CAWP Annual Meeting Recap

The 2019 CAWP Annual Meeting was held January 30 – February 3, 2019 at the Margaritaville Key West Resort & Marina in Key West, Florida.

Nearly 170 attendees enjoyed four days of networking, educational sessions, social events and more!

Attendees mingled together at an outdoor Welcome Reception on the resort’s pier, complete with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres while viewing the famous Key West sunset.  Find out what the speakers discussed, the fun excursions you missed, and what happened at the Group Dinner held at the Truman Little White House.

CAWP Executive Director Rich Barcaskey, CAWP Director of Industry Relations Jason Koss and CAWP Director of Events Emily Marotte kicked off the sessions with an overview of the Association’s work for the last year while highlighting initiatives that will be occurring in 2019.  They also discussed updates on Workforce Development programs and ways you and your organization can get involved.

Associated General Contractors of America Vice President, Congressional Relations & Infrastructure Advancement Sean O’Neill updated the attendees on legislation pertinent to the heavy / highway construction industry at the federal level.

Anthony Huey of Communicate Clearly provided the keynote address, Making Your Message Memorable. Huey discussed communicating in front of a group of people – one of Americans’ top fears. By engaging the attendees and using some hands-on techniques, Huey illustrated ways to make your message memorable. The techniques he shared are universal, from formal speaking, business meetings, presentations and one-to-one conversations. Attendees walked away with the tools to become more dynamic communicators in their work environment and beyond.

The Sand Sculpting Contest and team building activity got participants thinking outside of the sand box! Teams of 2 to 4 participants received a quick primer on the ins and outs of sculpting sand. Once the brief lesson concluded, teams were tasked with creating a sand castle out of two buckets worth of sand.

Working together, the groups created some memorable sculptures, but it was Team Post & Schell and Swank that took home wooden medals and bragging rights with their ode to Game of Thrones, complete with a dragon. Congrats to all the teams for a fantastic effort!

The traditional group dinner was held at the Truman Little White House on Friday, February 1. Attendees enjoyed an evening on the lawn of a true historic landmark. Guests were able to tour the Little White House and get a peek into the spot where President Truman spent a large portion of his term in office.

Following cocktail hour, guests enjoyed a delicious meal under twinkling lights and beautiful trees. A small sprinkle of rain did nothing to dampen their spirits! After dinner, attendees were treated to Cupcake Sushi and cookies for dessert, an artisanal rum tasting, and cigars to cap off the night.

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