By Shepard Dunn, TPP Profitability Consultant
Warmer weather here I come……!! As I prepare to attend the TCA’s Annual Convention — Truckload 2020: Orlando — I reflect on the many years of education that I absorbed by being a sponge from my peers. I want to say thank you!!
THANK YOU for the great memories. Taking a stroll down memory lane, I attended my first convention in 1994 or 1995, which was held at Bally’s Resort in Las Vegas. I was the newbie in the room, not just to ITCC (TCA) but also as a newcomer to the trucking industry. I knew two people in the room, my wife Libbet and Mac McCormick (who was investing his money in giving me the opportunity to learn from his friends).
Each year thereafter, more faces became familiar at the conventions. Whether that was at the policy committee meeting or in educational workshops. One particular year I remember, I was in a committee meeting when the discussion turned to something that turned a light on for me, and suddenly, it all seemed to make sense. I walked out of that room feeling like, I was an informed trucking professional because I could now connect the dots. Or at least I believed I could.
At a meeting of the newly-formed TCA Profitability Program TC-11 (Tanker/Bulk Group) in Atlanta in early February, I was asked “How do I take advantage of the annual convention?” That’s a question I receive often and my answer is usually the same: “Depends on what you want out of it.” To me, it’s about continually educating myself by listening to and learning from you — TCA’s members. Whether that’s in a committee meeting, an educational workshop, exhibition hall, speakers on stage, or simply visiting with a new acquaintance that has a different business model than I was used to. Seeing old friends is the best though. Catching up on their business and family life, or sharing a new idea that has worked for them recently.
TCA’s Annual Convention is where “MAGIC” happens. As my friend Jack Porter says (adlib) “……a slowdown in business is a terrible thing to waste” and so is TCA’s Annual Convention.
I am excited to be attending but most of all, my hope is that I run into you and we take the time to catch up.
See you in Kissimmee!
Shepard Dunn
812-887-9600
