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RECENT EVENTS

APRIL 3-5, 2008 SWIFA's 33rd annual convention at the Wyndham DFW Airport North Hotel in Irving, Texas just completed! Bryan Dodge started the conference off with a very spirited seminar by Bryan Dodge on Personal and Professional Development. Definitely, no one nodded off in this class. Then we boarded the bus for a box lunch and a tour of three facilities, Industrial Innovations Solutions, Astrup and USA Canvas Shoppe.

Later in the afternoon, we again boarded the bus for dinner at Dos Panchos Restaurant in Mesquite and then an evening at Clara Walker's Rodeo City Music Hall. It was a lively and entertaining show that all enjoyed.

Saturday morning started with a plated breakfast then Quinn Lopez, Esq. gave a seminar on "Financial and Operational Risk Management from a Worker's Compensation Perspective". Surely, this class was a benefit to all that attended.
Steve Warner, President of IFAI was our next speaker. His presentation of "Future of Our Industry and the Challenges of China" was quite an eye opener. We will surely be using some of this information when we meet new challenges in the future. Next we had two roundtables, Roy and Ryan Chism hosted "Incentives of new technologies" and Timothy Akes presented "CAD Effects, CAD Software". The rest of the afternoon was spent looking at products and talking to vendors about their newest additions at Market Day. Market day is always the highlight of our conference as vendor and customers get to spend time face to face in a relaxed setting.

Saturday evening we had a reception and then our Banquet and Awards Dinner. To see the winners of the Scrap Contest and the Photo Achievement Awards, click here.

The "Fickle Finger of Fate" 2008 Award went to Terri Chism. The events that led to this prestigious award are as follows:

When Roy Chism and his family entered their room at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV, they were surprised to find a wine and cheese trolley with a card addressed to Mr. Steve Warner, IFAI President. Assuming that Mr. Warner had moved rooms and feeling farely certain that the hotel would provide him with a fresh cheese trolley, Roy instructed his children and grandchildren to help themselves to the refreshments.

The following day, Roy approached Mr. Warner on the expo floor and told him how much he enjoyed the wine, cheese and fruit. As Mr. Warner never, in fact, received refreshments of any kind, he failed to see the humor in Roy's jest.

"I was wondering who stole my cheese," Mr. Warner replied grimly,

The events described above proved sufficient for Mr. Warner to nominate Roy for the Fickle Finger Award at the convention. Roy, however, felt that there was an individual more fundamentally guilty of illicitly consuming Mr. Warner's cheese. He approached the podium and testified that before partaking of Mr. Warner's refreshments, he consulted the opinion of Mrs. Terri Chism, his wife and moral compass. According to Roy's testimony, when asked via phone whether the indulgence be moral or no, Mrs. Chism responded, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas".

Terri Chism was not able to deny Roy's testimony, and was promptly awarded the Fickle Finger of Fate 2008 by acclimation of those present.

What a great conference! Those of you who attended made the right decision to be a part of one of the most enjoyable, productive and fun conference ever.