EDITOR’S NOTE

Your Network is Your Net Worth

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. T he 4th Quarter Issue of Welding & Gases Today is always the GAWDA Annual Convention Issue. And right around the time I sit down to write this issue is when it starts to feel real to me.

Have you ever had something you looked forward to for so long that it actually manages to sneak up on you? My sister got married in August after getting engaged about 18 months ago. We talked about this day almost non-stop for 18 months. And still, the week of the wedding came, and I was still shocked at how quickly it got on top of me. I feel that way with this year’s Convention.

The Annual Convention is my favorite event of the year. I’m sure I’m not alone in that sentiment. It doesn’t hurt that this year’s Convention is in beautiful San Diego. But it’s just an amazing opportunity to get out of the office and spend time with fellow GAWDA members. And so, each year, I spend months getting mentally prepared for the Convention. Putting together this issue, planning out who I will interview on site, piecing together Convention Daily Connections. But around a month before the show, I still feel like, “I can’t believe it’s here.”

And this year, I’m extra excited for the Convention because we’re debuting the Networking 360 Event before the Contact Booth Program. I’ve been lucky enough to sit on in some of the planning calls and the Industry Partnering Committee meetings and been able to see this event go from idea to reality. And I honestly can’t wait. I think it’s going to be a home run. And, like the Educational Tracks at the SMC, I think this is going to go from curiosity to staple at the Annual Convention.

All of that really crystalized for me when I was interviewing Randy Squibb for the August 15th episode of GAWDA TV. Randy is one of the GAWDA members who really took me under his wing when I first started working with the association and showed me the ropes. He helped guide me to know what I need to know, who I need to know, and, just as importantly, the questions I need to be asking.

Anybody who has read Randy’s articles over the years, including his article on Page XX, has seen him talk about the network of peers and mentors that helped make him not just the businessperson he is today, but also the man he is today. You can hear the respect and admiration in his voice when he talks about Dr. Leon Danco, Bill Higley, Chip Valentine, Jack Butler, Dave Mahoney, Wally Brant and other industry legends he has met through NWSA (and later GAWDA.) And, whether he knows it or not, Randy serves that role for so many others in our industry. He certainly is one of those people for me, and I’m eternally grateful for it.

And the common thread connecting all of these relationships is that they were built through networking at GAWDA. Abydee is fond of saying that you get out of GAWDA what you put into it. And that is true. But I say that if you’re doing it right, you’ll get back 10-fold what you put into it. They say your network is your net worth. Nowhere is that borne out more than at the GAWDA Annual Convention. So, build your net worth in San Diego and take advantage of this incredible opportunity. I can’t wait to see you there.