Next month, a number of you involved in underground construction will make your way to Louisville, Kentucky, to attend the International Construction and Utility Equipment Exposition, or ICUEE. This event has become popular with contractors because it is the only U.S. construction trade show where you’ll be able to actually trench a ditch, fill up a backhoe bucket or watch horizontal boring equipment in action.
These outdoor exhibits always draw a crowd, especially when the weather is good. In past years, JCB has featured its “Dancing Diggers” – backhoes that perform extraordinary equipment ballets, with the help of talented operators, of course – and Ditch Witch and Vermeer have demonstrated their newest trenching and underground boring technology. Contractors love to see working equipment, and ICUEE, or The DemoExpo as it is also called, gives you plenty of opportunity to do just that. For more reasons to attend, including the significantly expanded educational program, check out our overview starting on page 63.
While you’re at the show, make sure you come to the Equipment World booth to meet Johnny Bench, baseball’s Hall of Famer and former Cincinnati Reds catcher. Johnny will be at the show on Thursday, September 29, signing autographs and posing for pictures. Equipment World will be giving away keepsake, autographed Louisville slugger mini-bats and baseballs to show attendees. Johnny is one of the nicest, down to earth superstars of the sporting world and I’m sure you’ll enjoy meeting him.
And while you’re in our booth, be sure to register for the Contractor’s Dream Package, an equipment package we give away every year valued at more than $100,000. You can fill out a registration form at our booth, or if you can’t make the show, simply fill out and mail in the postcard between pages 72 and 73 of this issue. We’ll be drawing the winning name soon, so don’t be left out.
This summer there has been a boom in construction like we haven’t seen in a few years. Such a robust construction economy has some wondering whether this is all a result of pent-up demand – a spate of good fortune that will be short lived. I prefer to listen to forecasters who are predicting this year is just the start of a cycle of several strong years for our industry, one that will extend well into the next decade. After this year’s busy season winds down, be sure to take time to sharpen the saw. There’s no better way to do this than to join us in Louisville at ICUEE, September 27-29. We look forward to seeing you there.
