EDITOR’S NOTE

Gases and Welding Industry Provides a Shot in the Arm

BY STEVE GUGLIELMO

Steve Guglielmo is GAWDA Media’s Editor-in-Chief. He has more than a decade of experience working with industrial associations. He can be reached at steveg@gawdamedia.com. I n my First Quarter 2021 Editor’s Note, I talked about my fervent hope and expectation that 2021 would provide a “Clean Slate” after a year that will forever be remembered for the impact COVID-19 had on our lives. I talked about the idea that we would “Get back to normal” and resume things like in-person meetings, starting with the Spring Management Conference.

It’s one thing to talk about those ideas in the abstract, as ideals to strive for. It’s quite another to actually achieve them. After all, my First Quarter 2020 Editor’s Note was entitled “It’s Going to be a Great Year!” My prognostication has certainly missed the mark in the past. And this pandemic ground the entire economy (not to mention our lives, in many cases) to a complete stand still. Therefore, it was with guarded optimism that I looked out ahead to 2021, with the promise of multiple vaccines on the horizon and dared to hope that we might return to some normalcy.

But now, as I write this at the beginning of April, it really is starting to come true. We have reached a point where all adults who want to get the vaccine are now able to. Barring some unforeseen catastrophe (I’m knocking on wood), the SMC will take place as planned in May, as will the Annual Convention in October. This year even marks the return of Regional Meetings. What seemed like a lifetime away in March 2020 is now starting to come true. And the gases and welding industry, and GAWDA members specifically, have led the way from the start.

The GAWDA Spring Management Conference will, for many GAWDA members, be the first in-person industry event since the pandemic began. And GAWDA’s staff has worked tirelessly to ensure that the event will as educational and valuable to attend as ever, while being held in a safe and responsible manner. See page 28 to see the full SMC Preview and page 36 to see the safety precautions that have been put in place for this year’s event.

But it should not be lost on anyone that this return to “normalcy” didn’t just happen. Scientists worked at a heretofore unheard-of speed to develop, test and ultimately produce a vaccine to combat COVID. And GAWDA members were able to help in the coordination of the distribution of the vaccine to make sure that it could be distributed quickly and effectively.

At the same time, as an essential industry, our businesses remained open. We provided products not only to hospitals but also to the food supply chain and many other areas of our day-to-day lives that, before COVID, we all took for granted. Gases and welding companies really kept the wheels of the economy turning. And GAWDA, as well as other industry associations like CGA, provided indispensable resources to help members navigate this tumultuous business climate.

Now, as many of us are getting literal shots in the arm, I want to take a step back and give thanks to all of the members who gave us all the shot in the arm that we needed to continue to grow and thrive even during this impossible crisis. I can’t wait to see everybody in person in Nashville and continue to travel this path back to normal with you all. Eyes Up!