ABMA convened at the luxurious Fairmont Chateau Whistler resort located at the base of the Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler, British Columbia June 23 - 26 for our 2023 Summer Meeting.

The 2023 Summer Meeting took our ABMA events to new heights as our first international meeting in Canada. Based on the initial feedback, the meeting was a big success and offered attendees an experience that far outweighed the investment.

Boiler Focused Content Highlights Include:

• Rental Group Presentation: Importance of Proper Water Chemistry in Rentals, Jeff O’Hara, Delval Equipment sponsored by Atlas Copco and Powerhouse
• Associates Group Presentation: The Supply Chain of Workers Compensation and How You Can Use It to Your Advantage, Christopher Yanakos & Kevin Tracey, Reli
• Controls & Instrumentation Group Presentation: Cybersecurity for Control Systems, Kent Nelson, UL sponsored by UL
• International Group Presentation: 2023 Changes to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code/International Codes Using ASME as a Basis, Jay Vattappilly, HSB sponsored by Gulf Coast Boiler
• Alternative Energy Presentation: Alternative Fuels for Packaged Boilers, Kent Nelson, UL sponsored by TEKtube (Rosa Operating LLC)
• New Member Presentation: Predict & Prevent - Insurance, Jon DeWald, HELIXintel
• Industrial Group Presentation: Essentialness of Boilers, John Bartley, Louisville Medical Center

ABMA had a very special opening to our 2023 Summer Meeting, we invited Ambassadors from the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre to provide a native blessing and song customary of the Squamish and/or Lil'wat Nations during our Opening General Session.

It wouldn't be an ABMA Meeting without a little bit of fun, we had an Opening Keynote from the Pike Peak Fishmongers, which engaged the audience by throwing fish across the aisles and selecting volunteers to attempt to throw and catch the fish during demonstrations.

The Fishmongers presented their keynote about how highly engaged teams are the difference between a thriving organization and one that's faltering. An important key to employee engagement and high morale is a positive workplace environment where deep trust and mutual respect form the backbone of the organization. A big thank you to Group Simoneau for the Maple Syrup Welcome Gift and for sponsoring the Opening General Session.

Friday ended with a beautiful Welcome Reception sponsored by NBBI on the Woodlands Terrace with breathtaking views of Whistler and the Mountains in the background.

Saturday morning started with Breakfast sponsored by Fireye and Zeeco, followed by Product & Market Group Presentations. The Spouse Activity & Lunch sponsored in part by Nationwide Boiler, included a guided tour of Whistler Village. Spouses and guests experienced the flavors and fun of Whistler and its culinary scene, followed by lunch at the Garibaldi Lift Co. Bar & Grill. The first ABMA Manufacturers Representative Council was held for the attending representative members to come together to discuss industry challenges and future agenda items for the group. ABMA members enjoyed a member Group Luncheon sponsored by RENTECH Boiler Systems.

Saturday ended with a Dessert Social on the Woodlands Terrance featuring yard games. ABMA Members and their guests enjoyed yummy desserts, hot chocolate, and coffee during one of the longest days of the year while networking as the sun set on Whistler.

Sunday featured a member breakfast sponsored by C.H. McGuiness and Webster Combustion and additional Product & Market Group Presentations. We ended the day with our main event, which included a reception at the Fairmont, followed by a short walk to the Village Center to the Garibaldi Lift Co. Bar & Grill for an Après Ski party with more networking and dinner. A special thank you to Frederick Cowan Products by ICI for sponsoring this event.

Our final day of the Summer Meeting began with the Monday General Session Breakfast sponsored by Umicore Catalyst USA, followed by the Closing General Session sponsored by Applied Heat Recovery and Weishaupt. Attendees heard a presentation about Biogas and Biomass for Boilers from Patrick Serfass, Executive Director of the American Biogas Council.

Then our closing keynote speaker John Grotzinger, Chief Scientist and Head of Strategic Planning for the Mars Rover Mission took us to Outer Space with a presentation about the challenges, discoveries, teamwork, and leadership during the mission.

Grotzinger talked about how to fail intelligently using the best-practice approach of “test as you fly, and fly as you test” resulting in significant risk reduction and outlined how his team confronted and resolved challenges and highlighted their remarkable achievements.

Directly following the General Session, ABMA hosted our Golf Tournament with fantastic weather at the beautiful Fairmont Whistler Golf Course with gorgeous mountain views and black bear sightings. A special thank you to Miura America Company and our Golf Hole sponsors for sponsoring the Tournament.

On Monday evening, we closed out the meeting with a Taste of Canada Closing Reception & Dinner, complete with local food, wine, beer, and cocktails sponsored in part by Industrial Steam.

ABMA Members departed the meeting with coffee and breakfast to go on Tuesday morning sponsored by E-Tech.

Once again, thank you to all who attended and to all the sponsors who made this meeting possible. Also, thank you to the ABMA staff for all their hard work to create another successful event.

All meeting registrants will be receiving an email within the next two weeks with a link to the presentation slides and meeting photos.

We look forward to seeing you in February at the Omni Barton Creek in Austin, TX at the 2024 Annual Meeting!!

For more information visit the Summer Meeting page or contact [email protected].