Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • European Rubber Journal
  • Plastics News
  • Tire Business
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Automotive
    • Tire
    • Non-Tire
    • Suppliers
    • ITEC
    • Silicone
    • Online Exclusive
    • Latex
    • Technical Notebooks
    • Executive Action
    • Government/Legal
    • Opinion
    • Rubber Division IEC
    • Blogs
    • Sustainability
    • Products
    • Wacky World of Rubber
  • War in Ukraine
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
  • Resources
    • Directory
    • Classifieds & Mold Mart
  • Data
  • Events
    • RN Events
    • RN Livestreams/Webinars
    • Industry Events
    • Past Events
    • Rubber News M&A Live
    • 2022 Hose & Belt Manufacturers Conference
    • 2022 International Silicone Conference
    • 2022 International Tire Exhibition & Conference (ITEC)
    • 2022 Women Breaking the Mold
  • Advertise
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Hose
June 14, 2021 12:37 PM

NAHAD 2021: Hose association opens convention in Arizona

Andrew Schunk
Rubber & Plastics News Staff
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Share
    Andrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    Molly Alton Mullins and Sam Petillo welcome NAHAD members to NAHAD 2021. It is the first event in two years.
    Share
    Andrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    From left, Mike Vardalos of Uniflex of America L.L.C., Jeff Nitz of Dixon Valve and Coupling, Scott Davis of Dixon and Nino Guzina of Uniflex enjoy NAHAD 2021.
    Share
    Andrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    NAHAD opens its 2021 conference with a pool party.
    Share
    Andrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    Members of the Hose Master team from Cleveland have made their way to Scottsdale, Ariz., for NAHAD 2021.
    Share
    Andrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    A NAHAD member reups his plate with a pork filet during the Sunset Beach pool party June 13.
    Share
    Andfrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    NAHAD kicks off its 2021 annual meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz.
    Share
    Andrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    NAHAD's annual convention is the first in-person event hosted by the association since the pandemic began.
    Share
    Andrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    NAHAD 2021 hosted its first in-person event at the Fairmont Princess in Scottsdale, Ariz.
    Share
    Andrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    David Gossett of Thermoid, at left, said he appreciates the organization’s projections and helpful forecasts—as well as reconnecting with old friends from the industry.
    Share
    Andrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    Two employees with Flexaust, at left, and a distributor with Southwest Rubber & Supply Co. (of Phoenix) enjoy the pool party.
    Share
    Andrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    NAHAD 2021 has been a time to conduct business, certainly, but it also represents a time for family, where members can bring their spouses for the conference.
    Share
    Andrew Schunk,. Rubber & Plastics News
    Members of the Jason Industrial team include (from left) Roy Pyle, Miguel Velazquex, Jeff Pence, Randy Forster and Kyo Oh.
    Share
    Andrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    Jessica Hauser Forte (left), Sam Petillo and Molly Alton Mullins (right) attend the Sunset Beach event during the opening night of the NAHAD Annual Meeting.
    Share
    Andrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    Joanna Truitt (right) of the NAHAD Safety Committee speaks with a NAHAD member June 12 in the Princess Ballroom.
    Share
    Andrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    Sam Petillo introduces Economist Connor Lokar of ITR Economics.
    Share
    Andrew Schunk, Rubber & Plastics News
    Economist Connor Lokar of ITR Economics speaks on the industry forecast over the next decade.

    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—The attendance may be down, but the sheer exuberance on the faces of NAHAD members, from manufacturers, to distributors, to the organizers themselves, is evident after more than two years since last meeting in Las Vegas.

    The NAHAD Annual Meeting and Convention is back, and it is back in force, with more than 600 attending this year's conference. In peak years, that number has been closer to 1,000.

    To say that the challenges faced over the last year by hose industry businesses, from raw material availability to essential PPE pivots and social distancing, from labor force issues to pricing volatility, would be an understatement.

    On top of that, the organizers of NAHAD 2021—The Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution—have had to restart and regroup from their best laid plans not once, but twice, from an initial setting in the Bahamas in 2020, then to San Diego, and just two months after that cancellation, to the stunning (and hot) desert landscape of the southwest U.S.

    "This year's meeting has been a long time coming, and is nothing short of a miracle," NAHAD President Sam Petillo, president and CEO of Houston-based Singer Equities, told several hundred people gathered June 13 at "Sunset Beach," just one part of the expansive Fairmont Princess Scottsdale Resort. "I don't think it is a stretch to say that this is one our most important conventions of all time with the challenges faced in our industry.

    "But here we are. I want to thank you, each and every one, for your continued support of NAHAD and for joining us at this year's convention."

    Under the watchful, organized eye of Molly Alton Mullins and her staff at NAHAD, the agenda opened June 13 with a talk from Connor Lokar of New Hampshire-based ITR Economics, who presented an economic forecast over the next decade with a specific eye toward the hose industry.

    Later in the day was a sales and educational talk from Ryan Avery, the youngest World Champion of Public Speaking and an Emmy Award winner, who discussed how collaboration and productivity can lead to vastly improved business and bottom line performance.

    The Sunset Beach pool party was a fitting conclusion to the first day, as NAHAD 2021 attendees were treated to an amazing spread of pork and beef fillets, cured meats, an open bar—and 115-degree temperatures before the sun took its leave for the evening in the valley.

    "This is an opportunity to see friends of 26 years," said Rich Balka, owner and president of Home Rubber Co., based in Trenton, N.J., a broad-based company that manufactures handmade lathe-cut gaskets, specialty sheet rubber and tubing. "Our core customers are here. It is a great chance to talk business—and family."

    Roy Pyle, vice president of U.S. distribution sales for Jason Industrial, the fluid power segment of Ammega Group, said he appreciates membership in NAHAD for its committees, activities, projections and forecasts, and its valuable standards committee.

    He has been attending the conference since the late 1980s.

    "It is the ability to reconnect with people in our industry in a non-threatening environment," Pyle said. "We reconnect on friendships. From a business standpoint, I see more people and make more connections in one trip than I could in six to nine months, spending thousands and traveling many miles to do the same thing."

    David Gossett of general purpose air and water hose manufacturer Thermoid Inc., based in Dublin, Ohio, is attending his seventh NAHAD Convention.

    "The biggest thing is that the majority of my customers are here," Gossett said. "Seeing these key personnel is a major asset."

    Outside the convention, Gossett added that he appreciates the organization's forecasts in geographic areas and overall market trends.

    "This really is the Super Bowl for our industry," added Cory Byall, a distribution sales representative for Faster Inc., a hydraulics coupling distributor based in Maumee, Ohio. "It is a sizable investment to attend, and it is worth every penny. I cannot miss this convention under any circumstances."

    Check back at rubbernews.com for more coverage of NAHAD 2021, which runs through June 15.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Rubber News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].

    Most Popular
    1
    Danfoss Power Solutions, former Eaton Hydraulics see success a year after purchase
    2
    Trelleborg sails into 'known waters' with Minnesota Rubber, Plastics acquisition
    3
    Inventory, microchips impacting 2022 auto sales, EV rollouts
    4
    Former Sibur CEO: Sanctions stunt global SR industry
    5
    Hexpol Silicones nearly triples space with move to Akron facility
    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Rubber News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe Today

    Subscribe to Rubber News to get the best coverage and leading insights in the industry.

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    MISSION

    To serve companies in the global rubber product industry by delivering news, industry insights, opinions and technical information.

    Contact Us

    2291 Riverfront Pkwy, Suite 1000
    Cuyahoga Falls,
    OH 44221

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1726

    Resources
    • About Us
    • Digital Edition
    • Staff
    • Advertise
    • Order Reprints
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Partner Sites
    • Tire Business
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Automotive News
    • Crain Brands
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Automotive
      • Tire
      • Non-Tire
      • Suppliers
      • ITEC
      • Silicone
      • Online Exclusive
      • Latex
      • Technical Notebooks
      • Executive Action
      • Government/Legal
      • Opinion
      • Rubber Division IEC
      • Blogs
        • Products
        • Wacky World of Rubber
      • Sustainability
    • War in Ukraine
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
    • Resources
      • Directory
      • Classifieds & Mold Mart
    • Data
    • Events
      • RN Events
        • 2022 Hose & Belt Manufacturers Conference
        • 2022 International Silicone Conference
        • 2022 International Tire Exhibition & Conference (ITEC)
        • 2022 Women Breaking the Mold
      • RN Livestreams/Webinars
      • Industry Events
      • Past Events
      • Rubber News M&A Live
    • Advertise
    • DIGITAL EDITION