Oh, The Memories - NTPDA18 with Elizabeth Fawcett

Just after our time together in Corpus Christi we reached out to those of who attended to give us some feedback on your time during the NTPDA Annual Meeting and Trade Show. Elizabeth Fawcett from Fawcett Tractor Supply offers these thoughts:

We had an amazing time visiting and building relationships. The weather was not ‘Texas’ weather but still much warmer than Canada. The hotel was wonderful aside from the construction happening on some people’s patios, but we are tough, rural folk and managed just fine.

The training from Richard and Crystal was amazing. I can’t begin to explain how crucial good training is and I feel as though it was delivered this year. We learned about some tough leadership issues that everyone who deals with people encounter. We also learned about some of the tricks about social media and a little bit of a good intro to those who are overwhelmed by the options.

The trade show was as good as I always remember it to be; we had some new faces that left some impressions (the Steiner Girls) and the tasty baklava from the gentlemen at Keba; these were just a couple of the great product conversations and good times shared.

As a new board member, and the youngest, I am excited for the upcoming term and very eager to learn from those around me – I feel like I’m among some folks that have a lot to teach (not an age reference, I promise) and I look forward to continuing our good times this summer at the Summer Conference in Minneapolis. I also found out that not everyone knew that the Summer Conference was open to everyone – it’s not just a board meeting! If it’s anything like the Annual Conference and Trade Show, it’s bound to be a great time! (Me with former president Jeff Griggs)

Meanwhile, back to Corpus Christi!

Now the banquet, that was something else! Phyllis outdid herself with the food choices and the music (again). There was a dance floor that got some good action with about a dozen of us dancing the banquet to a close. The auction was amazing! We had to explain to some new-comers that yes, mailboxes go for $300 here and that’s ok because it’s all for a good cause. There was also the Chuck-challenge for Doug….Wow. Just Wow. If I had only one word to describe this crew of people it would be ‘family’. The support and love showed that night, and all through the convention was astounding. A night to remember for sure. It didn’t end there though (it rarely does); a few of us decided to stay an extra day in Texas for a deep-sea fishing adventure which turned into, well, an adventure!

We arrive to Port Aransas with fog as thick as pea soup and some less-than-equipped vessels. Some of the boats were still not fully repaired after Harvey made his way through so we didn’t have radar or GPS on the boats which made for a very challenging hide and seek game with the breakers to get back into the jetty (I just learned those words so excuse me if I misused them….). After 8-10 foot swells, a good bought of sea sickness, and very frazzled captains, we called it after only 45 minutes on the water.

We all decided that wasn’t going to be the end of our day so we headed for breakfast, then naps, then some went for walks and shopping and some went to the USS Lexington – a dry-docked aircraft carrier turned museum; quite an impressive thing! With the ever-skilled Phyllis working on reservations for our group, we finished off the day with 26 of us heading to Landry’s for a delicious meal and farewells. It was an amazing trip and I am so excited to spend time with these folks again in July and January 2019; lots of laughs and learning.

 

Cheers,

Elizabeth