Make Inroads at AGC Expo

Check out the new models at this year’s AGC Texas Trade & Equipment Show

By Debra Wood

Packed with the latest equipment and fellow contractors, the 24th Annual AGC of Texas Trade & Equipment Show promises attendees great opportunities to mix and mingle.

The event, themed Building the Road to Tomorrow, will run Oct. 8 and 9 in the Austin Convention Center. AGC does not charge admission.

Lee Taylor, South Texas area manager for AGC of Texas, expects the show will draw about 3,500 people this year, up from a little more than 3,000 in 2006. Displaying their product lines will be about 120 heavy and portable equipment vendors, as well as support industry firms, such as banks and insurers.

Government agencies, including the Texas Department of Transportation and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, will provide information about working together.

Niece Equipment of Del Valle, Texas, has displayed at the show since its inception. This year, the company will bring a water truck, a fuel/lube truck and a water tower.

 “We always meet new people to work with,” says Shelli Kleen, sales manager for Niece. “We make great contacts, and it’s a good way to network with people around the state and beyond.”

Likewise, ROMCO, with eight branch offices in the state, has not missed a show in 24 years. Marketing manager Paul Parker expects to field some questions about the recent purchase of Ingersoll Rand by Volvo. ROMCO already carries both manufacturers’ products, and  Parker expects no major changes.

ROMCO will bring C-series excavators and motor graders from Volvo to the show.

People stopping by the Freightliner of Austin booth can check out new Freightliner trucks, CPS dump trailers and Eager Beaver low-bay trailers. Freightliner general manager Dave Holt calls it the “best show in Central Texas.”

“It brings people from all over the state,” Holt says. “Economically, it’s good for us.”    

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T-K-O Equipment of Grand Prairie expects to display a large KPI crushing plant, along with equipment from Eagle Crusher and other manufacturers.

“We see a lot of value in the AGC show,” says Charlie Hayes with the T-K-O sales department. “It opens up our company to a lot of people we normally do not reach.”

AGC will offer a two-day safety training seminar, as well as continuing educational sessions about paving and other topics during the event. Texas Pavement Preservation Center, which promotes the use of strategies to extend road service life, will present a two-day seminar addressing chip sealing, tack-coat applications, best practices of seal coats, crack modeling and other issues.     

J. D. Abrams of Austin, Austin Bridge & Road of Austin, CMC Construction Services of Houston and HOLT CAT of San Antonio will sponsor the opening lunch. Williams Bros. Construction Co. of Houston will sponsor the contractors’ luncheon on Oct. 9. 

Underwriting the opening-night reception will be Longview Bridge & Road of Longview, GCR Truck Tire Centers of Austin, Hunter Industries of San Marcos, Niece Equipment, Sun Coast Resources of Houston, Trinity Industries of Dallas and Switzerland-headquartered Zurich Surety, with an office in Dallas.

A fish-fry dinner and live silent auction, sponsored by Whitley & Siddons/USI, both of Austin, cap off the activities. AGC members have donated fishing and hunting trips; sporting goods, such as shotguns and rifles; spa treatments; and artwork to raise money for the chapter’s scholarship fund. More than 25 students have applied this year. The chapter awards scholarships to further a construction-related education for the sons and daughters of members.

Last year, the chapter raised $209,000 at the trade show and granted 14 scholarships. The 2007 recipients will learn about their scholarship at the end of the evening.

The show brings together a varied group of people from the construction industry, including a large contingent of highway and utility contractors. It presents opportunities to network and catch up with old acquaintances.

Useful Sources:

For additional information, visit:

24th Annual AGC of Texas Trade & Equipment Show: http://www.agctx.org/Public/Trade_Show/2007/tspost07.asp

Texas Pavement Preservation Center: http://www.utexas.edu/research/tppc/conf/pps/index.html

TxDOT Letting Schedule:
http://www.dot.state.tx.us/business/ schedule.htm