Kissimmee, Florida:

Last night, against the unusual backdrop of The Wall That Heals, a 250-foot replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall, the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) launched its 2015 Annual Convention at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida. The first major event, a First Time/New Member Welcome Reception, attracted a record crowd and provided an excellent opportunity for first-time convention attendees and new members to learn more about the association, network, and reconnect with friends.

This was the first time that many TCA members had been able to view The Wall That Heals, a traveling exhibit and education center that honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed forces during the Vietnam War. (TCA recently established a partnership with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund agreeing that some of its member carriers would haul The Wall for free to venues across the country.) The Wall was brought to the convention as a thank-you so the membership could experience it for themselves.

In addition to checking out The Wall, reception attendees heard from Roy Cox, executive vice president of Best Logistics Group, and Al Anderson, national sales manager of Bose Ride Team, co-chairs of TCA’s Membership Committee, who officially welcomed the new members who have joined since January 2014. They also recognized TCA’s Ambassadors – companies who have loyally belonged to TCA for 25 years or more – and Rigsters – individuals who have recruited one or more new members for TCA during the past year.

“I always look forward to the New Member Reception, as it’s a testament to how many of us remember when we were the new guy,” said Cox, who represents the carrier membership on the Membership Committee. “We worked hard to make sure our first-timers and new members had a special evening focusing on the value of TCA and some good, old-fashioned networking.”

Also at the convention, the Membership Committee promoted peer-to-peer interaction by trying out something new: member volunteers. For the first time, any convention participant could volunteer to work at the registration booth and/or monitor one of the very popular trucking in the round sessions. More than 16 companies and various members of their staff eagerly signed up.

“This is a unique opportunity for our members to interact, to engage in conversations with others in their industry,” said Anderson, who represents the associate members on the Membership Committee. “It frees up the staff to keep the convention running smoothly, plus it allows our associate members to make face-to-face contact with our trucking company members in a less sales-oriented environment.”

TCA’s 77th Annual Convention will continue until March 11, 2015, with abundant networking and educational activities for all attendees. For the latest convention news, follow the association on Facebook—www.truckload.org/Facebook—and Twitter—www.truckload.org/Twitter. On both social media sites, you can also learn about this year’s Annual Convention with the hashtag #2015TCA.