NASPD Celebrates 40-Year Anniversary
The National Association of Steel Pipe Distributors (NASPD) celebrated its 40-year anniversary in its birthplace of San Antonio, Texas. Attendees of the anniversary festivities in February enjoyed fabulous food and entertainment on the San Antonio Riverwalk, as well as gained valuable steel pipe industry insight presented by several keynote speakers at the convention.
Since its inception in 1975, the NASPD provides networking, education and market watch for the steel pipe business and has grown its membership to 268 companies from around the globe.
With 466 industry professionals in attendance, the anniversary commemoration kicked off with a convention at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk Hotel and culminated with an elegant, black-tie dinner, awards banquet, dance and gala at the historic Sunset Station event center.
NASPD prides itself on providing its members with valuable resources to build their business and therefore invites convention speakers that promote the many facets of the industry, as well as encourage professional development. One common theme shared by this year’s presenters related to the health of the steel pipe business. It was noted that while the pipe market has been directly affected by the drop in oil prices, the industry works in cycles and the steel pipe market applications are broad. Attendees were educated on key indicators in market movement to look for, and were encouraged to continue building effective networking relationships. These opportunities are a cornerstone of NASPD.
Art Shelton, president of the association, stated that “networking and education, along with keeping conference and convention registration prices low, provide our members with tremendous opportunities to keep a pulse on the industry and maintain their business.”
Other speaker topics included diverse information ranging from re-planning for retirement to business changes for 2015. As with all NASPD meetings, a roundtable discussion was held at the end of the event, allowing members a supportive atmosphere to openly converse about various industry matters.
At the celebratory gala, Jaime Z. Woldenberg was proudly inducted into the NASPD Hall of Fame. With more than seven decades of experience in steel, Mr. Woldenberg is a pioneer in the pipe and steel industries. As one who challenges conventionality with creativity, innovation and market leadership, his “can-do” attitude has taken his group’s flagship company, Tubacero, to new heights and accomplishments.
In keeping with its commitment to providing education to its members, NASPD hosts a convention and two conferences each year. The 2015 Summer Conference will be held June 4-6 in Lake Take, Nevada and the Fall Conference is planned for October 1-3 in Savannah, Georgia. In addition, the organization provides two very successful courses that industry leaders look to for training staff. These annual courses, Steel Pipe Basic Education and OCTG Specialty Education are scheduled for November 2-4, 2015 in Houston, Texas. NASPD professionals developed and published two extensive textbooks that are used in these courses: Tubular Products Manual and The Fundamentals of Steel Pipe. For more information and inquiring about NASPD membership, please visit www.naspd.com.
