Document 992gVDJm32aYxarKJw6RMB2z3

Kdward Howard ol O. 1 k. ,, ............ ' .. . 1 I ill I .Mm! \l Kill * Hi.', m .1 II:! i nit K.m.u in. < )|>< < jji. ..<!< I*!.. U o.n ( Hih. I t `.O" i \\ do C` in PRO Members l mm Dan Stanowick Mibjci i: AWWA Conference ere"' June 26, 1990 (opu s in: Roy Gottesman Nora Jacobs Stan Ulchaker As you know, I attended last week's AWWA Annual Conference in Cincinnati. Here's a report. 1. Included were displays/exhibits from approximately 400 pipe manufacturers, consulting/engineering firms, fitting manufacturers, manufacturers of various testing and treatment equipment, manufacturers of piping system rehabilitation and replacement equipment, etc. 2. Also included were technical sessions on a variety of subjects ranging from pending EPA regulations to water system rehabilitation, from leak detection to data base applications and water quality modeling. 3. Complementing the technical- sessions were posters displaying key charts, graphs, equipment and techniques. Authors of same were available at specific times to answer questions, discuss specific applications, etc. 4. Attendance at the show was heavy, at least during the first two days I attended. In fact, the closest available hotel room was a 25-minute bus ride away from the Convention Hall. Judging from a review of badges, most attendees were municipal officials and/or water engineers. Good attendance, too, at the few technical sessions I audited. From what I gathered, attendees seemed earnestly interested in what was displayed/discussed. They asked good questions and got involved. They weren't just literature collectors out for a vacation. (Although hospitality and organized events were plentiful.) 5. I made contacts and discussed PRO'S efforts with several key media exhibiting at the show, including American City & County, Public Works and AWWA Journal. The on-site press room did not seem very busy during any of the times I visited. There were, however, various new product releases and information packets available for pick-up. CTL029954 AWWA Conference Page 2 6. Bob Novick of Certainteed and Bob Walker of Uni-Bell were helpful in prioritizing various booths for visitation. I spent considerable time with representatives of the following: Phillips Driscopipe, Inc., a piping system subsidiary of Phillips 66 Company; Condux Pipe Systems, Inc., the-company that recently produced its own "tapping safety" video which I watched j-Ti. its ofitiraty; Underwriters Laboratories; S&B Technical Products, Inc., a producer of O-ring and lip seal gaskets for PVC pipe;' Scepter Manufacturing, the Canadian-based PVC pipe producer, with a clever new ad showing their "crushproof" product supporting an elephant. (The company's chief market development engineer, Veso Sobot, promised to provide good case history leads); Extrusion Technologies, Inc-., manufacturers of PVC sewer and drain pipe, with a new ribbed pipe product; Multi Fittings Corp., a company that produces PVC sewer pipe solvent cements and fittings; Diamond Plastics CorpV, another manufacturer of PVC sewer and water pipe gasket joints; Capco Pipe Company, Inc., the ASARCO Inc. subsidiary that manufacturers PVC water transmission pipe; Carlon, the Cleveland, Ohio-based manufacturer of PVC gravity sewer and storm drain pipe; EBAA Iron Sales, Inc., a company that produces -- among other things -- PVC pipe joint restraints; GPK Products, Inc., manufacturers of a complete line of PVC sewer fittings; Harrington Corporation (Harco), producers of PVC fittings especially for C900 pipe; J-M Pipe, manufacturers of large diameter PVC sewer, storm and municipal water pipe; CTL029955 AWWA Conference Page 3 National Sanitation Foundation; Weston, Inc., a leading, full-service consulting/engineering firm. Their Houston regional rep, Don Dates, promised to provide referrals for possible testimonial ads and case histories; Jones & Henry, a major, regional consulting/engineering firm whose vice president, William L. Collar, promised to provide the same as above. 7. In addition to the above, my schedule allowed me to sit in on a meeting Tuesday morning of the PVC Pipe & Fittings Committee of AWWA.' Although most of the discussion was technical and code-related, my presence at the meeting gave me an opportunity to meet a number of industry influentials as well as to demonstrate the VI's interest in their activities. 8. As for next steps, I intend to follow-up with letters and/or phone calls with the company reps above. I'll remind them of PRO'S ongoing interest in case histories, testimonials and product developments, and ask to be added to their permanent mailing lists. Overall, the conference was interesting, informational and productive. In fact, we may want to consider some sort of joint participation with Uni-Bell at next year's event. (Uni-Bell did distribute copies of our information packet. Their supply was virtually exhausted by Tuesday afternoon!) I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. CTL029956