Chapter and Shawn Worsham of Worley for Pelican Chapter. Milton Graugnard then provided the membership a regional ABC update, with a call to action to get involved in our current political climate now more than ever – your voice can be heard and make a difference. Following the breakfast, members attended two educational breakout sessions. The first was a Political Update Session featuring ABC National’s Director of Political Affairs, Melanie Pfieffenberger and Vice President of Legislative and Political Affairs, Kristen Swearingen. The two ABC National staff members shared the current political view of the construction industry and where they expect it is headed. The second educational session of the day included State Representative Scott McKnight who moderated a construction legal panel with panelists Murphy Foster, Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Adrian D’ Arcy, Shields | Mott and Jon Forester, Reiss LeMieux. These industry experts discussed new construction laws taking effect and what those mean for our industry.
