Get to Know NUCA

Hello Compact Equipment readers!

I’m Pam Kleineke, associate editor of CE and Utility Contractor magazines, filling in for Keith Gribbins as he travels the country hitting up press events and gathering great product info to share. You may have seen me pop up here before, but I spend most of my time manning the pages of UC each month — and that’s what I’m here to talk about today.

Utility Contractor is not only a sister publication of Compact Equipment, but it’s also the official publication of the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA). Celebrating its 50th anniversary, NUCA is the largest and most influential national trade association working solely for the excavation and underground utility construction industry. Based in Fairfax, Va., near Washington, D.C., NUCA represents contractors, manufacturers, suppliers and other providers in the water, sewer, gas, electric, telecommunications, treatment plant and excavation industries. In addition to many individual members throughout the nation, NUCA has 25 state and local chapters.

Throughout my time as the editor of UC, I’ve come to know NUCA’s staff and members very well and their reasons for why they support the association: They simply love the industry and want to advance it. NUCA’s three core goals — advocacy, safety promotion and education — are prevalent in everything the association does and offers to its members. NUCA has its ear to the ground in Washington with an aggressive lobbying and advocacy agenda that’s focused on promoting legislation and regulation that’s beneficial to its members. Safety and education are covered throughout the year at different association events, committee meetings and in training opportunities and materials offered through NUCA. George Kennedy, NUCA’s vice president of safety, addresses important concerns in his column “Safety Management” every month in UC.

Want to know more about NUCA? Be sure to visit its revamped website at www.nuca.com. There, you’ll find everything you need to know about the association from its advocacy and safety initiatives to its annual convention and membership benefits. Speaking of its convention, NUCA will host its 50th year celebration March 24-26 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. This premier event will include the association’s 50th Anniversary Gala, as well as plenty of educational and networking opportunities. Jim Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13, is scheduled as the convention’s keynote speaker and will discuss his crew’s harrowing experience and the teamwork it took to bring their spacecraft home safely. The convention will also feature four NUCA Institute modules, a terrific team-building event (building a miniature golf course from scratch — count me in!), contractor roundtables and much more. As someone who has attended this event, I can tell you it’s a great investment in your company.

Another great part of NUCA is the support it receives from manufacturers. In 2012, NUCA launched its National Partners program which gives participating associate member companies the opportunity to publicly show their support for the association. More than 30 companies signed on to the program in 2014, some of which are great supporters and contributors of CE, including Case Construction Equipment, Caterpillar, Ditch Witch, John Deere, Volvo and Wacker Neuson, to name a few.

Check out Talking Shop by Case on page 22 of the print magazine and an article on skid steers from Volvo on page 42. You can also find outstanding products from Caterpillar, Ditch Witch, John Deere and Wacker Neuson in our annual Innovation Awards on page 24. These companies make the machines that boost your business and invest in NUCA’s future. Thanks for taking the time to read about NUCA and its efforts, and for another year of tuning into CE. We can’t wait to tackle new topics, exciting equipment and everything that’s in store for 2015.

Here’s to a relaxing holiday season and a productive New Year!

Pam Kleineke
Associate Editor
pkleineke@benjaminmedia.com