Publisher’s Message – Positive Thinking
I don’t know about you but I’ve about had it with all of the negativity regarding this COVID-19 health crisis. We are gradually re-opening businesses and we need to start thinking positively about the good things that will happen going forward. We now know enough about the coronavirus that we can restart our economy. Sure, there will be health risks, but we have had a lot of health risks before COVID-19. I, for one, am confident North Americans will adhere to all the social distancing, mask wearing, etc. to minimize the coronavirus risks in the future.
Construction is slowly getting back up to full steam. Now, we are faced with the challenge of infrastructure funding even more so than before. In the public works sector, revenue from income taxes, water usage and gas consumption are way down. However, we have no choice but to figure out how to get much-needed infrastructure repair work done.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “Pessimism never won any battle.” And that’s what the COVID-19 health crisis is — a battle. To quote that “famous philosopher” Willie Nelson, “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive thoughts.”
McElroy Celebrates 65th Anniversary
The McElroy name has become synonymous with plastic pipe fusion, specifically HDPE and, in recent years, PVC. This is a wonderful story, dating back some 65 years. The company is now in its second generation of family ownership and management. The success of the company is a great testament of family business succession planning. McElroy has a worldwide distribution network and 315 employees in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Art and Panny, founders of McElroy, have left the company in good hands with their son Chip McElroy as its president and CEO. Chip’s siblings, Donna and Peggy, as executive vice presidents, head up the financial area and international marketing, respectively. Please be sure to read this marvelous cover story in this issue.
NASTT 2020 No-Dig Show and No-Dig North
As you may know with the cancellation of the Denver NASTT No-Dig Show due to the pandemic, many of the show’s main features are being incorporated into No-Dig North 2020, set for Oct. 19-21 in Vancouver, Canada. The combination event will celebrate 30 years of trenchless technology. This now re-imagined event will get into high gear with a Kick-off Breakfast on Oct. 20. There will be pre-event training courses on Oct. 19 with a huge exhibit hall Oct. 20-21, with the Kick-off Breakfast being the big launch. There will also be the Educational Fund action, with a $5,000 Hawaiian vacation raffle, again thankfully sponsored by Vermeer.
The host hotel is the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. The show will be held at an amazing venue, the Vancouver Convention Centre, located directly on the waterfront. Vancouver is one of the most spectacular cities I have ever visited. I am trust you will be there. For the latest information for the show, go to nodignorth.ca.
Let’s safely get back to work,
Bernard P. Krzys, Publisher
