DCA 2024 Mid Year Meeting Wrap-Up

As the dog days of July set in, America’s neighbor to the north prepared for the arrival of the DCA, in the heart of the mountains that hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics — Whistler, British Columbia. The weather forecast promised a beautiful week ahead.

Nestled among the snowy peaks of the Pacific Coast Ranges, the Fairmont Chateau Whistler required a spectacular two-hour drive through downtown Vancouver and up the famed Sea-to-Sky Highway (Highway 99) to reach from the airport.

Members who arrived early had the chance to shop Whistler Village and explore the many wooded hike-and-bike trails and hidden lakes throughout the area. The registration party on Sunday, July 14, kicked off the event and was followed by the Welcome Dinner, which was set on a fourth-floor terrace garden pavilion with a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. With a musician providing live entertainment, an open bar, a game table for the kids, and summer flowers in bloom all around, DCA folk and their families mingled and marveled until long after the sun dipped behind the western peaks.

July 15: Juggling Acts and Juggling Meetings
The warm-up act for Monday breakfast was popular Las Vegas performer Jeff Civillico, known for his comedy juggling act. After balancing the DCA hallway sign on his chin, Civillico recruited audience members to help him demonstrate some juggling basics. He next showed off several combo tricks involving spinning plates, rings, balls, a balance board, and, improbably, a bowling ball, apple, and meat cleaver, and serve as mounting assistants for a hilariously awkward stunt on a very tall unicycle. Finally, after Civillico talked about how he started juggling as a child, he enlisted a 9-year-old to perform a spinning plate trick and finished with a mesmerizing glow-in-the-dark juggling finale.

DCA Executive Vice President Rob Darden then began the Town Hall where he announced the new committee structure was implemented to promote more member engagement. Two committee meetings will run in parallel to be more productive and in a u-shaped format to encourage interaction. Each meeting will be held on Microsoft Teams for committee members not in attendance to participate virtually.

Darden then announced the fall debut of the redesigned DCA website and online member directory, as well as the new Strategic Leadership Development Program (SLP), a grad-level extension of the current Leadership Development Program. Changes to the staff will be coming as well — Director of Administration Teri Korson and Director of Meetings Becky Hopkins will be retiring next year after many years of service to the DCA, and the new Assistant Director of Meetings & Events Katie Grandel attended her first Mid Year Meeting as she learns the ropes from them. The new Director of Membership position is expected to be filled later this year.

Construction Remains Central to U.S. Economy
The business session speaker was Chris Daum, President and CEO of FMI Corporation, which provides consulting, investment, and research services to the engineering and construction industry. Daum pointed out that everyone who drove up Highway 99 to Whistler passed the site of the future first near-zero-carbon LNG facility, which will be driven by hydro-electric power. 

Over the last decade, Daum said, construction has been one of the strongest parts of the economy. Employment has recovered to pre-2008 levels and is actually higher as a percentage of the total workforce, but smaller as a percentage of GDP due to lack of improvement in productivity and margins. 

Gas distribution in particular is having a “your baby is ugly” moment — only data center construction has matched its 20 consecutive years of growth, but gas isn’t “sexy” because of the concern over climate change. 

Recession Ahead? Signs Still Strong for Energy
Daum observed that interest rates, high public debt, and other signs have many executives expecting a recession in the near future. He cited statistics showing that whether there’s a Democrat or Republican in the White House has almost no bearing on the economy, but divided government moves the wheels forward more reliably. Items that will likely affect business soon will be dismantling of regulations if Republicans gain power, and massive litigation over the Supreme Court’s 2024 Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raymond ruling that says only courts can interpret laws, not agencies. 

Overall, Daum expects continuing growth in the energy industry and believes that fossil fuels will remain important for at least another 50 years as the “new economy” (digital, AI) increases energy demands. The gas industry should be able to weather both a downturn and social pressure, ultimately enabling a greener future.

Future Leaders, Trenchless & HDD Committees Float New Ideas and Plans
First up under the new schedule were the Future Leaders and Trenchless & HDD committees.

The Future Leaders committee introduced Laura Mason of Caterpillar Inc. as the incoming co-chair, replacing Sarah Mahlik of TT Technologies, followed by the nomination and confirmation of Caleb Scheve of Price Gregory Int’l for the new position of secretary. 

The committee then discussed a variety of topics: the new scheduling format, identifying the succession of DCA company representatives, the committee charter, the first-timers lunch at the convention, and visibility on social media. Mahlik and Mason, who both attended the Leadership Development Program (LDP), gave it very positive reviews. Mason also proposed establishing a formal connector program, with a contractor and associate assigned to each new attendee to help them assimilate, sparking an extended discussion. The meeting concluded with a recap of the formal process for joining the committee and the suggestion to record and post the meetings on Teams for reference, exposure, etc.

Meanwhile, the Trenchless & HDD Committee appointed its first secretary, Javen Moore of Ditch Witch. Members then proposed the need for an action plan to drive action and progress within the committee, and there was a call to redefine the core mission statement of the group and to focus on education and professionalism within the industry. Randy Peterson, Wyo Ben, reviewed the completion of the long-awaited drilling fluids study and emphasized the importance of effectively communicating the findings to the public. One member recommended getting smaller companies involved in initiatives to advance trenchless HDD, which generated a discussion about barriers to entry and possible ways for the committee to reach out. 

The committee then delved into the pivotal role of directional drilling in generating revenue for the organization, emphasizing the need to protect this activity through legislative measures like the PIPES Act. The subject then turned to the importance and complexities of planning for smaller rigs in the industry, and how to incorporate knowledge and experience from bigger pipelines.

During a presentation on depth and terrain profiling, Siggi Finnsson of Digital Control introduced a tool called TerraTrac, which is designed to simplify the process of creating a board plan. The discussion touched on the limitations of traditional bore plans versus those of TerraTrac and emphasized the advantages of constant terrain mapping. 

Finally, the committee proposed a homework assignment for committee members: listing initiatives for driving results in trenchless and HDD. Those ideas will be prioritized in the future.

Afterward, members split off for the afternoon to enjoy activities including golf, ATV/UTV rides, rafting, hiking, bear viewing tours, and one of the world’s longest gondola rides between peaks high above the village.  That evening, many returned for an informal gathering on the hotel lawn to enjoy drinks and ice cream while recounting the day’s adventures.

New Committee Meets for First Time
Tuesday, the new Innovation and Technology Committee, whose formation was inspired by tech talk at the Hawaii convention, held its inaugural meeting. The committee’s mission is to promote tech solutions that can revolutionize the industry, and its scope of work comprises research and evaluation, collaboration, education and awareness, standards and guidelines, pilot programs, and risk management. 

Following the approval of Jonathan Tippitts of Isco Industries as secretary, the group discussed near-term objectives. Some members recommended distinguishing between technology and equipment, starting with AI, or including a safety group. Others suggested keeping in mind theoretical versus practical applications and helping people to do their job better. The committee also discussed making technology easier to use and tying it to industrial solutions, bridging the tech divide with younger workers, reducing paperwork for field crews, and reducing injuries from high-energy equipment. 

The committee is contemplating whether surveying DCA members will help with its goal setting.

The Role of Engagement
Renamed to reflect a shift to include keeping current DCA members active and in good standing, the Membership and Engagement Committee approved Corey Lee, Vermeer Corporation, as secretary then discussed a wide range of topics, including the process for joining the DCA Board of Directors, virtual meeting plans, membership statistics, updates to the charter, and ideas for the proposed mentorship program. One member suggested creating a dashboard to track membership progress, and a call went out for volunteers to form subcommittees for membership retention, recruitment, and regaining. The imbalance between contractors and associates on the committee was also noted, with the recommendation to add more contractors.

Retaining Employees, Engaging Younger Generations
The Workforce Development Committee introduced new co-chair Greg Sander, ARB Inc., and talked about the position of secretary, though no nominations were put forward. The group also discussed the LDP and SLP, with Sander, an LDP graduate, pointing out that companies investing in their employees enhances retention and can be more cost-effective than onboarding new staff.

On the subject of SkillsUSA and engaging younger generations, the committee noted that the “Success Looks Like This” videos have been very helpful. Members suggested modeling talent-sharing programs after the successful initiatives created by utilities and training high-schoolers before they graduate. The committee noted that working with high school counselors hasn’t been fruitful so far but working locally remains more effective than trying to mount national efforts.

New Safety Initiative, Changes Under Consideration 
The Safety & Risk Management Committee began with a review of its mission statement then briefly highlighted the successful recent Safety Congress. The committee then introduced a new initiative on operational excellence, aiming to disseminate information to field employees and promote continuous improvement in safety practices. This was followed by a discussion regarding the importance of recognizing safety excellence at the foreman level and engaging smaller contractors in the committee’s initiatives. 

The group agreed with Kelsey Moreland of Precision Pipeline LLC, who advocated for evaluating safety award nominations based on response to specific incidents rather than just TRIR and DART. Finally, the committee considered a suggestion to increase the number of Safety Congress events to two, to accommodate different audiences.

Welcoming New Leadership to Government Relations Committee, Impact of Fly-Ins
The Government Relations Committee introduced new co-chair Ed Fitzgerald, of The Hallen Construction Co., Inc. who attended virtually, and appointed Ken Hugen, RDO Equipment Co., as secretary before jumping into the subject of regional fly-ins. The DCA has so far conducted 15 visits in 15 states in the Midwest and Northeast, and several others have been scheduled. The primary goal is to get the Pipeline Safety Bill passed by the end of the year and to work around poison pills. 

DCA President Mark Albert of AGI Construction gave an impact statement on the effectiveness of the fly-ins and the group spent some time on the specifics of meeting organization. The committee then reviewed the history of the PIPES Act since 2020, noting passage this year could be prevented by repeated and ongoing attempts by both parties over the years to make the bill unpalatable to the other side. 

The committee is focusing this year on the Senate Commerce Committee, damage prevention provisions, and pipeline sabotage, noting that political staffers don’t react to property destruction, but the health and safety of protestors raises some eyebrows. Concerns were raised about the progress of the Infrastructure Protection Coalition and the “Buy American” clause holding up some projects. An update on PSMS followed, with contractors advised to adopt their own PSMS program before it becomes a requirement (and reminded that DCA can evaluate their program if desired.)

The committee expects 2025 to be a big year for tax reform and is encouraging DCA to actively lobby on the issue. The group also discussed how the Supreme Court’s Loper ruling overturning decades of precedent may impact how fast projects get done in the future under new layers of red tape.

An Impactful Time for DCA
After an afternoon of outdoor activities that included fly fishing, kayaking, and a craft distillery tour, members gathered again in the ballroom for the closing dinner.The room sported wood bar tables and stools, arcade and carnival games, gaming tables for cards and shuffleboard, and a party makeup booth. A caricature artist gave patrons fun drawings to show back home, and a magician went from table to table demonstrating sleight of hand as guests chowed down on BBQ, burgers, hot dogs, and other classic cookout fare. The long trip back to the airport home didn’t discourage members from enjoying Canadian hospitality as late as possible one last time.

The Mid Year Meeting made even more clear what started with the convention in Hawaii: 2024 is turning out to be a consequential year for the DCA. With the pandemic in the rear-view mirror and a world in greater flux than at any time since the 1960s, the DCA has committed to changing with the times and embracing the future in ways that aren’t often easy for professional organizations with more than six decades of history. There was a confidence in the air at Whistler that the DCA is making the right moves at the right time, and we hope to see that continue when the DCA convenes again in Boston, Oct. 23-25, for the Fall Meeting.