From the First-Timers Reception held on Sunday afternoon to the President’s Gala that closed the convention on Wednesday evening, the GAWDA 2013 Annual Convention drew together vendors and distributors of gases and welding equipment from across the country to meet, have fun, and share ideas.
James Brown (aka Dave Mahoney) knew what he was singing about when he belted out the words to “Living in America,”* and attendees at the 69th GAWDA 2013 Annual Convention evidently feel pretty good about it themselves. From the First-Timers Reception held on Sunday afternoon to the President’s Gala that closed the convention on Wednesday evening, the GAWDA 2013 Annual Convention drew together vendors and distributors of gases and welding equipment from across the country to meet, have fun, and share ideas. In between dancing, drinks, and various company hospitalities, attendees had time to discuss where their businesses have been and, ultimately, where they hope to be heading.
The GAWDA Annual Convention was held at the beautiful J.W. Marriott Orlando at Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida from Sunday, September 15 through Wednesday, September 18. The sunny location gave attendees opportunities for a dip in the lazy river or an afternoon of onsite golf in between networking breakfasts, event speakers, and committee meetings.
Sunday night was a time to meet and greet new and old members of GAWDA. A wellattended First-Timers reception provided a relaxed setting for those new to GAWDA to meet each other as well as learn more about the events to come. Following that, 2013 President Craig Wood and his wife Darlene hosted the President’s Welcome Reception for all attendees. Following Monday’s networking breakfast served indoors and on the spacious front patio, outgoing President Wood addressed the crowd and presented Dick Couch, founder and CEO of Hypertherm and a speaker at last year’s convention, with the Presidential Award of Excellence. Hypertherm, which offers innovative metal cutting systems, has received accolades through the years for being one of the best companies to work for in the US. Wood thanked Couch for his dedication to the industry and to modeling continuous improvement.
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