For the second straight year, the annual STAFDA trade show and convention earned the right to be called the "best ever." The 30th edition featured more exhibitors, covering more space and greeting more attendees than any event in the association's history.
And, for the second straight year, Construction Distribution recruited STAFDA member distributors to serve as "roving reporters" to provide their unique insights into what was new, hot and exciting throughout the event.
Joining the CD team in Las Vegas in November were Nevan Little, vice president, Little Hardware, Charlotte, NC; Mike Karch, general manager, Neu Tool & Supply, West Allis, WI; and Maria Polidoro, president, Ace Tool Repair, Wantach, NY. Their comments on the event and the products that caught their eye include...
Nevan Little, Little Hardware, Charlotte, NC
It was a very, very good STAFDA event. We always enjoy the opportunity to meet with manufacturers and listen to the excellent speakers. As usual, their messages were meaningful.
The trade show gets larger each year and individual exhibitors are putting more and more effort into their presentations. Even with the extra hours of show time each day, it was hard to completely cover the whole thing.
All the lithium-ion battery-operated products were of interest as almost every line is expanding. The variety of choices is almost overwhelming. We were privileged to get sneak peeks at a couple of prototypes that aren't ready yet, but were very interesting —you'll see them early in 2007, I'm sure.
One of the newer products that caught my eye was the Arcus circular saw blade and guide systems. It's a unique solution to the problem of cutting arches and curves.
