Putting a value on ConExpo-Con/Agg (Part 2)

By |  March 8, 2023
Buffalo Wire Works’ Dominic Nasso says his company is doubling the number of people it will be sending to ConExpo-Con/Agg. Photo: Photo: PamElla Lee Photography

Buffalo Wire Works’ Dominic Nasso says his company is doubling the number of people it will be sending to ConExpo-Con/Agg. Photo: Photo: PamElla Lee Photography

The following transcript was edited from one of two concurrent discussions about ConExpo-Con/Agg at the 2023 Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference. The transcript from the other Roundtable discussion is available here.

P&Q: If you’re planning to attend ConExpo, what sort of goals does your company have for the show. Do you plan to send more people or fewer people than in 2020 and 2017? If you aren’t planning to attend or if you are modifying your show approach, what factors are behind that decision?

SCOTT ALEXANDER (KILGORE COMPANIES): I will be in attendance. Our company is really scaling back due to concerns of recessionary potential, so the amount of people we send is significantly reduced from what we would normally do. That’s really just to mitigate concerns.

BRIAN VRABLIC (RULMECA CORP.): We’re maintaining the level we had in 2020, so the same number of people, the same footprint and the same effective level spend. It’s a big show for us, and we’re hoping for a really good show.

OLIVER NOBELS (SCHURCO SLURRY): I think the biggest thing we’ve seen since 2020 was the lack of producers and users. I think we almost, to this point, treat it as more of an opportunity to talk to dealers, because we do everything through dealer networks. ConExpo is that one week where all the dealers are there. We can kind of recap the previous year with the year that’s coming. That’s the biggest shift we’ve seen since the 2020 fiasco – if you want to call it that.

I understand where Scott is coming from. You guys have to protect your company and your employees, but that’s the biggest difference for us. The focus has kind of shifted.

TOMASO VENEROSO (AMCAST): Events like this one are important because you interact with the producer. You can think tank. You can have discussions. Are you going to cut deals there? No. But, for all the reasons Oliver pointed out, we’re shifting more into meeting with dealers. Also, ConExpo is another way to convey our messages.

DOMINIC NASSO (BUFFALO WIRE WORKS): We expect a great turnout. We are actually doubling the number of people this year. Working with Pit & Quarry has been great in terms of getting out our message of who we are. With our name and being a 155-year-old company, people still think we just make cloth. But we are a major manufacturer of urethane systems, rubber systems and woven liners, and that is our best way of meeting and reinforcing relationships, as well as getting our new products out.

KELLY GRAVES (KLEEMANN): ConExpo is a very big show for us. As a matter of fact, for this show, we’ve increased our booth size compared to the previous show in 2020. Our booth staff will probably be about the same as before, but we will have more machines on hand. Our focus for this ConExpo is smart, safe, sustainable machines. We’re going to be introducing a lot of technologies throughout all of our product brands that focus on just those three components. That’s what we’re focusing on for ConExpo, and we’re anticipating a great turnout.

ERICKA BAXTER (CAPITAL MATERIALS): Something that’s worth mentioning as we’re talking about ConExpo and labor shortages is the importance of maybe letting some of those front-level employees attend events like this. One of the things that is so cool about our industry is so many of us started on the bottom and worked our way up. I think we’ll continue to have labor issues if we don’t get this next generation in and excited. Even though we may be facing recession issues, I think there’s a lot of value in bringing those employees to the show and helping them catch the excitement that so many of us have in this industry.

Says Capital Materials’ Ericka Baxter: “There’s a lot of value in bringing employees to the show and helping them catch the excitement that so many of us have in this industry.” Photo: PamElla Lee Photography

Says Capital Materials’ Ericka Baxter: “There’s a lot of value in bringing employees to the show and helping them catch the excitement that so many of us have in this industry.” Photo: PamElla Lee Photography

JOHN SCEPANIAK (WM. D. SCEPANIAK): I agree with that sentiment. In 2020, I proposed an idea to our ownership that we bring 12 of our leaders with us to the show. They reciprocated with the answer of not thinking it was a good idea out of fear, with the idea that if you cut a bunch of 20-somethings loose in Las Vegas with a company credit card you’ll see what happens.

But we gave them all a challenge: ‘Go find something at the show that is going to help us be better. Make your job easier for yourself and your counterparts.’ And that was met with great success.

We were very happy with the turnout and how it benefited us as a company. Fast forward to today, and 11 of those 12 guys still work for us. So, if you’re worried about retention, something like that goes a long way. Spend the $20,000, $30,000, $50,000, $100,000 – whatever it costs – and it’s well worth it in the end. This year, we’re slated to bring about 25 additional people with us. It’s a big investment, but I think it it’s a good way to get buy-in.

DAN BABISH (LUCK STONE): We use ConExpo as a way to recognize high-potential foremen, plant managers and regional managers. It’s a way for them to meet vendors but also network within the company and meet colleagues outside of the company. We do see it as a great opportunity to grow our workforce.

FRANK SUAREZ (VULCAN MATERIALS CO.): I will not be attending. I’m sure some Vulcan folks from California, Nevada and Arizona who are closer can get there easier, but we are doing a lot of stuff within state associations.

CLYDE BECKETT (SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA/BIG CYPRESS ROCK MINE): We won’t be attending, and the main reason is because we bought new equipment over the last two years while it was available. We wanted to take advantage of equipment that was available. So, yes, there’s a lot of networking to be done in Vegas, but a lot of people find out it ends up being more of a party. So, we came to the decision that it wasn’t worth going this year.

P&Q: For equipment suppliers, do you expect this coming ConExpo-Con/Agg to provide a bump to your equipment sales? For everyone, what criteria do you use to determine if ConExpo-Con/Agg is a success for your company?

JOSH SWANK (PHILIPPI-HAGENBUCH): We view ConExpo as a way to really help build relationships, see our clients, see people that we’ve been working with on opportunities and projects over the last year – or sometimes multiple years. We also utilize the show to see dealers. That’s how we gauge ConExpo. It’s engagement.

Featured photo: PamElla Lee Photography


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