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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/69728
FEATURE STORY By Dave Worden EETC returns to its roots for 16th annual conference Westin Dallas Fort Worth Airport Hotel. The conference offered programs for T educators and manufacturers, as well as the annual review of the certification tests and study guides. While I was attending the conference, I came across the following quote: "Education is about the only thing lying around loose in the world, and it's about the only thing a fellow can have as much of as he's willing to haul away." That appeared to be the case this year with all concerned — they took away what they could haul. This year's conference was sponsored by the following companies: B3C Fuel Solutions, Echo Incorporated, Foley United, Marr Brothers, Oregon Cutting Systems and The Toro Company. The workshops, which were presented by Echo, Kawasaki, Multex Services, SkillsUSA and B3C Fuel Solutions, generated spirited discussions. They opened up everyone to look at the service industry and believe we are all OK and looking forward to recovering from the past economic woes. The keynote speaker was Dave Lieber, a columnist for the Fort Worth Star- Telegram. He is also the author of two very interesting books, Watchdog Nation and The Dog of My Nightmares. Watchdog Nation helps readers understand customer service issues and does so with a great sense of humor. We also learned from Lieber how to get free coffee from Starbucks, so be sure to ask any of the EETC attendees how! More good news stemming from the conference was to hear that technician certification is still going strong. There was also some indication that more schools are looking at what is required to become accredited, which speaks volumes about the EETC's efforts and goals to address and resolve the critical shortage of service 18 he Equipment & Engine Training Council (EETC) returned to its birthplace in Dallas, Texas, for its 16th annual conference April 12-14 at the technicians in the power equipment industry through its accreditation and technician certification programs. As always, one of the annual conference's never-ending programs involved the tireless efforts of the certification committees. They continued to review the certification tests to keep them current and valuable. There is also endless work on the study guides, which are used to help technicians prepare for the tests. 2012 award winners On the final evening of the conference, the EETC held its awards dinner, where the following annual awards were presented: Spirit Award We are extremely thankful that this person is on our team. He continues to lead and move the organization forward. During the past several years, whenever the EETC needed something, we called this person and explained our dilemma to him, and he responded, "Sure, no problem!" That person is Ed Cole of The Toro Company. Manufacturer of the Year Unable to distinguish between two worthy companies for Manufacturer Ed Cole, middle, of The Toro Company received the Spirit Award from Dave Worden, left, and EETC President John Chocholak, right. Andrew Kuczmar, left, accepts a Manufacturer of the Year Award on behalf of Husqvarna from Scott Mack of the Kohler Company. OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com