By: Joey Thomas, Induron Business Development Manager
Most industries have some form of annual assembly where representatives from sales, ownership, material providers, and contractors converge. In the Industry of potable water, this occurs every June in the form of AWWA-ACE (American Water Works Association – Annual Conference and Exposition). This weeklong event rotates around the country to different locations annually to showcase what’s going on in the industry. This year’s event took place in our nation’s capital starting on the first day of summer as well as Father’s Day (June 21st).
At Induron, this is an event we look forward to every year. It gives us an opportunity to catch up with industry professionals as well as many of our wonderful clients. Being a smaller company in this immense landscape, Induron prides itself on developing and nurturing relationships to prove that, regardless of size, we are a leader in the manufacture and supply of the finest coatings on the market for corrosion protection of critical water infrastructure assets.
A Little Pre-Show Golf Fun
Since joining Induron over 4 years ago, I have taken a very active role in relationship building with our clients. I’m not going to lie, I was a little bummed about missing out on Father’s Day with my beautiful wife and daughters; however, I took advantage of the opportunity to spend the day with one of our clients (and more importantly someone I call a friend) Nick Kavanaugh of Caldwell Tanks. Like me, Nick enjoys a good round of golf. Over the last few years, I have gotten to know and appreciate Nick, and we figured if we’re both going to be traveling yearly to this awesome event, why not play some golf.
For the second year in a row, we sought out a unique course in the area to hit some balls. This year we found a wonderful gem hidden away in Ijamsville, MD called Whiskey Creek Golf Club. Rules of “client golf” aside, Nick beat me straight up. I can’t say I let him win since he is a couple of strokes better than me consistently. While there was some obvious talk of work, the lion’s share of the day was consumed by just having fun and enjoying a valued working relationship and friendship.
Induron at the Exposition
The show’s exposition began Monday morning where there was a constant flow of customers new and old, as well as industry peers stopping by our booth to see what’s new at Induron. We were lucky enough to have our President Davies Hood, our National Sales Manager Andy Odorzynski, our pipe sales manager Chris Rowell, regional sales managers Glenda Curry and Steve Freed and I all present. It’s always a joy to see our team interface with the variety of people that took the time to come see us. These are often the most important conversations you may have with some of these folks yearly.
ACE Ball 2026
As the exposition day came to an end, it was time to prepare for our major client event of the conference. For anyone that knows Davies Hood, you know that he’s a baseball “junkie” of sorts. He has been to a game at all but one MLB baseball park, and it’s only a matter of time before he checks that final box. For the third time in the last 5 years, we’ve been fortunate enough to catch the home team in town to be able to get in a game. The Philadelphia Phillies happened to be in town visiting the Washington Nationals setting the stage for a 6:45 start time with 20 of our clients.
We agreed to meet at a beer garden adjacent to the stadium around 5:30 so we could all walk into our suite together. Having watched the forecast all day, we knew of the potential of storms moving into the area around game time. Unfortunately, the weatherman was right this time. As we took shelter from the storm, the Induron team wondered if we would end up losing some of our guests not wanting to brave the elements for a game that might get rained out. But, true to their RSVP, every one of our guests showed up to the game!
The start time got pushed back to 8:15 p.m., but we all made it into the suite and enjoyed a beautiful, delayed night of baseball. The venue, food and drinks were only outshined by the wonderful interactions and conversations we had with our group.
We often get caught up in the business side of these relationships and only get to know our client partners in a more formal setting with business or business casual attire being the standard. It is truly an honor to get to enjoy something as casual as a baseball game where the suits, slacks, and dress shoes are traded in for shorts, tennis shoes, t-shirts or team jerseys. If I’m being honest, this part of the relationships we have with our clients might be my favorite. In the paint industry, these would fall under the category of selling “outside the bucket of paint” – really getting to know the person you are trying to help with their demanding projects. I cherish each of these relationships and strive to be a better partner than simply asking for a paint order. These relationships we develop and nurture will far outlive the individual business transactions we make.
That’s a Wrap on ACE 2026
After a successful day of exposition and baseball in the books, the conference continued with a steady stream of visitors over the next two days. We got to meet so many unique people either wanting to know what’s new at Induron or needing coatings solutions that we were more than happy to provide. Our whole team left D.C. with a renewed vigor and sense of accomplishment in an outstanding week representing our company on this national level.
As we look ahead to 2027 where AWWA-ACE will take place in San Diego, CA, I’ve already started scouting some of the beautiful golf courses in the area to carry on my new tradition. Davies and I will be waiting patiently for the Padres to release their 2027 baseball schedule in hopes they are in town, and we can catch a game at Petco Park with more of our friends in the industry.
Until then, we will continue developing and nurturing relationships while continuing to provide superior coatings for the water industry!