President's Message

Wade Peterson
Baraboo, Wisconsin
June 2013

Spring has arrived!! It’s early May and just last week several northern WI counties received significant snowfall. The fields are finally drying out and now most wastewater plants are busy spreading Biosolids.

The scholarship criterion has changed. To allow more applicants, the applicant need not be a relative of the sponsor. The sponsor must be a current WWOA member with at least 3 (three) years of membership. Preference will be given to a child (step) or grandchild (step) of a WWOA member. Check out the full details under the Member Services tab on the WWOA website!!

The annual conference is coming together. Kelly Zimmer (technical chair), Jeremy Cramer (local & guest program chair), Jeff Bratz (website & operators’ competition chair), Jim Thalke (sporting clays chair), and Randy Herwig (golf chair) have been busy putting the final details together. The registration fees will be the same as last year! You should notice some nice improvements to the on-line registration. Also, there will be bussing available to and from some of the other area hotels. The hotels and bussing information is on the website. Something new this year for the entertainment venue after the awards banquet, Kelly Zimmer has come up with the idea of hosting card games. There will be several tables available for people to play cards whether it is sheep’s head, euchre, spades, texas holdem, etc. There will be door prizes given away throughout the entertainment evening. A cash bar will remain open for the event.

The deadlines for Award nominations, Scholarships applications, and Operators’ Competition teams are rapidly approaching!! Again, check out our website for criteria and deadlines.

 Tom Mulcahy and Carol Strackbein (Manufacturers and Consultants co-chairs) have finalized their portion of the conference. There will be 108 display booths available. Because of the amount of exhibit space available this year, we will allow two exhibit spaces per company and three contiguous exhibit spaces for representative firms and their principles. If all space is not sold by August 15, 2013, exhibitors may purchase additional space. Please use the line item on the Application Form to request the extra space. Total cost for the exhibit space is $385.00 for Applications received on/before August 15, 2013. The cost for requests received after August 15, 2013 is $575.00. The Sponsor Fee of $100.00 (included in the exhibit cost) is to be paid only once per firm. It is charged to ALL manufacturers and consultants attending the conference.

The WWOA is sponsoring an Advanced Microbiology Training with Toni Glymph at Stevens Point on August 13, 2013. Check out the website for details and registration.

 Looking out a few years, the 2017 WWOA conference will be held at the Middletown Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. The Permanent Arrangement Committee (past and present) did an excellent job in negotiating this new contract. They are now busy on locking up the 2018 site.

I hope you have a great and safe summer!

Wade Peterson
WWOA President