A.I. McDermott Co. of Oshkosh,Wis., held its 57th Annual Dealer Meeting at the Oshkosh Convention Center earlier this year, with nearly 400 contractor customers, suppliers and employees in attendance.
The focus of this year's meeting was making the most of training opportunities. The day was full of opportunities to earn continuing education credits approved by both the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and Department of Natural Resources for licensed plumbers, pump installers, well drillers, certified soil testers, and several categories of inspector and private on-site wastewater treatment maintainers.
Tom McDermott Jr., president of A. I. McDermott Co., told attendees, "There's no better time than now to invest in training for yourself and your employees." McDermott continued by encouraging dealers to use the time created by the normal seasonal construction slowdown and the lingering effects of the current recession to "seek out training opportunities ¿and position yourself and your business to take advantage of the pending economic upturn."
Training sessions the day of the meeting included an introduction to Internet opportunities for contractors put on by Skyline Technologies of Green Bay. Additional product training was provided on water heater service issues, radiant heating systems, wastewater systems controls and the evolution of effluent filters. State of Wisconsin private on-site wastewater treatment specialist Karl Schultz brought attendees up to date on COMM 83 the Wisconsin private sewage code.
A timely seminar on the issue of naturally occurring arsenic contamination in Wisconsin ground water; was presented by Jill McDonald of Hellenbrand Water Conditioners of Waunakee, Wis., who gave an overview of the problem of arsenic contamination, the treatment solutions currently available and those on the horizon. The afternoon continuing education session included presentations on Franklin submersible pump motor troubleshooting, a Wisconsin state-approved chemical agent for the treatment of biofilms like iron bacteria in water wells, and the Well Vu line of down-hole cameras for troubleshooting water well construction and maintenance problems.
In addition to the continuing education seminars, over 30 manufacturer booth displays showed the latest in pumps, plumbing and hot-water heating equipment (radiant heat).
The A.I. McDermott Co. distributes water well, wastewater and water treatment supplies, pumps, plumbing and hydronic heating equipment throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In addition to their headquarters in Oshkosh, Wis., the company operates branch locations in Wausau, Green Bay and Muskego, Wis.
