TACERA

The 2017 NACE Annual Conference was held in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 9 to April 13, 2017 at the Duke Energy Convention Center and Hilton Netherland Plaza. Texas was represented by Robert Berndt, Joe Trammel, Bill Riley and Keith Melton from Tarrant County, Tony Vasquez from Bexar County, Bryan Neaves from Bell County, Wes McDougal from Moore County, Yancy Scott from Waller County, Ron Drachenberg (Retired) from Fort Bend County and Ashley Mathews from the Texas LTAP. The Texas group was 14 members strong including the spouses that attend the event. We also had several attendees from the private sector including Don Ward from Pavement Restorations and Bart Williamson from DTS.

Some of the Texas highlights from the Conference included Robert Berndt being the Moderator for the Structures Track – Scour Analysis and Mitigation presentations and the two Technical Tours (Great American Ballpark and the Roebling Suspension Bridge). The Texas State Affiliate Dinner was at Moerlein Lager House in Cincinnati on Monday night. It was a great evening of food, beer and fellowship with our Texas friends and family.

Your Texas delegation attended several NACE committee meetings during the Conference. Robert attended the Awards Committee and Emergency Preparedness Committee meetings. Joe attended the Board of Directors meeting and Legislative Committee meeting. Serving on NACE Committees is a great way to stay informed on breaking national issues and get your say on topics for the next NACE Conference.

The amount of topics covered at the Conference are too numerous to mention but the attendees had their choice of three to four different topics during each program track. The two days in the Exhibit Hall brought companies from all over the United States. Your delegation made many contacts and hopes to bring new vendors to the TACERA conference in November. Please check out the TACERA picture page to view some of the snapshots of the Texas folks in Cincinnati.

-Robert Berndt

NACE 2018 will be held at the Chula Vista Resort in The Dells, Wisconsin from April 22 to April 26, 2018. Make sure you include money in your budgets to attend this event next year. The knowledge and contacts you will make at this Conference will enhance your professional career and give you the tools to perform your county job better. If you have any questions about the NACE Conference, please contact anyone of this year’s attendees.