Snow fighters to meet in Milwaukee
It might be spring, but more than 1,500 snow fighters from North America will converge in Milwaukee for the American Public Works Association (APWA) North American Snow Conference, April 29 to May 2.
Known as the “The Show for Snow,” the conference attracts winter road maintenance and public safety professionals from local governments, as well as state and provincial transportation departments. The conference will offer winter maintenance education programs, networking sessions, technical tours and exhibits from more than 130 companies at the Frontier Airlines Center in downtown Milwaukee.
“Winter maintenance and weather presentations are critical, but there will also be a focus on fleet, sustainability and emergency management in winter operations sessions,” said APWA Executive Director Peter King, about the 2012 meeting.
This year’s General Session Talk Show, titled “From Shop to Storm and Back Again — Best Management Practices for Operators and Fleets,” is an interactive session that will focus on the relationship between fleets and equipment operators, with specifics on how to enhance communication and understanding between the two components of storm response.
The 2012 show will have a Winter Maintenance Supervisor Certificate Workshop, which made its premiere as a pilot program at the 2011 Snow Conference in Spokane, Wash. Designed for individuals charged with supervising winter maintenance operations, the one-day workshop provides an overview of snow and ice control. Held on the first day of the conference, it provides a foundation for investigating specific topics that are covered during the rest of the conference.
The Closing General Session on Tuesday will feature a speech by Mark Mayfield, who also delivers standup comedy. Mayfield will present “The Glass Ain’t Half Empty, It’s Just Too Big,” which is a fast-paced program about change theory that will provide participants with change management skills.
The conference ends on Wednesday, May 2, with technical tours. Milwaukee’s repair garage is the destination of one of the three local tours at the 2012 Snow Conference. The other two tours will visit manufacturers’ facilities. The first tour will go to the New Berlin, Wis., headquarters of snowplow manufacturer Wausau Everest. The second tour will go to the Milwaukee headquarters of Western Products, to see Western, Fisher and Blizzard-branded snow plows and salt spreaders being assembled.
Go here for more information on the 2012 North American Snow Conference and to register online.
The April Government Product News features a variety of snow removal equipment starting on page 18. Here is a
link to the April GPN digital edition.
