A delegation of STAC staff and members of the STAC Steering Committee attended the annual NATE UNITE Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina last week, where we had the chance to meet with safety leaders from across the U.S. and Europe.
STAC was pleased to meet with the NATE Safety & Education Committee to discuss STAC documents and share resources. STAC was also excited to sit in on a committee meeting with the NATE Workforce Development Group and listen to all the ways that this group is combating workforce shortages in the United States.
The STAC delegation also had the pleasure of meeting the chair of the U.K. Mast and Tower Safety Group (MATS), Stewart Mardle, and had the opportunity to discuss European tower safety issues and the state of the U.K. industry.
Significantly, members of the STAC Steering Committee and the STAC Workforce Development Committee also attended a meeting with members of the National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) to discuss STAC’s early efforts to bring a tower climber certification process to the Canadian market.
Those in attendance from STAC also attended a variety of educational sessions, including “Safety Sleeve Testing: Reviewing the Results and Highlighting the Use Cases and Applications”, “Understanding Compliance Companies”, “When is it Safe to Work Around Federally Protected Migratory Birds”, and “How to Resolve the Workforce Shortages and Prepare for the Future”.
In addition to all of the educational components, NATE UNITE offered plenty of opportunities to have a good time, and the annual reception hosted by Alliance Corp. and GME Supply Co. was a particularly enjoyable event. A few people from the STAC delegation even had the chance to catch an inspiring keynote lunch presentation by former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty.
The STAC delegation was also excited to meet with many STAC members throughout the conference and on the NATE UNITE trade show floor, where a number of member companies served as exhibitors.
It was great to see so many STAC members in Raleigh and we can’t wait to reconnect in Vancouver at STAC 2020 in a few weeks!
