METALfab 2009 - Day 5

Saturday started out with a shop tour. We visited Upsurge Fabrication Inc. in Huntington Beach, CA. Our hosts were extremely gracious and gave us a first-class experience at their shop. The spotless shop featured snacks and drinks, music, a TV display, static displays, mini work station demos, and guest vendors. There were even a couple of antique motorcycles on display, which attracted a lot of interest.

In the evening, the grand finale of the week began — the annual METALfab Awards Banquet. During this time officers were installed, the Frank A. Kozik Award was presented, and the Top Job presentation took place.

Bob Foust III of Bob's Ornamental Iron Studio was installed as NOMMA's 41st president. In his speech, Bob pledged to continue improving NOMMA in all areas. "NOMMA was started decades ago by people much greater than me," he said. "I want to keep the faith given to us by the past presidents and boards."

As a child, Bob said he came to know NOMMA as a place of family vacations. In NOMMA's earlier years, it was common for fabricators to bring their families and make the NOMMA convention their vacation.

"NOMMA is and will continue to be an essential part of my business," he said, "And I want to help NOMMA become an essential part of your business as well."

Bob said that the board had embarked had held several "intense and exhausting meetings" to form NOMMA's new strategic plan. He said that the membership will soon become the recipients of this labor, and that everyone's help was needed to make the plan succeed. "In every association people get the governing they deserve," is a quote that Bob shared.

After an intermission, the Frank A. Kozik Award Volunteer Service Award was presented to Doug Bracken of Wiemann Ironworks. The award is given to members who share an outstanding spirit of volunteerism. Doug was given the award not only for his many years of service to NOMMA, but also for his willingness to always help others. A long-time board member, Doug has held several positions with NOMMA, including president and Technical Committee Chair. He has attended code hearings and is a tireless promoter and advocate for the industry.

In receiving the award, Doug said that when volunteering you "always get far more back than what you give." He added that during these challenging times, "there's never been a better reason for us to pull together as an industry."

Following the presentation of the Kozik award, Top Job Chair Mark Koenke took the stage to lead the awards presentation. Mark told the audience that this was a big year for the contest, with 69 companies submitting 184 entries. Gold, silver, and bronze awards were presented to winners in 15 categories. The grand finale of the night was the presentation of the Mitch Heitler Award for Excellence, which went to Eureka Forge. The winning entry was a hand-forged railing that featured Damascus steel leaves.

METALfab 2009 - Day 4

Friday was taken up by education and the completion of the trade show. In the afternoon, there were two big features — the Top Job Jamboree and the Video Shop Tours. During the jamboree all Top Job entries are flashed on a screen, and entrants have the opportunity to describe their work. At the video shop tours, attendees enjoy a video presentation of selected shops. The video tours have become an extremely popular event at METALfab conventions.

In the evening, everyone had the chance to wind down at the theme dinner and auction. The theme for this year was "dress as your favorite Hollywood star." If you thought you were seeing doubles, you weren't -- we had two Audrey Hepburns and two Hugh Hefner. In addition, we had a John Belushi and Brad Pitt, among others.

The theme dinner featured a great band that played everything from jazz to classic rock. The music was interspersed with the auction, which raised $11,945 for the NOMMA Education Foundation (NEF). All proceeds from the auction go toward NEF's education and research projects. A thanks to all the members and industry suppliers who donated items, particularly considering the difficult economic climate.

Members of the Upper Midwest Chapter wore
their "Field of Dreams" jerseys.

METALfab 2009 - Day 3

Thursday featured a day of education and the trade show. The morning started out with two excellent classes — scheduling and building codes. Other sessions for the day included CAD, ListServ use, driveway gates, and using technology to increase efficiency.

The Trade Show featured an extra bonus -- education sessions on the trade show floor. There was a class titled "NOMMA Online" and a program on copper repoussé.