Shoring Industry Veteran Shares his First NAXSA Convention Experience
Long-time shoring industry veteran Jon Lentz with Pro-Tec Equipment was kind enough to sit down with us after the convention and share his thoughts regarding his first NAXSA convention. Jon states he was always aware of NAXSA’s activities and the participation of many of his fellow employees and customers but had never taken time from his busy schedule to attend the annual convention. We asked him to share a few thoughts and what takeaways he had from his recent San Antonio experience.
Jon began his career in the shoring industry with Pro-Tec back in 2004, where he started as a driver and welder. He wore many hats and was flexible, pitching in with different roles was just part of getting the job done. Mr. Lentz soon began to take on new responsibilities, and since that time has served in the positions of Fleet Supervisor, Branch Manager, and currently Operations Manager for the Pro-Tec brand, splitting time between the manufacturing plant and the nearby rental branch. As Mr. Lentz has matured and grown at Pro-Tec, he has weathered a lot of change since his early days at Pro-Tec and has learned a lot as it has become a leading brand name under the Arcosa parent umbrella.
We asked him what stuck out attending his first convention and he immediately shared “We are all fighting the same battles, but it’s great to hear the different solutions” people apply to the same problems. He also noted the takeaways from the breakout sessions in safety and engineering gave him good ideas to take back to his work environment. He also felt the industry veteran pipe plug roundtable “opened up his eyes to many ideas they need to consider and take back to their plug rental operations.”
In addition to building industry knowledge, Jon realized that the networking and social aspect of a trade association doesn’t just take place on the convention floor but also the committees where you work side by side and tackle industry problems. These provide a lot of interaction and useful contacts for the future.
Jon was quick to point out that the keynote speaker, breakout sessions, and meeting his competitors and customers are all valuable, but the ability to do it in a compressed and focused environment turns a few days away from the daily work duties into time and energy well spent.
We hope many first-time attendees saw the same value as Jon did, and realize we will continue to move the industry forward much quicker by working together and sharing ideas than we would working in our own silos. Jon, all of us at NAXSA look forward to seeing you next year in Dallas!
Special interview by Howard Nute, Communications Committee
The North American Excavation Shoring Association (NAXSA), is created to promote the safe and efficient use of excavation shoring practices. NAXSA was formed to represent manufacturers, engineers, rental companies/distributors, universities/educators, associates/suppliers, and government agency representatives who share the common goal of maintaining safety in the excavation shoring industry with the result of zero deaths and injuries.
Visit the NAXSA website here.
