Richardson, Texas – DCA held it’s 1st Annual Professional Development Conference (PDC) November 2-4, 2011 at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas.

The PDC focused on senior and middle-management within DCA member organizations with the objective of enhancing their business skills and helping them see the bigger picture.

The event kicked off with a Networking Reception held on Wednesday night where owners, managers, and other attendees could socialize and meet other members from DCA regular and associate member companies.
 
Thursday’s agenda was packed with several informative sessions.
 
During an interactive session on Effective Communication attendees learned their own behavioral style and how to interpret that of co-workers. Attendees had completed the DiSC® profile prior to the conference and several attendees mentioned what an eye-opening experience it was.  They learned how to understand the value, pros and cons of each behavioral style and how to interact with each.
 
The Principles of High Production was an exciting hands-on session and attendees were put in teams and were told to figure a time and money estimate for building a project. The winning team built a house out of pipe while racing the clock and received the money bid for the job.
 
Other sessions on Thursday included Leadership vs. Management, Business Development and Essentials of Motivation.

On Friday, small groups were formed where attendees exchanged best practices and learned from each other on issues relevant to their own companies.

Facilitators of the session were Wally Adamchik, President of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting; Ullie Munroe, a Corporate Trainer and Employee Development Professional; David Stone, Founder and President of Stone and Company; and George Berg, a certified Project Management Professional.

To view photos and video of the PDC please visit www.dcaweb.org. 

Richardson, Texas – DCA Board Members and a record number of attendees convened at the Gaylord Texan Resort, n Grapevine, Texas, November 1-2 to discuss issues facing the association and the industry. The two-day event was kicked off with a golf outing set to beautiful weather on Tuesday.

In addition to the regularly scheduled Board of Directors and Leadership Council meetings, HDD, executive finance, nominating, membership, education, safety/risk management, and government relations committees all convened and discussed committee agenda items and nominees were selected for 2012 Board of Directors.

During the DCA Town Hall Robert Darden, executive vice president reviewed the treasurer’s report and reported on staff operation and upcoming DCA events and activities. Greg Dahl, DCA president reported on the Board meeting, and committee reports were received from their committee chairs. The floor was opened up for members to dialog with the association  leadership at the end of the meeting.

A Networking Reception was held Wednesday night for networking and visiting with fellow members.

Directly after the Town Hall, an informative session by Robert Carpenter, Editor of Underground Construction magazine on “Drivers Shaping the Transmission and Distribution Pipeline Industry.” 

In mid-September, several DCA members joined industry executives from around the world at the 45th Annual International Pipe Line & Offshore Contractors Association (IPLOCA) Convention in Beijing, China. read more ...