DCA 2025 Annual Convention Wrap-Up

After a week of brutal cold across much of North America, DCA members dropped into the Phoenix airport in late February ready to thaw out and relax. Arizona’s famously sunny winter weather was more than up to the task, welcoming contractors and associates to the expansive Spanish-style grounds of the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess with nary a cloud in any direction and temperatures perfect for a day by the pool.

The Vacuworx Registration Party kicked things off Monday afternoon, February 24, in the shade of the La Hacienda restaurant patio surrounded by gardens of iconic saguaro cacti and other desert greenery. The crowd swelled early as folks browsed the week’s activities, signed up for raffles at Vacuworx’s customary sponsor table, and bellied up to the “hat bar” to find the perfect cowboy look for Friday night’s upcoming dance.

Tuesday, February 25
Tuesday morning began bright and early with the annual DCA Fun Walk/Run in the pleasantly cool air of the desert sunrise. Shortly after, the Future Leaders Committee opened the day’s business with a call to inform members that a photographer in the lobby was offering professional headshots for the DCA directory, business profiles, and whatever else members might need them for. Members then sank into the newly minted DCA Deep Dive Webinar Series, which kicked off in January with a pair of sessions on artificial intelligence (AI) implementation. The series features volunteer speakers with ample opportunities for open discussion, and the first two sessions were already well-attended. A Deep Dive subcommittee was proposed, and additional topics already included a sneak peek at the Leadership Development Program (LDP) in March and safety topics in April. Promoting the Deep Dive series would become a recurring theme at committee meetings throughout the convention.

The other major topic of discussion was the Future Leaders Committee taking over some of the Membership and Engagement Committee’s duties in welcoming new members. A new connector program would function as “Mentor 2.0” — referencing the earlier initiative from the Membership and Engagement Committee — formally matching new members with veteran guides to help them integrate. The Membership and Engagement Committee will continue to focus on recruiting and retention.

Conveniently, the Membership and Engagement Committee was up next. Committee member Linda Birkeland of Hallen Construction presented her detailed analysis of member attendance and participation, complete with spreadsheets, prompting a discussion on how best to use that data. The Recruit subcommittee mulled over the possibility of new member packets or kits, member testimonials, and personalized outreach. The Retain subcommittee was working on outreach plans for inactive or lapsed members, succession planning, and developing an exit interview process for departing members. Social media engagement, the annual member survey, and enrollment for the next LDP also made it to the table.

The Safety & Risk Management Committee also looked to add something new to their domain with a proposal for a Foreman Safety Excellence subcommittee and awards program in recognition of foremen’s crucial role in implementing jobsite safety every day. They also stated the goal of developing a “Lessons Learned” repository like those used by other organizations. Updates to the “DCA Be Safe” website, suggestions for a new video series on “Safety Gone Wrong,” and engaging company leadership in safety culture were discussed, and during the Q&A, the committee clarified the definitions and procedures for the scholarship awards. The DCA 2025 Safety Congress will take place in the French Quarter of New Orleans March 24-26.

As everyone gathered in the big ballroom for the Town Hall and Business Session, DCA Executive Vice President Rob Darden added something new to his usual “state of the DCA” reporting — a detailed and impressively large organizational chart of everything the DCA does for its members, the industry, and the public. It was an eye-opening reminder of just how active this organization is. After presenting the President’s Award and Arthur T. Everham Safety Awards, John Lamerton of Wyo-Ben and the 2025 convention chairman, introduced the first of two speakers: David Murk, senior director of pipelines at the American Petroleum Institute (API).

Murk talked about what was “Just Good Business” for the distribution industry under the current political, social, and economic circumstances. In today’s chaotic environment, he emphasized the importance of blocking out the noise and staying true to the industry’s core principles of safety, reliability, and responsibility. Murk passed out a worksheet for everyone to participate in his “iceberg exercise,” polling the audience to see what political issues are perceived as above the surface or below according to the public versus the industry. Next, he discussed API’s political advocacy efforts, its five-point policy roadmap and free trade principles, appealing to bipartisan values. The API’s most recent success was getting tariffs on Canadian energy products reduced from 25% to 10%. Long-term, they will continue to emphasize safety, permit reform, and workforce challenges as policy priorities.

Next up was Ashley Donnini, CEO and principal of Lola Link Consulting LLC and a veteran speaker on the DCA stage, asking, “What is a contractor’s role in pipeline safety management?” Introducing the members of her PSMS Industry Team panel, she noted that a contractor is leading the team this year. The panel reviewed tools provided by DCA and API to start and assess the quality of a PSMS program, pointing out how the system allows all participants to speak the same language where safety is concerned. Donnini emphasized that “easy-to-use tools” means questions users can finish in an hour without getting lost in the details. More operators are requiring PSMS before they will hire a contractor, the panel noted, to reduce risk and avoid “being in the headlines.” Lastly, the panel warned that even the current anti-regulatory, populist administration could be pushed to support stricter regulations on gas by a high-profile incident, and those regulations are likely to end up in the hands of legislators with no real knowledge of the gas industry. Donnini then reiterated the call to adopt PSMS voluntarily before the government forces the issue.

The Workforce Development Committee followed the Town Hall, featuring two more guest speakers. First, Arizona SkillsUSA Director Michelle Martinez asked the audience directly what they were looking for, bringing up the importance of soft skills like communication in addition to the hard skills the group is known for best. She differentiated between connecting people to apprenticeships which SkillsUSA does¬ and providing them, then went on to discuss career clusters and assessment methods. She wrapped up with opportunities to sponsor kids at the SkillsUSA national conference and world championships.

The second speaker was Randy Blount of BuildWitt, whose presentation on “Winning with Growth” focused on the importance of job training. Statistics show that organizations with a strong learning culture are 92% more creative and 52% more productive, and that investing just 1% of the labor budget in training can produce an 11% increase in productivity. Relating the story of an Alcoa CEO, he highlighted the need to look at processes, practice sharing difficult information, ask questions, and help people learn how to teach. Blount also noted causes of accidents unrelated to training, such as dehydration, lack of sleep, mental health, and untrained management. He urged companies to utilize existing meetings, ask employees to share, explain the “why” behind decisions, and use the power of debriefings to improve trust and safety culture for a more productive team.

Tuesday evening, the Caterpillar Welcome Reception and Dinner began with drinks on the hotel lawn. String lights and fire pits lit the scene while a Spanish guitar player set the mood. A pair of great horned owls watched the large crowd of attendees from nearby rooftops as the stars slowly came out. Once the crowd was sufficiently lubricated, an Apache hoop dancer performed with his singer/drummer and led members down the path to the buffet dinner. The guitar player joined his band, playing Spanish-style versions of popular songs at a relaxing pace. Hopi kachina dolls decorated each table, and the lucky guests with a ribbon on their chairs were invited to take it home. Many lingered late into the evening, unwilling to break the spell of an enchanting desert night.

Wednesday, February 26
Wednesday morning began with the John Deere Opening Keynote Breakfast and a series of tributes. Rob Darden reminded the audience that this convention would be director of meetings and events Becky Hopkins’ swan song before her retirement, back in Phoenix, the city where her career first started, and that director of administration Teri Korson would follow suit this summer in her home state of Wisconsin. He called the entire DCA staff up on stage for well-deserved special recognition, getting a little choked up in the process. Next, it was 2024 DCA President Mark Albert’s turn to watch a “Mission Impossible” video tribute to his year as president and offer a few words in his own inimitable style. 

Once breakfast was over and the tears were dry, it was time for some laughter with keynote speaker Kyle Scheele, “Patron Saint of Crazy Ideas.” Scheele started his career in high school selling corny joke T-shirts before breaking into the Urban Outfitters market on a suitcase and a prayer. He has since gone on to make money turning a tandem bicycle into the “Centaur of Attention,” goofing around with a family photo on TikTok, writing a children’s book based on a conversation in a pizza shop, and staging the world’s largest pretend marathon (twice!). “If you want crazy results, you have to embrace crazy ideas,” Scheele says. He left the audience with the Five Things Every Idea Needs:

1. A chance - never say, “I am not a creative person”—even a spreadsheet can be a work of creativity. 
2. A home – write ideas down before you forget them, no matter how silly they seem.
3. A time and a place – there’s no such thing as the perfect time or place; just do it.
4. A bodyguard – protect your idea from naysayers long enough to give it a fighting chance.
5. A crew – collaborators and supporters are critical for taking an idea to crazy heights.

On that note, the Innovation and Technology Committee took over, quickly jumping into a discussion of Miniso translator headphones tested by one of the committee members. The headphones, paired with a smartphone app, can translate one spoken language into another in close to real time and currently supports 136 languages. The group recognized strong potential for smoothing communications on multilingual construction crews. From there, things segued into how AI can be used to benefit construction, from auditing tools and recruiting to traffic control, PPE usage, weather interpretation, and wearable technology. Someone suggested a demonstration of what AI can and cannot do, while another raised cybersecurity concerns. The committee recommended collaboration and sharing with other organizations, and Randy Rupp of Ditch Witch concluded the meeting with his kudos for the new committee structure improving the quality of discussion.

Wednesday afternoon, it was time to enjoy the desert, whether hiking, horseback riding, kayaking, rappelling off a cliff, or riding around in ATVs. Folks were slow to trickle into the evening auction buffet at first, but the low conversation over the silent auction display gradually built to a loud din as the start of the live auction drew near. The action jumped quickly as all manner of heavy equipment, jewelry, football tickets, hunting and fishing trips, drilling supplies, rentals, guns, golf packages, and even a cuckoo clock went up for bids. All told, the silent and live auctions raised over $580,000 this year for DCA scholarships and outreach.

Thursday, February 27
Thursday morning’s Ditch Witch Group Breakfast was a leisurely affair with auction totals and the recipients of the DCA-Dale R. Michels and Curtis Allen scholarships announced. After everyone had a chance to fuel up and wake up, their minds were sharp and ready for the LEGO group challenge. Each table became a team as packs of different colored LEGO bricks were distributed, along with packets of string, construction paper, and various other decorative items. DCA “celebrities” would be the judges for the challenge: Who would create the best LEGO replica of famous world landmarks? Pictures of the Empire State Building, the Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Tower of London, and the Petronas Towers were passed out as guides to build from. Some tables stuck mostly to bricks, while others took full advantage of paper and string. The concentration was intense as the big kids and the little kids jockeyed over which piece to put where for the best towers and trusses and domes. The room full of future architects and closet master builders left the judges with quite a challenge indeed, but ultimately Table 15 won out with their fanciful depiction of Angkor Wat, winning everyone a spectacularly sparkly dollar-sign neck chain to show off in the airport on the long ride home.

Fresh off the high of competition, the Trenchless and HDD Committee met for the only business of the day. Dr. Sam Ariaratnam, professor and Sunstate Chair of Management and Engineering at Arizona State University, began with a recap of recent activity from the USDOT Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC) that he serves on. GPAC is operating under a new secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy, and since last report has worked on pipeline classification, leak detection, PHMSA standards, and reviews of LNG facilities, with permit reform up for debate soon. Dr. Sam noted that although the direction of the new administration was uncertain in Washington, the overall outlook for the gas business appeared positive over the next four to 12 years. He contrasted this with the previous administration, which had PHMSA focusing more on environmental concerns than pipeline safety.

The subcommittee updates sought to define the roles and goals for each of the still-new subcommittees. The Education for Engineers and Planners group generated an interesting discussion on how to prevent bad designs, drawings, RFPs, and locations by providing good and bad examples, detailing “ideal” project conditions, and adding detail to contract documents, among other ideas. Technology as Innovation will focus more on exit-side safety and equipment longevity, while the Mapping and Planning group emphasizes good bore planning for small versus big rigs. 

Friday, February 28
Friday’s Century Products Closing Keynote Breakfast featured the much-anticipated keynote speaker Kevin O’Leary, known satirically as “Mr. Wonderful” on the TV shows “Dragon’s Den” in Canada and “Shark Tank” in the U.S. After an introductory video about his life and philosophy, O’Leary began a fascinating breakdown of how exactly the U.S. economy managed to weather a pandemic that might have caused a full-on depression in earlier decades and come out stronger on the other side. Forced isolation accelerated the adoption of new technology — particularly videoconferencing — even among older people who were typically resistant to going digital. As retail outlets struggled with empty stores, producers shifted to direct-to-customer sales through the internet, cutting out the middleman. This shift not only reduced costs, but produced enormous amounts of customer data as well, which quickly became more valuable than oil. Despite the failures of some old-school businesses, many others were now experiencing higher profit margins than ever before. O’Leary called this “the digitization of America,” a phenomenon of the uniquely flexible American economy that other parts of the world could not easily replicate so rapidly. The audience was rapt with attention.

O’Leary went on to illustrate his points with cases from “Shark Tank,” including a mother/daughter cupcake business that thrived on social media through personality and drama and a cleaning supply business that should have cratered during the pandemic but instead soared thanks to a brilliant midnight marketing campaign aided by O’Leary himself appearing in their commercial. He articulated his keys to success in attracting investors to your business: Be able to articulate your idea in 90 seconds or less, convince people you have the right team to execute your business plan, have a comprehensive understanding of your business model, and know your numbers. He also described why he cuts off his children after their education is complete, quoting his mother that “The dead bird under the nest never learns to fly.”

After all that, O’Leary still had time for a Q&A, and DCA members eagerly stood up. In his inimitable no-BS style, O’Leary gave his opinions on subjects ranging from empty office buildings and data center power demands, winner versus loser states (making it easier or harder to do business), Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) job cuts, and the stability of the oil and gas industry. He told a story about his infamous wristwatches, opined on the war in Ukraine and how Canada and America should really cooperate, and gave his thoughts on how to solve the national debt. O’Leary concluded by saying that America’s number one export is the “American Dream,” and the best thing we can do is keep that alive.

The Government Relations Committee came next to wrap up the week’s business. DCA Washington liaison Eben Wyman of Wyman Associates began his week testifying before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee alongside Emanuel Paris of Alex E. Paris Contracting before flying into Phoenix to join the convention. He recapped their testimony on support for the new pipeline safety bill, noting that it went extremely well, and Wyman gave a glowing review of Paris’ performance (See page 26 for a summary of the testimony). They believe that getting the new PHMSA director confirmed is a positive sign that Congress is serious about safety. The subject turned toward regional Washington fly-ins and strategy for a bit before moving on to the new administration’s “Day One” executive orders and actions, including declaring an American energy crisis, “Unleashing American Energy,” and regulatory freezes. Wyman posited that none of it counts until it goes through the legislative process, but the DCA will still have to play defense against some budget-cutting initiatives and to avoid a PSMS requirement. Mark Albert spoke passionately on the importance of repealing the estate tax and its effect on small family businesses. The committee discussed a DCA letter to the President and the 119th Congress on the role of natural gas, the need to expand pipeline capacity, and its impacts on national security. Finally, the regulatory update covered recent actions by the Department of Energy and the EPA, including the observation that utilities in some parts of the country are starting to bring construction in-house again.

After yet another gorgeous afternoon in the desert, members gathered one last time in their best western finery for Vermeer’s “Denim & Lace” President’s Dinner. The ballroom was decked out in barnwood and string lights, with racks of cowboy hats, saguaro-shaped lights and decorations, barrels, wagon wheels, saddles, and other artifacts of frontier life. 2024 DCA President Mark Albert of AGI Construction rode onto the stage one last time with his stick horse to pass his badge to “the new sheriff in town,” incoming DCA President Dan Carson of Carson Corp., as the “Magnificent Seven” theme spurred them to glory. At last, hot new country band Chapel Hart took over the spotlight to get boots a-scootin’ on the dance floor. Their intro told the story of how they were discovered on “America’s Got Talent,” and the three ladies kept the dance floor busy with a mix of originals and country classics in their powerful and lovely voices. The highlight of the evening was a special performance of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” dedicated to Becky Hopkins to the delight of all.

The DCA will meet next at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, July 14-17 for the Mid Year Meeting. We look forward to seeing you there.